WASHINGTON, DC—October 20, 2025—The Health & Fitness Association (HFA) announces Joe Cirulli, founder and CEO of Gainesville Health & Fitness Centers, as a 2026 inductee into the Health & Fitness Hall of Fame. Cirulli is being recognized for his transformative leadership, service to HFA, and pioneering efforts to elevate wellness in Gainesville, Florida.
Cirulli owns three Gainesville-area health clubs, two boutique Xforce Body studios in Tampa and Palm Harbor, and two ReQuest Physical Therapy locations.
He is being recognized for his work serving HFA and his community. Cirulli served on the HFA board of directors and as president of the board in 2000-2001. He currently serves on the board of the HFA Foundation, a nonprofit charity founded by HFA.
His belief that a business’s success is measured by its community impact led to a citywide wellness initiative that earned Gainesville the nation’s only Gold Well City Award from the Wellness Councils of America in 2003. The designation required that at least 50% of the city’s workforce be employed at companies offering wellness programs.
Cirulli has offered a positive representation of the industry in several business publications. Gainesville Health & Fitness and Cirulli were the cover story for Inc. Magazine in August 2008.
In 2016, his company was named by Forbes as one of America’s 25 Best Small Companies.
Cirulli’s fitness journey began at age seven, exercising alongside Jack LaLanne on television and leading neighborhood children in workouts.
Cirulli joins Jack and Elaine LaLanne as inductees in the 2026 HFA Hall of Fame class. Other inductees include Les Mills founder Phillip Mills and Fitness Formula founder and CEO Gale Landers. Additional inductees will be announced in the coming weeks. The induction ceremony will take place on March 15, 2026, in San Diego, ahead of The HFA Show.
“Joe Cirulli’s journey is the embodiment of grit, vision, and heart,” said HFA President and CEO Liz Clark. “From leading workouts in his basement as a child to transforming Gainesville into one of the healthiest communities in America, Joe has shown what’s possible when passion meets perseverance. We’re proud to induct him into the HFA Hall of Fame—not just for the business he built, but for the lives he’s uplifted along the way.”
Cirulli responded: “Being inducted into the HFA Hall of Fame is a true honor, and a moment of reflection for me and my team. Our company was built on a simple but powerful quote I once read: ‘If you help enough people get what they want out of life, you will get what you want out of life.’ That belief has guided everything we do—from the way we serve our members inside the club to the way we show up for our community through charitable work. It’s not just a business philosophy—it’s our culture. And it’s what’s made us both successful and deeply connected to the people we serve.”
The HFA Hall of Fame recognizes individuals whose contributions have elevated the profiles of the association and industry, set new standards for excellence in leadership, and supported the industry’s commitment to improved physical and mental health for all.
Inductees are chosen based on the following criteria:
- Health and fitness business community leaders who have invented, innovated, created, and grown services, products, and programs that have shaped the industry;
- Those who have expanded the industry over time and its impact around the world and/or driven key development and improvement of the association over time;
- Exceptional advocates whose message has resonated with non-governmental organizations and government officials on behalf of association and industry goals; or,
- Seminal industry, academic, and allied organization leaders as determined by the Hall of Fame selection committee.
Tickets to the HFA Hall of Fame induction ceremony are available for $250 and can be added during The HFA Show registration process. Proceeds from the tickets go to the HFA Foundation, a 501(c)3 public charity that works to support health through exercise.
For more information about the HFA Hall of Fame and to register for The HFA Show 2026, visit healthandfitness.org/show.
About the Health & Fitness Association
The Health & Fitness Association (formerly IHRSA), a global community of industry leaders, is the only worldwide trade association providing a unified voice for the community of leaders who operate health and fitness facilities, offer professional guidance on physical activity, and provide the tools and equipment to do so to the millions of fitness facility members who understand that exercise improves their physical and mental health.
Through advocacy, education, and research, the association speaks to opportunities, challenges, and changes that are moving the industry into a new era.
Founded in 1981, the association publishes a monthly magazine, Health & Fitness Business, and operates The HFA Show, the HFA European Congress, and the Fly-In and Advocacy Summit. The association also partners on events around the world, including Fitness Brasil, ChinaFit, and MEFIT Summit. Follow the Health & Fitness Association on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X and YouTube.
