Planet Fitness

Gov. Chris Sununu says Planet Fitness CEO Chris Rondeau remains a “pinnacle” of the state’s business community, even as Rondeau faces accusations that he helped create a hostile work environment for female employees of the Hampton-based company.

A Dover resident is suing former employer Planet Fitness alleging she was drugged and raped by a manager. (Scroll down to read the complaint.)

A complaint filed by the plaintiff's attorney says the company was alerted to the alleged attack and that the accused manager has since been fired.

Gym chain Planet Fitness is allowing teenagers from age 15 to 18 to work out for free this summer at all of its New Hampshire gyms.

The goal, says Planet Fitness CEO Chris Rondeau, is to encourage teens to get fit and do so at a time of year when gyms tend to be less crowded.

"The facilities are open, they are open 24 hours a day," he said.

Planet Fitness has gone public. The company's long-expected Initial Public Offering began Thursday, trading on the New York Stock Exchange with a starting price of $16 a share. 

The company is looking to grow, and quickly - right now Planet Fitness has just over 1,000 locations, but it says it sees the potential for more than 4,000 in the future. But while the company’s profits have grown along with its footprint, so has its debt, to the tune of $500 million.

Gym company Planet Fitness has started its initial public offering.

The Newington, New Hampshire-based workout center chain announced 13,500,000 shares of its Class A common stock Monday.

The company says underwriters will have a 30-day option to buy up to an additional 2,025,000 shares.

The price range for the IPO is estimated to be between $14 and $16 per share.

Gov. Maggie Hassan has vetoed a bill that would have changed the state’s business tax code. The so-called “Planet Fitness” measure was introduced by the gym franchise in May after the company’s executives threatened to leave the state if the law was not changed.

Gov. Maggie Hassan is preparing to approve or reject a change to the state's tax laws sought by gym company Planet Fitness as it plans to go public.

The Republican Legislature passed a bill earlier this year that would allow businesses to avoid an increase in taxes on certain gains in value. It's now on Hassan's desk and she must take action by Monday. She has signaled that she is likely to veto the legislation.

Planet Fitness is famous for taking a non-judgmental, no-grunting approach to working out. But as it readies to go public, it’s been straining  -- loudly -- to get lawmakers to tweak the state business profits tax or BPT.

Specifically, to exempt companies that trade or sell stock or any beneficial interest from paying that tax’s 8.5 percent levy on any increase in value.