Celebrating 50 Years of HealthFitness

HealthFitness proudly celebrates its 50th anniversary—five decades dedicated to our mission of improving the health and wellbeing of the people we serve. 

From the beginning, our work has been guided by a core belief: health and fitness should be integrated into the places where people live, work, learn, and thrive.

As HealthFitness President and CEO Sean McManamy says, “Despite a lot of changes over the years, our mission hasn’t changed.”

That consistency has been the foundation of every milestone. 

Here’s a look back at the HealthFitness journey, decade by decade.

The 1970s–1980s: Building the Foundation

Corporate fitness began to gain momentum in the mid-1970s. Before then, it was primarily reserved for executives and senior leadership. The 1980s, driven by the rise of fitness culture, saw a broader shift as more employers began investing in employee wellness programs.

When corporate fitness first took shape, the focus was on simplicity. As Ann Wyatt, VP Client Success, and a 30-year veteran of the company, recalls, “You’d have a fitness center on-site. People would come in, they’d get a fitness assessment, and then they would get an exercise prescription.”

The early programs focused more on managing physical spaces than on delivering structured programming, using simple incentive challenges to promote fitness center visits and step challenges using pedometers. These formative decades laid the groundwork for corporate fitness and wellness as we know it today.

The 1990s: Expanding into Wellness

By the 1990s, employers began to see health as more than just physical fitness. HealthFitness evolved with them, introducing prevention programs, nutrition programs, and smoking cessation initiatives.

The rise of workplace wellness also coincided with the rise in health care costs and HR involvement. “Companies were really starting to think about what they could do and began implementing corporate wellness departments,” says Wyatt.

This era marked a shift from focusing only on movement to addressing the health of the whole person, a philosophy that remains at the heart of HealthFitness today.

The 2000s: Growth Through Acquisition

In the early 2000s, HealthFitness took a bold step forward. 

In 2003, the company acquired Johnson & Johnson’s Health & Fitness Services Division, doubling its size and significantly expanding its reach.

This decade was defined by scaling impact, including serving more clients, reaching more employees, and strengthening its leadership position in the industry.

The 2010s: Technology and Personalization

In 2010, Trustmark Mutual Holding Company acquired HealthFitness with the goal of rounding out its services to become a leading comprehensive benefits company. 

Technology was also starting to transform how people engaged in fitness. HealthFitness embraced technology platforms, wearable devices, and tools to deliver more personalized and impactful health and fitness programs. 

HealthFitness also enhanced its personal training programs with the proprietary HealthFitness Movement Training System. This system is designed to improve the quality and consistency of our training by aligning it with the HealthFitness approach and seamlessly integrating into our personal training sessions and programs.

The 2020s: Adapting and Growing

The 2020s brought a dramatic shift in how and where people worked and engaged with wellbeing. The COVID-19 pandemic shut the doors of fitness centers across the country, yet HealthFitness kept every client, proving that fitness equity and access mattered more than ever. 

As employees returned to offices, HealthFitness and its hybrid solutions bridged home and workplace, making wellbeing accessible everywhere. Today, with a focus on movement, nutrition, recharging, and connection, HealthFitness helps organizations make the workplace a destination—not an obligation.

“It’s very important to employers to have the workplace be a destination that people want to go to, not a place they have to go to,” McManamy says. 

HealthFitness also expanded its reach with the acquisition of Corporate Fitness Works, Midtown Health, and Professional Fitness Management, LLC (ProFIT).

Shaping What’s Next for Corporate Fitness

As HealthFitness celebrates 50 years, its leaders are focused both on what’s now and what’s next. This means continuing to transform fitness centers into wellbeing hubs that go beyond workouts.

“We’re seeing a new generation of workers who really prioritize benefits and amenities that focus on their wellbeing,” McManamy said. “Yes, they want the fun stuff, but they also want a place where they can forge relationships and take care of themselves.”

And across every decade, the values of HealthFitness have been the glue holding it all together. Wyatt describes it this way: “I would define our culture as the glue and the spark. It’s the glue that keeps us together and helps us show up for each other and for our clients. And it’s the spark that keeps us moving forward.”

Listening deeply, adapting to client needs, and driving innovation are the values that have shaped a legacy and promise a future of continued impact.

Celebrating 50 Years and Beyond

As HealthFitness steps into its sixth decade, the opportunities are boundless. And while much has been accomplished, both leaders agree: the work continues. “Our work isn’t done,” says Wyatt. “We’ve had great impact so far, but there’s still more to come.”

HealthFitness is privileged to work with amazing partners, clients, and teammates who share the same commitment. Together, we’ve created lasting impact—one relationship, one program, one small sweaty step at a time.

Fifty years of innovation, growth, and impact have brought HealthFitness to this milestone. But this anniversary is more than a celebration of the past—it’s a launchpad for the future.