Meet Tara Kidd, Manager, Regional Operations

Tara Kidd has fashioned quite a career for herself. Early on, she and her sister operated a trendy boutique in Pensacola, Fla., selling urban wear, street gear, and women’s dresses.

?“It was our passion. We invested a lot into the business,” Tara says.

?But when the area around the store began having trouble, foot traffic fell off and Tara and her sister risked losing their shirts. She started looking for jobs elsewhere and picked up an application to her local Planet Fitness.

“I didn’t know much about Planet Fitness, and I had not worked out since high school,” Tara recalls.

She almost didn’t take the interview with PF; she was already on her second interview with a national retail store. “Something told me to go.”

Planet Fitness is a place where people know your name and where you belong.

She found Planet Fitness suited her well and said yes when she was offered a position that same day. “My career took off from there.”

Tara rose up the ranks to opener, assistant manager, and manager, and eventually regional manager, bouncing between Pensacola and stores in Augusta, Ga. Eleven years later, Tara has eight clubs under her leadership.

“Every day, I’m helping keep managers motivated and encouraging them,” Tara says.

She’s also active in supporting the Judgement Free Generation?. “I view it as giving back to the places where we grew up.”

Her gyms have painted murals, updated basketball courts, and donated “buddy benches” at Boys & Girls Clubs. They have also sponsored picnics for local youth.

Tara says it’s PF’s family atmosphere that has made her time at Planet Fitness fit like a glove.

“It feels like home. That feeling helps our employees make our members feel welcome and feel like they are more than a number. Planet Fitness is a place where people know your name and where you belong.”