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@@@ The 52-year-old Waco native helped create Curves International, a fitness chain for women that exploded in popularity in the late 1990s, leading to more than 10,000 franchised locations around the world. Meanwhile, he spent the past five years living in Minnesota, serving as chief operating officer for Snap Fitness.

So when a startup company in Australia was looking to make waves in the United States, it turned to Findley, who has made Waco his headquarters as chief operating officer of EnVie Fitness.
鈥淚 basically run everything outside of <a href=http://www.alportico.net/page.php?sale=Gucci-Pink>Gucci Pink</a>  Australia,鈥?said Findley, who during a phone interview said he has made calls to a potential client in Dubai, the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, and hopes eventually to spread the word about EnVie to Canada and Mexico.
鈥淏ut for now, my focus is on the United States,鈥?he said.
Findley said a corporate EnVie location has opened in the Dallas suburb of Mansfield and a franchised location in Phoenix likely will begin welcoming members the first week of October. EnVie Fitness is open to women only.
He said he already is making arrangements to fly groups from Las Vegas and Orlando into the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex to visit the Mansfield location.
Eventually, he wants to find a franchisee to open at least three EnVie shops in Waco, and then he will begin welcoming prospects to Central Texas, he said.
鈥淚 would like to see at least 500 stores open within the next five years,鈥?Findley said.
He grew up in Axtell, has lived in or near Waco his entire life 鈥?except for his stint in Minnesota 鈥?and dipped his toe in the corporate world at age 19, when he went to work for a club called Total Fitness on Lake Air Drive.
He worked for a time at the Waco-based Dwyer Group, founded by the late Don Dwyer with a single company: Rainbow International, a carpet cleaning and coloring company.
Findley said he still marvels that Dwyer would welcome him into his office any time to talk about the finer points of franchising.
The lessons will be applied to EnVie, which has seven locations in Australia with two more in development.
Aaron Thompson, national franchise director for EnVie, said Findley has a knack for seeing the potential of a concept and taking it to the next level.
鈥淗e loves a challenge and knows more about the fitness franchise industry than anyone,鈥?Thompson said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 been in it for over 30 years and built the largest fitness franchise in the world. EnVie knew they had something special in Australia, but they needed the right person to launch it into the U.S. and across the globe.
鈥淭hey found that person in Gary, <a href=http://www.alportico.net/page.php?sale=Infant-True-Religion-Jeans>Infant True Religion Jeans</a>  and it鈥檚 been off to the races ever since.鈥?
Findley said EnVie locations require about 2,500 square feet. They are stocked with treadmills and elliptical machines for cardiovascular workouts, and with strength-training devices that form a circuit. Designated areas can be used for group training that may include kickboxing or yoga.
鈥淧ersonal trainers are available every day, and each location also provides nutrition counseling,鈥?Findley said.
Monthly dues of $59 cover everything except personal training, for which there is an additional charge.
Findley said a typical franchisee probably needs $140,000 to $160,000 to make a club operational.
鈥淓quipment vendors can provide financing, so you probably can comfortably get started with $75,000 to $80,000,鈥?Findley said.
That figure does not include the cost of securing room for a club, he said, adding that 2,500 square feet of suitable space in <a href=http://www.avanttravel.com/page.php?sale=Tory-Burch-Free-Shipping>Tory Burch On Sale</a>  Waco likely would run $3,500 to $4,500 a month.
Findley and Waco-based Curves International have seen change since they parted ways in 2004, eight years after it was founded by Gary and Diane Heavin with Findley鈥檚 help.
The number of U.S. clubs carrying the Curves banner dropped by a third, to 5,208, between 2007 and 2010, and the total operating today hovers around 3,000. The magazine Club Business International profiled Curves in its August 2013 issue, asking, 鈥淐an the Biggest Brand in Women-Only Fitness Achieve Greatness 鈥?Again?鈥?
North Castle, a Connecticut-based private equity firm, acquired the company with promises to restore its former glory. It hired fitness guru Jillian Michaels, star of NBC鈥檚 鈥淭he Biggest Loser,鈥?to lead club members in televised workouts that would supplement Curves鈥?30-minute routines.
Far from criticizing what is now a competitor, Findley said, 鈥淚鈥檓 proud of my involvement with Curves.鈥?
He said that name and the knowledge he gained working with the Heavinses has opened doors for him in an industry that is constantly evolving 鈥?one that had not seen anything likes Curves when it arrived with its smallish clubs; fast-paced, station-to-station workouts that would fit nicely into a lunch hour; and its women-only approach.
Comparing Curves and EnVie, he said, 鈥淲e are twice the size, have more variety of equipment and offer personal training and group classes.鈥?