The Father of Special Needs Children Finds Meaning in Work with the Adaptive Fitness Training Brand
Special Strong, a faith-based adaptive fitness training franchise for individuals with mental, physical and cognitive challenges, has named Gerry Henley president. Henley draws from three decades of business development, leadership and franchising experience in his role supporting Special Strong’s unit-level performance and growth.
The father of two special needs children, Henley became interested in Special Strong and its mission and was immediately impressed with the adaptive fitness training brand’s impactful videos. As founder of Launch to Growth business consultancy, which specializes in helping build scalable franchise systems, Henley reached out to Special Strong founder and CEO Daniel Stein to volunteer his professional coaching services.
“I had been praying for God to give me somebody to help with my coaching pro bono,” Henley said. “This was his answer. I started coaching Daniel, and the more I got involved, the more I got hooked and knew that God put us together. After being intimately involved for a while, it became apparent that this is what I was supposed to do full-time.”
Stein began franchising Special Strong in 2020, and growth was a top priority, he said. “As we started to see growth and I was being pulled in multiple directions, I asked myself how we could stay focused on our franchisees to make sure they were thriving. For me, the answer was bringing on Gerry.”
Henley has previously served in leadership positions with Best in Class Education Center, Office Pride Commercial Cleaning Services and Kitchen Solvers. He also is an advisory board member with Palm Beach Atlantic University’s Titus Center for Franchising in West Palm Beach, Fla.
When he’s not working, Henley can be found tending his flower gardens, which saves him money, he said, because his wife gets fresh flowers any time she wants!
About Special Strong
Founded in 2016, Special Strong is on a mission to unlock the strength and confidence within individuals impacted by mental, physical and cognitive challenges, including autism, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries and Down syndrome. Driven by faith-based principles, the adaptive fitness training franchise also has a nonprofit organization called the Special Strong Champions Foundation, which creates opportunities for special needs families in need of financial assistance to participate in specialized health and wellness programs.
