The story
The company was founded by chairman and chief executive officer, Bahram Akradi. The company was incorporated in 1990 as FCA, Ltd., a Minnesota corporation, and registered the name Life Time Fitness in March of 1992. In 2017, the word "Fitness" was officially dropped from the brand name, and the company became simply Life Time, Inc. The first club opened in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.
Several locations were added to the Minneapolis–St. Paul area before the chain expanded to suburban communities in other states. As of mid-2021, the locations include over 160 athletic clubs, 3 apartment home residences, and 10 coworking locations. Most Life Time locations are located in exurban or suburban areas in medium to large-sized metropolitan areas, with some locations in central city or inner suburban areas. The oldest facility is in Eagan, Minnesota. In December 2019 they opened up a new facility inside of the Southdale Mall in Edina, Minnesota, replacing the former tenant J.C. Penney.
In addition to its health clubs, the company has created or acquired, as of 2012, more than 200 annual races in the United States. These include the Life Time Tri Series, the Leadville Race Series, the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival in Hayward, Wisconsin, the Unbound Gravel gravel bicycle race, and the Miami Marathon.
In August 2014, Life Time, a publicly traded company at the time, considered becoming a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) in response to pressure from its largest shareholder, Marcato Capital Management. In March 2015, Life Time was acquired by private equity firms TPG Capital and Leonard Green & Partners in a leveraged buyout.
From Wikipedia’s article on Life Time, Inc., shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.7