Fitness industry pioneer to be honored for nearly five decades of transformative leadership, advocacy, philanthropy, and global impact.

Washington, DC–October 5, 2026–For nearly five decades, David “Patch” Patchell-Evans has helped define what the modern health and fitness industry can be: a force for improving health, strengthening communities, developing leaders, and changing lives.

On March 10, 2027, the Health & Fitness Association (HFA) will honor his extraordinary legacy by inducting the GoodLife Group founder and chairman into the Health & Fitness Hall of Fame during the opening night of The HFA Show 2027 in Las Vegas.

The HFA Hall of Fame recognizes visionaries whose leadership, innovation, and lifelong contributions have shaped the health and fitness industry and created a lasting impact for generations to come. Patchell-Evans’ induction recognizes not only the remarkable scale of the businesses he has built, but also a career devoted to advancing physical activity, developing fitness professionals, strengthening the connection between fitness and healthcare, and giving back to communities.

“Patch is one of those rare leaders whose influence can be felt across nearly every part of our industry,” said HFA Interim President and CEO Greta Wagner. “He has built extraordinary businesses, but his legacy reaches far beyond their walls. For decades, he has advocated for physical activity as essential to healthier lives, invested in people and communities, advanced education and research, and used his platform to move our entire industry forward. His induction into the HFA Hall of Fame recognizes a lifetime of leadership and impact that has helped shape where our industry is today and where it is headed.”

Patchell-Evans opened his first fitness club in London, Ontario, in 1979 and went on to build one of the most significant fitness enterprises in the world, growing to more than 800 clubs and franchises across four continents. Today, the GoodLife Group includes GoodLife Fitness, Fit4Less, Éconofitness, GYMVMT, and canfitpro, Patchell-Evans’ footprint in the fitness industry also extends to businesses across North America, New Zealand, and Australia.

His commitment to fitness is deeply personal. After a motorcycle accident required extensive rehabilitation, and following a diagnosis of severe rheumatoid arthritis, physical activity played a central role in helping Patchell-Evans restore his health and quality of life. That experience became the foundation of a career built around his belief in the life-changing power of movement.

His influence has extended well beyond the clubs he created.

In 1993, Patchell-Evans founded canfitpro, helping educate and develop generations of fitness professionals while raising standards across the industry. He also served as chair of the Health & Fitness Association, then known as IHRSA, contributing his leadership to the association’s work to strengthen, advocate for, and advance the global health and fitness industry.

A longtime champion of preventive health, Patchell-Evans has worked throughout his career to bring physical activity and healthcare closer together. His support of the GoodLife Fitness Centre of Excellence in Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Medicine at University Health Network in Toronto helped advance research and exercise-based approaches to cardiac rehabilitation and prevention with a special focus on women’s heart health.

His commitment to changing lives is equally evident in his philanthropy.

Inspired by his daughter Kilee’s autism diagnosis, Patchell-Evans established the Kilee Patchell-Evans Autism Research Group and has contributed millions of dollars to autism research. He founded the GoodLife Kids Foundation in 1998 to create greater opportunities for children, particularly those with autism and intellectual disabilities, to experience the physical, social, and emotional benefits of physical activity and healthy living.

Throughout his career, Patchell-Evans and the organizations he has built have contributed more than $50 million to charitable causes, healthcare initiatives, research, children’s programming, and community development.
His achievements have earned recognition across business, healthcare, and the fitness industry, including induction into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame, receipt of Canada’s Most Innovative and Most Admired CEO, an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Western University and the first civilian recipient of the Canadian Medical Association Medal of Honour.

Patchell-Evans will be formally inducted into the HFA Hall of Fame on March 10, 2027, as part of a newly elevated Hall of Fame experience opening The HFA Show 2027. For the first time, the Induction Ceremony will take place on opening night, immediately following the Kick-Off Party, bringing the global health and fitness community together to celebrate the icons, innovators, and trailblazers whose contributions have shaped the industry.

The stories and influence of the 2027 inductees will continue to be celebrated throughout The HFA Show, connecting the accomplishments of the industry’s most influential leaders with the ideas, people, and innovations shaping its future.

Patchell-Evans is the first of six members of the 2027 HFA Hall of Fame class to be announced. Additional inductees will be revealed in the coming weeks.

The HFA Show 2027 will take place March 10–12, 2027, at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

Tickets to the HFA Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Dinner are available as add-ons to registration for The HFA Show 2027. Proceeds from the event benefit the HFA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charity focused on industry research and grants to help HFA member clubs and studios with their programs facilitating community health.

Sobre a 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, Wellness & Fitness LATAM, SPORTEC Japan, and SPORTEC Thailand, Follow the Health & Fitness Association on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X and YouTube.