- Greg Glassman, cofounder of the global fitness brand CrossFit, announced he would be stepping down as CEO on June 9 after tweeting a controversial statement about George Floyd days prior.
- He retains full ownership of the company but announced on June 24 that he would be selling it to Eric Roza, an affiliate gym owner.
- Since Glassman stepped down, there have been two major changes within the company structure: a new program to represent the affiliate gym owners across the US, and the return of top executive and longtime CrossFit leader Nicole Carroll.
- Business Insider published an investigation June 21 in which former employees claimed the culture of the workplace demeaned women, operated off retribution, and was ruled by a fear of getting on Glassman’s bad side.
- Are you a former or current CrossFit employee, gym owner, or athlete with a story to share? Email the reporters at [email protected] or [email protected].
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
In the month since Greg Glassman, founder of global fitness brand CrossFit, stepped down from his role as CEO, the brand has rolled out two major changes.
Glassman announced he would be relinquishing his role as CEO on June 9. The move came after he tweeted a comment about George Floyd on June 6 that was met with widespread backlash. Glassman has since deleted his Twitter account.
On June 21, Business Insider published an investigation into CrossFit, which found that insiders claim the culture of the workplace demeaned women, operated off retribution, and was ruled by a fear of getting on Glassman’s bad side. A CrossFit spokesperson declined to comment on CrossFit’s workplace culture.
In recent weeks, the brand has made two significant changes, both re-hiring a top female executive and shifting how it interacts with gym owners who pay to use the CrossFit name.
CrossFit launched a program for regional gym affiliate representatives
In the first major shift, CrossFit on June 18 announced a new program for regional gym affiliate representatives, the Morning Chalk-Up first reported.
Representatives from more than a dozen districts across the US will work with gym owners to take feedback and facilitate open communication between gyms and CrossFit Headquarters, according to the company website.
The change comes after some affiliate gym owners had expressed concerns about a lack of transparency and communication from CrossFit's leadership, in addition to Glassman's history of incendiary comments.
So far, only three district representatives have been announced - Rick Nolley and Craig Howard of Diablo CrossFit representing Northern California; Richard Alvarez of CrossFit Riverside representing Southern California; and Shae Tozzo of CrossFit Zoo representing Florida. The company stated it plans to add new representatives in coming weeks, according to the website.
Gym owners have had mixed responses to the affiliate program, but many are waiting for more names on the list before making up their minds. Some are tentatively hopeful that it's a step in the right direction to give affiliates more power within the company.
Others are skeptical that it will significantly change how CrossFit Headquarters makes important decisions, noting that the process for choosing affiliate representatives hasn't been transparent. And the affiliate program is only for gyms in the U.S. - CrossFit has yet to announce a plan for representing affiliate gyms worldwide.
The return of one of CrossFit's longest-running employees
In the second major change for the company in recent weeks, CrossFit's former director of training, Nicole Carroll, announced on June 29 that she would return to the company.
Carroll, one of the longest-running CrossFit employees, had previously announced her resignation from CrossFit on June 7, one day after then-CEO Glassman's widely condemned tweet. After her departure, a Change.org petition asking her to return to CrossFit under its new ownership racked up 2,723 signatures.
Carroll's return followed the public announcement that Glassman was selling CrossFit to Eric Roza, owner of the affiliate gym CrossFit Sanitas in Boulder, Colorado, and executive-in-residence with venture capital firm General Catalyst.
In her Instagram post announcing her return to CrossFit, Carroll said she was "greatly encouraged" by recent conversations. Neither Carroll nor Roza previously responded to Business Insider's requests for comment regarding the nature of those conversations.
"There is hope and healing in the air for the community," Carroll wrote. "There is an authentic commitment to creating a healthy & inclusive company culture, mending relationships, innovating forward, and restoring a sense of pride in the CrossFit name."
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