By Jodi Schwan

The fast-growing national fitness chain Orangetheory Fitness plans to expand to Sioux Falls.

Archit Shah has the franchise rights to the market. He started with a location in Fargo, where his parents live, and is opening his next location early next year in Grand Forks, N.D. He plans to open in Sioux Falls before the end of 2018.

“It’s exceeded our expectations,” he said of the Fargo location. “I think people are really enjoying it based on the customer feedback and the level of referrals we see. We’re really happy with the performance.”

Orangetheory has more than 650 locations worldwide. Its differentiators are personalized training and heart monitoring, Shah said.

“You get the benefit of having a trainer, and everyone wears a heart rate monitor,” he said. “We work to your heart rate to make sure you have the best workout for you.”

Members can work out at any location nationwide, and all locations rotate through the same one-hour full-body workout on the same days.

“We’ll never claim to be the cheapest product, but we make sure to get results,” he said. “If you come 12 times in a month and don’t see results, you’ll get your money back.”

An app also tracks members’ heart rates outside the fitness studio, “so you can work out outside the studio and manage that process,” Shah said.

He hasn’t started scouting locations in Sioux Falls yet but expect he eventually will have a couple of studios in town.

“We try not to look more than six or eight months before we really need the space, but I know Sioux Falls is expanding and a difficult commercial real estate market, so we may be coming sooner,” he said, adding he plans to sponsor races and participate in other fitness-related events.

“We’re looking forward to being partners in the community.”