Christopher Klebba, third from left, is president of Northern Diamond Management. He’s pictured here with, from left, his sister, fiancé, mother and father. It was his dad, Chris Klebba, who introduced him to franchising.
Christopher Klebba has no regrets about forgoing his Hollywood dream. As a multi-unit, multi-concept franchisee, the 31-year-old charismatic entrepreneur has found a more fitting role—one where he can perform his most rewarding professional acts.
“Being an entertainer was exciting, but I felt like I never had control of it. I feel like I have much more control now,” said Klebba, founder and president of Northern Diamond Management, a Brighton, Michigan-based equity management firm that owns 22 Smoothie Kings and 12 Buff City Soap locations in the Midwest and Pennsylvania and four Altitude Trampoline Parks in New England.
With actor Tom Selleck being his mom’s cousin, Klebba said he caught the entertainment bug at an early age. He was enrolled in a performing arts school and as a teen danced and performed on “Glee” and “Dancing with the Stars.” He also held a casting and creative role on the reality show “Dance Moms.”
But barely in his 20s and already feeling burnt out by the entertainment industry’s grind and politics, he decided enough was enough. He accepted his father’s offer to join the family’s burgeoning franchise business, which at one time had nearly 50 Planet Fitness locations.
“I saw what Christopher was going through in Hollywood and what the lack of control was doing to him. So, I made my pitch to him. I said, ‘Come work for me for 90 days and see how you like it,’” recalled Klebba’s father, also named Chris. “So I started him at the front desk of one of our gyms and then he became a general manager before eventually joining us in corporate where he became essentially a business partner in the family business.”
The elder Klebba, who sold the majority of his interests in Planet Fitness to Bain Capital in 2016, credited his son for diversifying the family’s franchise portfolio with the launch of Northern Diamond Management in 2017. The first brand the company brought into the fold was Smoothie King, which the younger Klebba wanted to introduce to Michigan’s traditionally underserved communities.
Christopher Klebba said they did not want to compete with green juice or acai bowl concepts. Instead, the company wanted to appeal to community members who would usually lean toward a fast-food restaurant after a sporting event and offer them a healthy and convenient option instead.
Meanwhile, the Klebbas are excited about the future of their Buff City Soap locations and the rapidly expanding retail franchise which is known for its handmade, plant-based soaps and body products made in-store daily. Christopher Klebba refers to the brand as “the Willy Wonka factory of soaps and great smells” and “just a fun brand to work with.”
Along with its portfolio of Smoothie Kings, Buff City Soaps and Altitude Trampoline Parks, which Christopher Klebba said are all performing at or above brand unit average, Northern Diamond also operates Single Barrel Social, an independent upscale steak and bourbon restaurant in Brighton, Michigan.
“Our whole intention with Northern Diamond was to roll out new projects we love and believe in and to surround ourselves with great teams,” he said. “We were very intentional about being the absolute best operators of our brands.”
The Klebbas credit their growth to strong marketing power and internal systems that make the company more efficient, as well as being able to negotiate lower-cost leases. They also believe growing their portfolio with health-focused brands works well in today’s environment with an increasing public awareness and intent to become physically fit.
“I consider myself a specialist, with the common thread being scaling, organization development, team engagement, recruiting, that kind of thing. I’m like my father. I want to go big and win,” said Christopher Klebba about his approach to franchising.
The biggest challenge of multi-unit, multi-concept franchising, Christopher Klebba said, is finding employees who share the executive team’s energy and passion.
“It’s that rare talent of someone who wants to live at this chaotic pace of urgency and attack the business like a playoff-minded Michael Jordan,” he said.
“There’s not a lot of time for celebration when you’re trying to build 60 stores,” Christopher Klebba said. “This business can be pretty cutthroat and not everyone wants to do it. It’s a skill that is as rare as an NFL quarterback.”