Anthony Oglesby ’05: “All you need is good people”

Anthony Oglesby ’05 is big into in-person connections. “I have no problem talking to the person next to me in a restaurant or the airport,” he says. “When you limit yourself, that’s when you limit your opportunities.” The founder of All Out Fitness, a fitness brand and business that integrates diverse workout plans and training, Oglesby combines his social skills with superior business acumen in a highly successful career.

As a member of Plymouth State’s President’s Council, Oglesby volunteers his entrepreneurial awareness regarding development and fundraising. As a judge in the Panther Pitch competition, the University’s version of the popular Shark Tank television series, he emphasizes the value of networking to advance students’ business concepts.

“I help them understand it starts with just conversations, and you don’t need rich contacts to get started,” says Oglesby. “All you need is good people around you.”

Learning from mentors has been a lifelong theme. Growing up in Brooklyn, Oglesby might not have ever completed high school, let alone college, until a friend told him about a Catholic school’s basketball program. He wound up earning his diploma while receiving essential tough love discipline from Coach John DiFiore. “He taught me how to hold myself accountable—how to operate in society,” says Oglesby.

Fast forward a few years and Anthony and Jennifer Oglesby ’05 need to provide for their young New Hampshire family. Anthony had given up a college scholarship to work full-time before PSU Basketball Coaches John Scheinman ’19P, ’21P and Jamie Clark ’03 recruited him to become a Panther. “We all agreed that the most important thing was to have that degree and help my family in the future,” Oglesby recalls. “Getting the degree was number one, working was second, third was basketball.”

PSU’s supportive environment made it all happen. Oglesby earned a business degree, benefiting from Professor Bonnie Bechard’s Organizational Development courses and receiving crucial guidance from now retired Professor David Leuser. “He really helped me transition into thinking more about business,” says Oglesby. “I worked all semester on a plan to own my own gym.”

Men’s Basketball had stellar seasons with Oglesby aboard, and the 2003–2004 team had the only NCAA Tournament victory in its history after posting a still-standing record number of wins. Oglesby remains connected to his teammates and to PSU Athletics through his son, Christian ’25, a member of the Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Team.

After graduation, Oglesby accepted a job offer from New Hampshire-based Planet Fitness. Founder Mike Grondahl had previously recognized the drive and determination that stemmed from Oglesby’s difficult upbringing. “They had six locations when I joined them, and Mike took me under his wing,” says Oglesby. “Mike knew that anything I’d do I’d run through a wall for because I’d already ran through that wall.”

Oglesby provided key suggestions on facility layout and memberships that helped grow Planet Fitness, which today boasts over 2,000 locations in all 50 states. His 17-year stint involved developing, marketing, and managing the firm’s health clubs. Grondahl, now a billionaire, remains an important mentor who Oglesby talks to regularly.

“It’s the people that you surround yourself with that’s important,” says Oglesby. “That’s why I’m so involved with today’s students, and my message to other alumni is that it doesn’t take money to come back and help.” ■ Peter Lee Miller