CURVES: Say Goodbye to Gary Heavin!
August 8, 2012
CURVES SOLD! Say Goodbye to Gary Heavin.
Curves franchise owners, former franchise owners and all those associated with the Curves organization are invited to leave a farewell message to Gary Heavin below.
Yes, it’s official.
Gary and Diane Heavin have finalized the sale of Curves International to North Castle Partners.
Please share a farewell message with Gary, below, and let him know what impact he has had on your life, your finances, your credit, and the well being of your family.
Here is the good news that the surviving Curves franchise owners received:
Dear Curves Franchisee,
Diane and I and the team from NCP are excited to announce the completion of Curves International’s long anticipated equity deal with North Castle Partners. We have spent countless hours together over the past seven months educating each other on our business models and have already built a strong partnership. Together we are excited to lead Curves to its full potential.
Diane and I will continue to play an important leadership role in the company serving as members of the board of directors and continuing to be stewards of the brand and keeper of the original mission – strengthening women! In the next few weeks, North Castle expects to announce the hiring of a new Chief Executive Officer and we look forward to introducing that CEO to you. Other talented key executives are expected in the coming months to complement the talented team already in place.
We recognize turning around the performance of Curves in North America begins with a more profitable franchise. In order to meaningfully increase franchise profits, we anticipate that the new leadership team will enact a number of changes and they will need your patience and cooperation in helping the entire system reach its potential. While we have a lot of ideas as to what will change, the turnaround and operating plan will be developed by the newly hired CEO in partnership with the existing team, other new hires and the board of directors. The new CEO will share key pieces of the plan at the convention in October. In addition to some marketing and operating changes, moving to one Curves brand is critical to our future success and this includes having 100% participation in Curves products and programs including Curves OS and Curves Complete.
We hope many of you will make it to the convention to meet the new CEO, other new team members, and Chip Baird and Jon Canarick from North Castle. We know it will be an exciting few days as we learn from each other and all partner together to move Curves forward. We appreciate your patience as we work through this transition. We are very excited to provide you with an experienced, talented new leadership team that will take you and the Curves brand to its full potential.
While it’s a new day, it’s still great to be at Curves!
Gary & Diane
Also read: CURVES: Curves Posts on Unhappy Franchisee
Gary Heavin on ABC Secret Millionaire: What do CURVES Franchisees Think?
ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH CURVES INTERNATIONAL, GARY HEAVIN OR DIANE HEAVIN? FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A FAREWELL OR COMMENT BELOW.
tags: Curves sold, Curves bought, Curves International sold, Gary Heavin, Diane Heavin, Gary Heavin Out, North Castle Partners, Curves franchise, Curves Complaints, Curves Scam, Curves lawsuits, Curves unhappy franchisee, Curves acquisition
Comments
78 Responses to “CURVES: Say Goodbye to Gary Heavin!”
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I am very interested in participating in any legal action against Curves International that are underway. I am located in Canada.
Please send e-mail address of genevive thank you.
I too am very interested in participating in any and all legal actions against Curves International. I am located in Pennsylvania. A friend of mine thinks she may have found something that can help us all. This new company that Curves International sold too is not just partners, they are SHAREHOLDERS and all us franchisees never had a say in any of it and also whoever signed there papers before they sold out should definately be able to close or sell without recourse since we never signed any papers with these new people!!! This was admitted at one of the so called supposidly required / mandatory Group Action Meetings. This came right from someone who works for Curves International. So i took all this infor to my lawyer. Hope this is of help to others also
Genevive please contact me regarding your lawsuit.
Connie i feel the same way as you. I could never sell this to some unsuspecting person and put them through the nitemare ive been through in the last year. Weather i knew the person or not i wouldn’t do it.
Hope i am in your same situation. Dealing with all this new crap. Need some info about a class action lawsuit if there is any started in the United States. I am in Pennsylvania
Patti, please let us know if you find out more regarding getting out since we didnt sign any new contracts…I had one attorney look at my franchise agreement and he didnt seem to offer any hope….I did hear that an attorney named Ronald Gardner with Dady and Gardner in minneapolis, min. has helped some curves owners in the past, he also helped them set up a franchise association…I havent communicated with him yet, so I dont have any details as to what he did with any previous cases. Look him up on the internet. I will post any other info I get. Feel free to contact me through admin. If you get any more info regarding class action suits, or any attorney that sees a way out let me know! Take care
Thank you for the info Hope. I will definately keep you informed of any new information i get. I will check those lawyers out. Ive been doing some research also to see if there are any good franchise lawyers in my area. Have a great day. Keep your chin up we will all get thru this somehow.
Patti, did you ever connect or hear anything from genevive? I tried connecting with her and never got a response…I sent an email to Ronald Gardner and he replied and said he would call me to discuss, I asked if he had any current curves owners he is representing and told him if he does I would like some info. So I am waiting to get his call, will let you know. You hang in too, and regardless of all this I wish you a blessed christmas.
I never did hear from Genevive either. I will be speaking with Ronald Gardner today at 11:00. I am very anxious to hear what he has to say. I faxed over about 13 pages of different things on Friday so he could review them before our conversation today. I have a positive feeling about it all. So nice to know he has done other Curves things in the past and is well versed with there franchise agreements and all. I will let you know what he says. I want to wish you a very Merry Blessed Christmas and New Years also.
Hope i spoke with Mr Gardner from Dady & Gardner law firm. Awesome guy! I am having him represent me. He asked me how i found him and i gave him your name if you don’t mind. Told him we have been chatting on here. I feel very positive i will be able to close with not owing Curves very much if anything. I really think they will back down when they see he is my lawyer. He is very, very knowledgable about Curves and there franchise agreements.
Patti that is so great!! I really like him and was impressed with his knowledge. I dont know the details of your situation in comparison to mine…I hope you will keep me up to date on the progress! Im not sure what I am going to do yet..how much time do you have left on your contract?
Hello Hope, I have 4 more years on my contract. My first year will be up in a couple months end of March. So this is when i plan on closing. I sent Mr Gardner my franchise papers and retainer fee overnite which they should have received this past Friday. Wanted to get the ball rolling ASAP. Will definately keep you informed of my progress. Your in my prayers as are everyone on here that is or has experienced this nitemare with this franchise.
WARNING!!!
I just want to caution anyone posting here looking for legal action. Your first mistake was buying a curves. Your next one is making an emotional decision to pay an attorney. NO ATTORNEY is going to make you whole again. Rather, they will milk you for every cent you have left, drag you through years of litigation, and deliver you nothing. Just ask the last group of dunderheads that hired the sleaze ball Robert Zarco. Oh, wait! They are gagged from talking. Don’t be a fool again.
Mine is already wrapping up nicely and only took a couple weeks and this is not the attorney I’m using. Found somebody way better. Walking out of all of this smiling ear to ear. Your probably a snitch for the a-holes at curves so whatever.
Hope if you would like to speak with me further about this please get my email off admin. We don’t need to have this GUEST whomever it is in on our conversation. Obviously he/she or they are a snitch for curves international or another curves owner or former owner who is very disgruntled and didn’t so enough research to find a good lawyer. We don’t need to be called names or harrassed
Hi Patti! Yes we need to connect!! I agree with you regarding spies on the posts…because of that I am going by a different name, I chose Hope because thats what I need! One thing guest is right about and that is the first mistake was buying curves! I will try to connect with you through admin….if you see a different name just dont ignore right off. I am so happy you have found hope and relief ahead. I will pray for you too. May God bless us with a Happy, Healthy, New Year, and set us free from all bondage!! Hope to connect soon! You can also request my info, email from admin
Dear Gary and Diane,
Firstly, I want to thank you for making such a huge difference in my life and for all of the opportunities you provided to me. They were life changing. . As the Assistant Director of Mentors, a franchise owner and mentor, I was thrilled to have my dream job and as a boss goes, I couldn’t have asked for better people to mentor me not only in my job, but in life. To this day, I use many things you have taught me in my everyday life. I have the upmost respect for you guys and wish you nothing but the very best in whatever the future calls you to do. Curves will not be the same without your dedication and ownership. I have never seen you do the wrong thing. I guess it was time however to move on. Wishing you and your family all of the best in the future…
Paula Sparks
It’s not possible that these people did the right thing. Curves have closed at an unbelievable rate in my area. The leadership had to be awful.
Gary and I were friends and he ripped me off of a business deal for a measly $10,000! Even after he became a multi millionaire he never reached out to help the few of us whose shoulders he stood on to get where he is today. Shame on you Gary!
I worked for curves for 7 years…we have closed all but three in seattle leaving so many frustrated members. I do not know this new company but just the fact that they are keeping Gary involved tells me there is no hope. Owners get out while you can. My former boss lost her shirt. I wondered why thrre is advertising agin and not just on cable. Where were you when owners needed you G&D. You have gotten rich on the backs of many. I now work at a small gym in my hometown I have lost a dress size with a real trainer and I would never work for another curves. But like I said there are only three left here.
Hi, Patti and admin
I am interested in hearing how your case is coming along?
Thanks!
Another owner who has closed
I can tell by the posts that this change taking place within the Curves Company is definitely getting rid of the illiterate and lazy owners! Good move Curves, AND Monty Sharma!!!
Barbara, thanks for sharing your amazing intelligence…..so good to know that you are superior to everyone else. Watch out…. pride comes before the fall….
Hi Barbara Pluym,
You should open your own Curves. Sure, 5,000 of the 7,500 USA Curves have closed in the last 5 years. (Can you imagine Curves Intl sold to those idiots?)
2,500 USA Curves remain but many of those owners would LOVE to sell to someone smart, and energetic like you! Buy one! You’ll probably LOVE it! (And you can show those 5,000 closed owners how it’s done!)
Penny
Hi Penny, tell it like it is !!!!!!! Soooo true! I was checking the numbers and found that there are aprox….2500 clubs left and out of those 2500 there are aprox…600 for sale!!! 25 percent are trying to GET OUT!!!!! ( For all you fact people please note I said aprox..) Out of all those clubs for sale the majority wont sell and those owners are forced to close down….how is it going to look when the next 500 close and there are only 2000 left….what is curves going to do about all these illiterate people other than continue to make money on their misfortune, due to curves deception and greed!!! I guess thats what all the smart curves corporate people do, plan how they can continue to deceive and bankrupt the women who gave their hearts, and their money…if curves corporate is the example of intelligence then I dont want to be part of that group!! Eventually people like Barbara Pluym and Curves International will get what they deserve…they are not god.
WOW I am glad I sold my Curves locations for a profit years ago! I saw from the beginning how easily they handed out territories with no market research or qualification whatsoever. I was amazed at the people running some of them in my area. I was just lucky to be the first to open. Made some good money but saw quickly how incompetent and greedy Curves was all along. Some of my locations had just enough members to make a decent profit but then Curves got greedy and sold a new territory right smack in the middle. My members dropped at both locations below the break even point. The poor person that bought that one in the middle NEVER made money. Never did Curves give the support we owner paid for. WOW after reading the horror stories here, I am so fortunate to have cut the cord. Shame on you Gary for allowing your greed to hurt so many families. Karma. that’s all I can say!
Curves franchisees and former franchisees:
It’s really time to bring Curves’ closing practices out in the open and put a stop to the insensitive and unethical way Curves continues to treat its failed and failing franchisees.
While there are not a lot of comments lately, make no mistake – this is not a “dead” thread… there are a tremendous number of franchisees reading every day as they search for answers and help… they just aren’t posting.
I need to hear from you. I need to hear your stories – what you have gone through and what you are going through… What Curves demanded from you and what they settled for (if you’re already through the closing process) I would like to get copies of correspondence that they’ve sent you. I will keep it confidential and won’t post anything without your consent.
If you can provide me with some current demands, especially from the current owners, I will reach out to franchisee attorneys and others in the hopes of getting some assistance pro bono or on contingency. I will also try to reach out to the company to get them to change the practices and policies toward those who believed and invested in their brand, and have lost enough already. I believe Curves & North Castle Partners will be better off taking a more enlightened approach, rather than face a national PR campaign and petition to stop their current tactics.
Please send an email to UnhappyFranchisee[at]gmail.com if you wish to share your story, information, documents, or even if you just wish to receive our email updates (no spam). If you have items to mail, email me for the address.
Thanks,
ADMIN
UnhappyFranchisee.com
UnhappyFranchisee[at]gmail.com
I owed a Curves. I did not know anything about the fitness industry prior to that which is the only reason I went into a Franchise. They promised to help and teach. As time went on I tried to learn what my members wanted so that I could serve them. I felt that my members wanted more than a circuit. or at the very least a good circuit with new hydraulics. I bought new ones but you couldn’t buy them from Curves because the new ones they sold weren’t smooth. Our Power Workouts were awesome but having to use their advertising meant noone would ever know. The Smart came one year too late, Curves Circuit with Zumba was one year too late. The stretching circuit was awesome but they never advertised it. We were never allowed to try anything new or fun. I wonder if my Curves would have benefited having a Weight Watchers class inside? No way! Curves wanted the weight loss industry too!
I too would love an accounting of our ad money. It was my understanding that this money was restricted for advertising yet I do remember they gave some to their franchise club so already we know it was not used exclusively for advertising. I’ll help in any lawsuit and will even gladly audit the advertising revenue! I am a Certified Public Accountant. and can be contacted at [redacted].
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