Built for the Rush
How Undefeated Tribe is bringing visibility and discipline to Crunch Fitness’ rapid expansion Interview by Michael J. Pallerino
O
pening one location is complicated enough. Opening nearly 20 in a year while simultaneously managing dozens of existing clubs turns development into an
entirely different exercise. That’s the challenge facing Undefeated Tribe, one of Crunch Fitness’ largest and fastest-growing franchise operators. With 51 locations operating and an aggressive pipeline ahead, growth increasingly depends on more than finding sites and building clubs. Architects, contractors, vendors, developers and operations teams all need access to the same information while decisions, deadlines and potential problems move quickly across multiple projects. J.B. Lacombe, VP of Construction & NCO at Undefeated Tribe, understood the challenge from previous experience scaling multi-unit portfolios. His response was to bring in SiteRise, a retail development platform designed to create a single source of truth across the development process. Rather than chasing information across emails, spreadsheets and individual teams, Undefeated Tribe is using the platform to create greater visibility from design through construction and opening. The goal is straightforward but increasingly important as the pipeline grows: give everyone involved a clearer picture of what is happening, what comes next and where attention is needed.
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We sat down with Lacombe and SiteRise CEO Dillon Okner discuss what rapid expansion looks like behind the scenes, where development programs begin to strain as volume increases and why better visibility may be just as important as speed when the mandate is to keep building.
Give us a snapshot of Undefeated Tribe and the strategy behind growing one of the largest Crunch Fitness franchise portfolios.
Lacombe: Undefeated Tribe has grown into one of the largest Crunch Fitness franchise operators in the country because we’ve been intentional about building the infrastructure to support long-term growth, not just opening clubs quickly. We currently operate 53 locations and plan to open 20 or more clubs annually over the next seven to 10 years, which means we’re managing projects across multiple markets, municipalities and development stages simultaneously. Our philosophy is that every new club should reflect the same quality and member
COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 8, 2026