Earth Treks Climbing and Fitness and Planet Granite, which merged in November, appointed Robert Cohen as CEO. Cohen, the former vice president of global retail for Patagonia will be responsible for all aspects of the nine climbing, fitness and retail centers in the company’s key markets of San Francisco, Denver, Baltimore, Washington DC and Portland, Oregon, as well as future locations.
Prior to Patagonia Robert worked with Old Navy, Gap and Nike.
“Earth Treks and Planet Granite are renowned for their customer service and best in class blend of climbing, fitness and yoga, creating a culture that brings local communities together,” said Cohen. “I’m thrilled to join the team and look forward to growing in a way that honors the existing culture and continues to support our customers. Today’s retail environment is not purely
transactional it is about building relationships.”
In November 2017, Earth Treks and Planet Granite completed a merger that created the largest climbing gym network in the United States, bringing together two of the most experienced management teams in the climbing industry. The combined company offer more than 257,000 feet of climbing surface, with over 700 employees who serve more than two million customers annually. Tengram Capital Partners, a private equity firm that specializes in consumer brands, backed the merger. Tengram partnered initially with Earth Treks in April 2017.
“Robert is the ideal person to build upon the successes of Earth Treks and Planet Granite,” said Earth Treks founder Chris Warner and Planet Granite founder Micky Lloyd in a joint statement. “His experience and vision will honor our existing culture with an eye toward imminent growth as fitness, yoga, indoor climbing, retail and local communities mix.”
Earth Treks, a portfolio company of Tengram Capital Partners, has acquired Planet Granite, a climbing and fitness gym. No financial terms were disclosed. Dechert LLP advised Tengram and Earth Treks on the deal.The acquisition, and resulting combination of the two businesses, will create one of the largest climbing gym networks in the United States, bringing together two of the most experienced management teams in the climbing industry, servicing nine climbing and fitness centers in operation (with two more currently under construction). The combined company will have over 700 employees and serve over 2,000,000 customers each year.