Fitness Industry Council of Canada (FIC) is pleased to announce Scott Wildeman as the 2022 recipient of the Canadian Fitness Industry Leadership Award.Scott has been part if the fitness industry since 1997 when an opportunity emerged for him to become a weight room monitor while enrolled in Kinesiology at the University of Calgary. In 1999 he attended the canfitpro conference in Toronto, and knew he needed to be a part of the fitness industry full time. From there, he continued his work at World Health Club, where he was appointed as a Regional Fitness Director for World Health Club in 2004. In 2007, Scott was appointed as the Vice President of Fitness services and was introduced to Fitness Industry Council of Canada.With his work at World Health Club, Scott was proud to lead a team that was awarded with many recognitions such as a top engaged workforce and as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies.Scott has always been passionate about advancing the fitness industry. In 2018, as the newly appointed President of FIC, he wanted to bring the industry together to fight for a common goal. He found the fitness industry to be fragmented, and in need of a change. He had a vision that from competing suppliers to operators to certification agencies, the industry needed to band together to advocate for common goals!In 2018, he led a group of the biggest names and competitors in the industry from all over the country for a weeklong campaign in Ottawa, advocating for incentives for Canadians to become more active; the purpose was to introduce the fitness industry as a proactive member of our health care system.The week concluded with workouts on the lawn of the Supreme Court of Canada!Prior to the pandemic, Scott reorganized FIC’s membership structure, fundraising, and governance. Once the pandemic hit, Scott was the face of our industry.  Scott's advocacy was instrumental in many of the government subsidies that the fitness industry benefitted from. Through Scott’s leadership, FIC was able to keep fitness facilities across the country well informed of the latest news revolving around the pandemic. In March 2019, FIC began hosting weekly national meetings which have now become monthly. With the implementation of these meetings for FIC members, FIC was able to communicate to our industry how to apply for and receive all available assistance throughout the pandemic.During this time, provincial coalitions were also formed – this is where the industry was able to come together like never before and support each other. This past year, Scott has continued supporting the industry as a FIC board member and the lead of the Alberta FIC Coalition, making significant progress in Alberta by getting many leaders discussing the merits of a fitness tax credit.   While Covid was a defining moment for FIC, Other work under Scott's leadership includes the important work he has contributed to music licencing, which allowed the industry to delay potential increases to music licensing fees during a difficult time. While these discussions are still ongoing, FIC was able to push this back several years and is now well positioned for the future.Scott is also serving as the president of Prescription to Get Active, bridging the gap between the medical institution and fitness and wellness professionals.From a business standpoint, Scott has started a new adventure called KidStrong, integrating physical literacy, cognitive and social-emotional development to help kids Win at Life! Throughout Scott’s entire career, he has always remained on the front lines, regardless of how busy he is. To this day, he still teaches at least 1-2 spin classes per week! Congratulations to Scott Wildeman on leading and inspiring the Canadian Fitness Industry during a time of crisis. Scott has brought us together like never before and we are grateful to have him as a current leader in our industry.