Trevor Tice

Trevor Tice (c. 1968–2016) was an American entrepreneur who co-founded CorePower Yoga in 2002 and served as its chief executive officer until 2014, building the company into the largest chain of yoga studios in the United States.^[1] At the time of his death in December 2016, CorePower operated more than 160 studios across 20 states and employed over 1,800 people.^[2]

Before entering the fitness industry, Tice founded TechPartners International, an IT outsourcing firm that he sold to a publicly listed UK company for approximately $60 million in 2001.^[4] He used the proceeds to self-fund CorePower Yoga's first 20 studios, applying a standardized, franchise-style operating model to an industry dominated by independent studios.^[4][1] In 2013, private equity firm L Catterton invested in CorePower in a deal Tice described as valued "well north of $100 million."^[1] Tice stepped down as CEO in April 2014 and remained on the board of directors until his death on December 12, 2016, at age 48 in San Diego, California.^[5][15]

Trevor Tice grew up in Telluride, Colorado, a mountain resort town where he developed an identity as an avid skier, runner, and rock climber.^[7] He described himself as entrepreneurially inclined from childhood, recalling that he sold gum on the playground as a boy and was writing computer payroll programs on a Macintosh II as a teenager.^[7] Tice attended the University of Colorado, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business.^[4]

A severe rock-climbing accident later shattered both of Tice's ankles, leaving one ankle with six permanent screws and ending his ability to run, climb, and pursue other high-impact activities.^[7] While recovering, he turned to yoga as a physical outlet. The experience proved transformative, but Tice found the quality of yoga studios across the country consistently poor — marked by inconsistent teaching, substandard facilities, and weak customer service.^[4][1]

TechPartners International (c. 1990–2001)

Tice founded TechPartners International, an IT outsourcing and staffing company, during the 1990s.^[4] He built the firm while traveling extensively across the United States, a period during which he began visiting yoga studios in various cities and observing the fragmented state of the industry.^[4] In 2001, Tice sold TechPartners International to a publicly listed UK firm in a transaction valued at approximately $60 million.^[4][4] The proceeds from the sale provided the capital he would use to launch CorePower Yoga.

CorePower Yoga (2002–2014)

In 2002, Tice co-founded CorePower Yoga and opened its first studio on Grant Street in downtown Denver, Colorado.^[4] The studio launched with six teachers — Tice among them — offering four classes per day.^[7] Tice's founding insight was that yoga studios could be operated with the consistency and customer-experience standards of a national retail brand. He used the proceeds from the TechPartners sale to self-fund the first 20 CorePower locations, each costing between $500,000 and $750,000 to open, without outside investors.^[1][4]

CorePower's model featured heated power yoga classes blending elements of Ashtanga, Bikram, and Vinyasa styles in modern, spa-like studios with full locker rooms and climate control.^[1] The company expanded within Colorado before moving into Minneapolis, San Diego, Portland, and Chicago beginning in 2008.^[8] Revenue grew from $6.5 million in 2007 to $23 million in 2010 and $45.2 million in 2012.^[8][1] By 2010, Tice was operating 35 studios and was invited to speak at the Milken Institute Global Conference.^[9]

In June 2013, private equity firm L Catterton made a major investment in CorePower Yoga when the chain had approximately 80 studios in 12 states.^[10] Tice described the deal as valued "well north of $100 million."^[1] He stepped down as CEO in April 2014 and was succeeded by Eric Kufel, though he remained on the company's board of directors.^[7][13] By 2015, CorePower's revenue run rate had reached $100 million, and Inc. Magazine dubbed the company "the Starbucks of Yoga."^[1] At the time of Tice's death in December 2016, CorePower had grown to more than 160 locations across 20 states with over 1,800 employees.^[2][13] In 2019, TSG Consumer Partners acquired CorePower from L Catterton; the chain had expanded to more than 200 studios by that time.^[13][10]

CorePower Cares

During his tenure at CorePower Yoga, Tice founded CorePower Cares, a nonprofit organization — later also referenced as The Karma Yoga Project — that channeled the CorePower community's resources toward philanthropic causes.^[7] The organization supported relief efforts including those following the Haiti earthquake and the Japan earthquake and tsunami.^[7]

Board service: MindBody Online

Tice served on the board of directors of MindBody Online, a software platform for fitness and wellness businesses, until his death in 2016.^[13] The role reflected his position as one of the most prominent operators in the yoga and fitness studio industry and his interest in the wellness technology ecosystem.

Board service: BridgeView IT

Tice also served on the board of directors of BridgeView IT, an IT staffing and solutions firm, drawing on his background as founder of TechPartners International.^[13] He held the position until his death in 2016.

RIPPED 50 / POWER LAB (2015–2016)

In the period after stepping down as CorePower CEO, Tice filed trademarks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for "RIPPED 50" and "POWER LAB," both designated for conducting fitness classes and health club services.^[4] He also co-filed trademarks for "TAPAS T'OWL" and "YOGA T'OWL" — yoga towels adapted for yoga mats — with co-owner Devin Fitzmaurice.^[4] The filings, dated approximately 2015, indicate Tice was developing additional fitness and yoga product ventures at the time of his death, though there is no evidence these concepts reached an operational stage.

Tice was a lifelong outdoorsman whose identity was shaped by growing up in Telluride, Colorado.^[7] He was a certified yoga teacher and was known to visit at least one CorePower studio every day to provide feedback to instructors and managers.^[7] He was a member of the Colorado chapter of the Young Presidents' Organization (YPO).^[13] Tice had a daughter.^[15]

In January 2016, Tice purchased a home in the Sunset Cliffs neighborhood of San Diego for approximately $3 million.^[15] He was found dead at the residence on December 12, 2016, at age 48.^[4] San Diego police initially investigated the death as suspicious, but the San Diego County Medical Examiner ruled it accidental in January 2017, attributing it to blunt-force head trauma sustained in a fall.^[5][15]