Scaling the Vision: Jordan Meinster on the Momentum Behind PickUp USA

As Jordan Meinster looks at the rapid expansion of PickUp USA Fitness, what excites him most isn’t just growth—it’s validation. After years spent refining the company’s systems before franchising, the newest wave of clubs from California to New England is delivering some of the strongest financial performance in the brand’s history. Built on disciplined operations, structured basketball programming, and a franchise model designed for both profitability and community impact, PickUp USA is scaling with purpose—creating high‑quality basketball hubs while empowering entrepreneurs to build meaningful businesses in their local communities.

Jordan, PickUp USA has grown from a single gym into a rapidly expanding national brand—when you look at this current phase of growth, what feels most exciting or meaningful to you right now?
What’s most exciting right now is seeing how the model is performing as we scale. The recent wave of new openings—from California to New England—has delivered some of the strongest financial performance metrics in our company’s history, which is incredibly meaningful because it validates the years we spent refining our system before franchising.

But the real excitement comes from what this growth represents: more communities getting access to a structured, high‑quality basketball experience and more franchisees building strong, profitable businesses. Every new club that opens and ramps successfully reinforces that our focus on unit‑level economics, guest satisfaction, and franchisee success is paying off. We’re building something special nationwide, and right now, the momentum feels stronger than ever.

As PickUp USA continues to open new locations, what systems or standards have been most important in maintaining a consistent, high‑quality experience across all gyms?
Consistency comes from discipline in both operations and training. Our SERR framework—Strategy, Engineer, Recruit, Resource—continues to drive alignment across every club. It ensures the strategy is clear, the systems are well‑engineered, the right people are in the right roles, and teams have the tools they need to win.

What also keeps our standards consistent is our emphasis on systemwide playbooks, refined over more than a decade, that cover everything from guest experience to staffing models to program execution. We test innovations at the prototype level before rolling them out systemwide, which ensures we only scale what actually works and improves both guest satisfaction and franchisee performance.

Our long‑tenured leadership team also stays deeply connected to the day‑to‑day realities of our clubs—engaging onsite, supporting franchisees, and staying grounded in the member experience. That level of involvement helps protect culture and ensure consistency across the brand.

What are you seeing from franchise partners today that tells you the model is resonating with entrepreneurs who care about both business and community?
Our franchisees are deeply engaged, proactive, and committed to the mission—traits that show the model resonates far beyond just financial opportunity. Many of our best innovations now come directly from franchise owners who understand their local communities and care about creating meaningful experiences for members.

We’re also seeing strong demand from entrepreneurs who value a business with both structure and purpose. They’re attracted to a model that is proven, financially disciplined, and focused on real community impact through youth development, adult fitness, and structured basketball programming. And their buy‑in is evident: franchisees collaborate, share insights, and actively participate in shaping the evolution of the system.

The energy, alignment, and sense of mission we see across our ownership group is a clear sign that PickUp USA is attracting the type of operators who want to build both successful businesses and meaningful community hubs.

You mentioned operational improvements and new initiatives—can you share an example of a change that’s made a noticeable impact on the guest or franchisee experience?
One of the biggest operational wins has been our tiered‑launch approach for new clubs. Instead of launching every service at once, we now roll out programs in strategic phases. This allows each new location to build culture, stabilize operations, and ramp revenue more efficiently. Franchisees have found this approach far more manageable, and the results have been outstanding—from smoother launches to stronger early financial performance.

On the guest side, our proprietary queuing system for adult pickup games continues to be a game‑changer. It provides structure and fairness to every session, delivering the organized basketball experience we’re known for. This consistency drives member satisfaction and keeps players engaged long‑term.

Together, these improvements strengthen both sides of the model: a smoother operating environment for franchisees and a more polished experience for guests.

Looking ahead, how do you envision PickUp USA evolving over the next few years as the brand continues to scale nationally?
Over the next several years, our evolution will be grounded in the same core principle that has driven our success so far: franchisee success leading to guest satisfaction, and guest satisfaction fueling franchisee success. Strategically, we’re focused on measured, high‑quality growth—expanding into new markets while ensuring every club is profitable, well‑run, and deeply embedded in its community.

We’ll continue refining systems, strengthening operational support, and innovating in areas that improve either the guest experience or unit‑level economics. With youth and adult basketball both now major pillars of our model—and with balanced revenue streams across multiple programs—we’re positioned to scale in a way that is sustainable, disciplined, and impactful.

Long term, the vision is a nationwide network of elite basketball gyms that deliver consistent excellence while still reflecting the unique character of their local communities. We’re building a legacy brand—purpose‑driven, community‑centered, and engineered for franchisee success.

Link:

• Website: http://www.pickupusafitness.com/