Slim and Tone is owned and operated by Betsy Ludlow, a twenty-five year marketing veteran and previous owner of three Slim and Tone locations in eastern Pennsylvania.

Prior to her launch into the fitness industry, Betsy spent eighteen years with American Express in New York, most recently as senior vice president of marketing for the corporate services division. Betsy directed all strategic planning, product development, advertising, promotion and sales support for the American Express Corporate Card, American Express Business Travel and American Express Purchasing Card. During her career at Amex, she held positions throughout the company including the consumer card and investment divisions.

Betsy received her Masters of Business Administration from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Before business school, she held brand management positions with Nestle and Nabisco.

How did I get involved in the fitness industry?

One of the first things I did when I stopped working in New York was to get into the routine of exercising every day. I had heard about Curves for Women from my sister-in-law who was then a member. I thought it looked like a routine I could stick with and something that would help me get back to a size 8-10! I joined the local facility and went there religiously five mornings a week for two years.

During this time, I observed a wonderful sense of community and the forming of new relationships. I also sensed that the concept of a fast and effective women-only fitness center was filling a real void in the market place. There are so many women of all ages who need exercise in their lives-but many have never felt comfortable in traditional, co-ed gyms. Now we have a solution!

But, I also observed things at Curves (and studied their franchise material) that I knew could be improved upon. For the franchisee, I believed that the contractual terms could be made more affordable and less restrictive. For members of the club, I felt that the exercise equipment and the physical surroundings should be upgraded in quality-and the hours of operation should be extended for greater convenience (that is, open all day).

So, with this in mind, I opened the first Slim and Tone club in Warminster, Pa in February 2002 followed by a second, third and fourth location later that year in Bristol, Torresdale and Holland -all towns in eastern Pennsylvania.

The Slim and Tone franchise operation was launched in Fall 2002. After six months we now have 32 locations opened or planned in California, Colorado, Nevada, Michigan, Minnesota, Maryland,Florida, New York, New Jersey and Washington. We have also sold the international franchise rights for the Asia Pacific region. Their first location opened in Shanghai in June, 2003.