CrossFit leases space for new Boulder HQ

BOULDER — Eric Roza, a former technology CEO and the owner of the CrossFit Sanitas gym in Boulder, bought the CrossFit brand earlier this year, and now the popular fitness brand will be headquartered in Boulder.

The company recently inked a lease to take over the entirety of the former Anthem Branding office building at 2617 Broadway. 

The property will house CrossFit’s corporate administration functions. Previously, the company’s headquarters was in Santa Cruz, California.

CrossFit is in the process of moving into its new roughly 7,100-square-foot headquarters, according to Keys Commercial Real Estate LLC president Geoffrey Keys. 

“This is definitely a feather in the cap for Boulder,” a city that has become synonymous with the fitness, health and wellness industries, Keys said. 

Keys, along with Keys Commercial brokers Ronan Truesdale and George Ryan, represented CrossFit in the lease. The landlord, TwentySix17 LLC, was represented by Scott Crabtree with the Colorado Group.

“CrossFit was taking a look at the downtown [Boulder] market, and this availability popped up. It checked a lot of boxes for CrossFit and gave them autonomy as far as not having to share hallways and bathrooms,” Keys said. “The design of the building really fit their needs in terms of having a lot of open area and great access to downtown.”

CrossFit was developed in 2000 by former CEO Gregg Glassman as a combination of powerlifting, plyometrics and other training disciplines. The company behind CrossFit owns the branding and licenses it to local CrossFit gyms and trainers.

In early June, Glassman set off a firestorm after saying that COVID-19 is a conspiracy and claiming, without evidence, that George Floyd was murdered as part of a cover-up for a money-laundering operation. Soon after, several gyms cancelled their affiliation with the brand, along with its apparel partner Reebok. Glassman later resigned.

That’s when Roza stepped in.

Roza was previously CEO of Datalogix, a data firm for digital advertisers that was acquired by Oracle Inc.(NYSE: ORCL) in 2015. He is an executive-in-residence for venture-capital firm General Catalyst and an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado Boulder.

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