North Castle Partners has named Tony Scrimale, CEO of CR Fitness Holdings LLC, as its 2025 “CEO of the Year,” recognizing his leadership in expanding Crunch Fitness’ footprint and delivering record-breaking performance. The announcement marks the second time in four years that CR Fitness has received the prestigious honor—an uncommon achievement in the award’s 25-year history.
North Castle, a private equity firm focused on healthy, active, and sustainable living brands, selected Scrimale from a pool of leaders across its portfolio of over 20 companies. The award honors CEOs who demonstrate outstanding business results while exemplifying the firm’s core values.
Under Scrimale’s leadership, CR Fitness has grown from 35 to 85 Crunch Fitness locations across five states—Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Texas, and Tennessee—with plans to expand into Arizona. Membership has surged past 800,000 active members, and the franchise is on track to reach 100 locations by 2026.
The firm credited Scrimale’s success not only to his financial and strategic accomplishments—such as new market entries, acquisitions, and personal training performance—but also to his leadership style and alignment with North Castle’s culture.
“Tony Scrimale and CR Fitness embody the same core principles as North Castle,” said Jon Canarick, the managing director of North Castle Partners. “The commonalities in our shared values is why this partnership has been a true honor, and surpassed any expectations we had. This team is truly best in class and we’re incredibly thankful for our continued partnership with them.”
In accepting the award, Scrimale emphasized the collaborative nature of the company’s growth. “It’s been an honor and a privilege to go on this journey with our partners at North Castle, along with our executive leadership team at CR Fitness; and to serve our 5,000 full and part-time dedicated employees across the country.” he said.
CR Fitness’ leadership team includes industry veterans Vince Julien, Geoff Dyer and Jeff Dotson, collectively bringing more than 150 years of experience to the rapidly growing franchise group.
