Chequan Lewis has been promoted to CEO of Crunch Fitness.
In an interview on the “Aspire to Inspire” podcast, Lewis said he is guided by a “mission to do all that I can with all that I’ve been given,” which his family instilled in him. This has shaped his career journey. He studied political science and economics at Howard University. Then, after graduating in 2005, he worked at McMaster-Carr, a major industrial supply shop in Atlanta, for four years in roles including business analyst, operations supervisor, diversity recruiting manager, and national employment manager, according to his LinkedIn profile.
“I was fortunate that they were looking for management talent that didn’t come from the business world,” Lewis said on the podcast.
That experience fueled a continued interest in business. It was also a passion he couldn’t ignore, even while working at a major law firm, Baker Botts, he shared.
“The reality was I still had this fire burning from my time at McMaster-Carr to not be a lawyer on the outside of the business, but in the heart of the action,” he explained.
Lewis was then presented with an opportunity at Yum! Brands to work as a franchise lawyer for Pizza Hut U.S., which allowed him to put his business, legal, and problem-solving skills to work. According to his LinkedIn profile, he advised Pizza Hut’s finance, operations, development, and treasury functions in the role. He was promoted three times during his nearly eight-year tenure: to senior director (Express) (November 2018-August 2020), chief equity officer (August 2020-January 2022), and chief operating officer (January 2022-January 2024).
Lewis joined Crunch Fitness, serving as president in January 2024.
“There are a couple things that drew me to Crunch. The first one is a lot of my friends know, like I just love working out,” Lewis reflected on the podcast. “I love this idea of fitness, and I think fitness is so critical to people being the best version of themselves, and that’s something that I’m really passionate about. So when I made the jump, my first question was, ‘Is this gonna allow me to do the most I can with all that I’ve been given, and can I help people connect with the best version of themselves?’ I truly believe that in fitness that is literally what we’re doing sort of moment by moment, and like that’s a really important point.”
He continued, “The other thing I’d say is this … I got really fired up about being a part of a growing brand. I love Yum!. Yum! is the world’s largest restaurant company. And then Crunch, I think is that the story’s just being written. Obviously, we started in 1989, definitely take up our respective piece of space in this industry, but there’s so many more chapters to go and so many clubs to open and so many countries to plant a flag in, and I’m really excited to be a part of helping us take those hills together.”
Lewis has now been promoted to CEO, according to a June press release. He succeeds Jim Rowley, who had been the company’s CEO since 2019.
“I’m honored to step into the CEO role and continue that partnership, building on the foundation we’ve created together. As we enter this next chapter, our focus remains clear: to support our franchise network, invest in innovation, and grow the Crunch community in a disciplined way while staying true to the culture, values, and ‘No Judgments, No Limits’ experience that define this brand,” Lewis said, per the press release.
