Griffin Gordon
“Our business is our people. We constantly strive to get the right people in the right seats.”
“One Cartwheel at a Time” BECOMING THE LITTLE GYM’S L ARGEST FRANCHISEE Written by KEVIN BEHAN
Last year, the investment firm Gordon founded and operates, Taurus Capital Partners, partnered with Hidden River Strategic Capital to purchase seven The Little Gym locations and form Somersault Holdings. The Little Gym programs work with children from 4 months to 12 years old with movement-based learning and imaginative play. Based in Chicago, Gordon and his firm own and operate The Little Gym franchise locations in multiple regions across the country, and they prioritize hiring talented and passionate staff members and maintaining a strong culture. He says Somersault’s management and employees are the business’ greatest assets. He works to ensure the company has the right people in place to provide a great experience and value for customers. “We have incredible employees, and it has been deeply rewarding to see so many of them offered new, exciting opportunities to grow as we have scaled our business,” Gordon says. “There is so much creativity and positivity at all levels, from people who have been with us for 30 years to high schoolers who just joined. Our team really loves both the program and camaraderie, and that is reflected in how they interact with the children and the parents who come to our locations each day.”
GRIFFIN GORDON
Founding Board Member/Investor (Somersault Holdings) and Founder/CEO (Taurus Capital Partners) Company: Somersault Holdings and Taurus Capital Partners No. of units: 22 The Little Gym Age: 40 Family: Wife and 3 children, Parker, 6, Hudson, 4, and Georgia, 1 Years in franchising: 2 Years in current position: 2 12 | Multi-Unit Franchisee | Issue 4, 2024
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ew father Griffin Gordon was impressed when he and his wife took their oldest child to The Little Gym for the first time. They’d visited other children’s enrichment concepts, but The Little Gym’s culture was remarkable. Gordon saw how it could have a meaningful effect on children. “The Little Gym stood alone in terms of the positive instruction, curriculum, and immediate effect it had on my daughter,” Gordon says. “Beyond the clear benefits of gymnastics-based training and activity, The Little Gym teaches kids how to develop self-confidence and socialization skills that will serve them for the rest of their lives.”
Somersault has quickly become The Little Gym’s largest multi-unit operator with 22 open locations and another eight under development. If Gordon ever needs a reminder of the value The Little Gym provides, he only has to go to one of the nearby locations where his children are enrolled. PERSONAL First job: I worked as a summer camp counselor in suburban Chicago when I was 16 years old. Formative inf luences/events: Understanding early in my career that an employee’s professional and personal lives were two sides of the same coin. By putting people in positions to be successful at work, you can have an incredible effect on their personal lives. Key accomplishments: My family and friends and building a career where I love what