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Global Wellness Summit Adds C. Victor Brick, Fitness Industry Thought Leader and Mental Health Philanthropist, to Its Advisory Board
Brick brings over 35 years of success in the fitness industry and a long-standing personal commitment to promoting the integration of wellness modalities into the treatment of mental health issues to the GWS Advisory Board
Miami, FL – September 15, 2020 – The Global Wellness Summit (GWS), the foremost gathering of international leaders in the multitrillion-dollar global wellness economy, today announced the appointment of C. Victor Brick, CEO of Planet Fitness Growth Partners (PFGP) and chairman of the John W. Brick Mental Health Foundation, to its 12-person advisory board. The 14th annual Summit will take place at The Breakers Palm Beach, FL, from November 8–11, 2020.
As an advisory board member, Brick is looking forward to helping the GWS further extend its reach and impact within the $109 billion fitness industry[1]. In addition, he believes that the pandemic has accelerated the need for all industries—especially those involved in wellness—to actively collaborate for the greater good, delivering on the promise of prevention over cure.
“The mission of GWS is to bring individuals and businesses together to shape a better future—it challenges us to ask: ‘What can we achieve better together?’ This question has never been more urgent,” said Brick. “Wellness, including exercise, nutrition and healthy lifestyle choices, must be integrated into the healthcare delivery system and recognized as essential businesses. I believe that the best way to make this happen is through funding, conducting and evangelizing evidence-based research that the medical industry will embrace and support. Now is our time—the window of opportunity has opened.”
Brick is a big believer in the success that can come from impeccable timing. He founded his first health club, Brick Bodies, with his wife Lynne in 1985. Twenty years later, they turned the running of the seven Brick Bodies clubs over to their daughter, Vicki, while they went on to found PFGP, the largest privately-owned Planet Fitness franchise with 70 clubs in the US and Australia. That good timing also translates into Brick’s philanthropy. In 2015, he and Lynne founded the John W. Brick Mental Health Foundation in memory of Victor’s oldest brother, who suffered from schizophrenia and died from complications from the disease. Today, the foundation is focused on evangelizing the “prescription” of holistic therapies and healthy lifestyle choices in the treatment of mental health—something that is very much top of mind in any conversation around the mental health crisis that has become front and center amid a global pandemic that has also highlighted societal and racial inequities.
“Victor has long been an advocate and supporter of GWS, and his obvious passion for encouraging a closer collaboration between the fitness industry and the wellness world will help us extend our message to what the Global Wellness Institute has defined as the Physical Activity sector in the global wellness economy,” said Susie Ellis, chair and CEO of the Global Wellness Summit.
Brick kicked off the first in a series of GWS Wellness Master Classes inspired by the pandemic: “Managing Cashflow During the Coronavirus Crisis.” This informative Master Class offered real-world, bottom-line solutions, including principles of cash management during a financial crisis; rent and payroll; debt; operating expenses; and tips for applying for loans, grants and government assistance. The session is available for replay on this link.
Brick joins an advisory board that includes Susie Ellis; Anna Bjurstam, Six Senses (Sweden); Dr. Marc Cohen, Extreme Wellness Institute (Australia); Cathy Feliciano-Chon, CatchOn – A Finn Partners Company (Hong Kong); Irene Forte, Rocco Forte Hotels (UK); Andrew Gibson, wellness advisor (Sweden); Susan Harmsworth, founder ESPA (UK); Omer K. Isvan, Servotel Corp. (Turkey); Tony de Leede, Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat (Australia); Dr. Franz Linser (Austria); and Yoriko Soma, Conceptasia Inc. (Japan).
To learn more about the Summit or to register, click here.
About the Global Wellness Summit: The Global Wellness Summit is an invitation-only international gathering that brings together leaders and visionaries to positively shape the future of the $4.5 trillion global wellness economy. Held in a different location each year, Summits have taken place in the US, Switzerland, Turkey, Bali, India, Morocco, Mexico, Austria, Italy and Singapore. The 14th annual Summit will take place at The Breakers Palm Beach, FL, from November 8–11, 2020. The 2021 GWS will be held in Tel Aviv, Israel, November 15–18.
[1] GWI Move to be Well: The Global Economy of Physical Activity, October 2019