Tampa franchisor growing fast

TAMPA — Medi-Weightloss Clinics, a Tampa-based business built on physician-supervised weight-loss programs, is getting national attention for its strong performance: The Street, a national financial magazine, highlighted the franchisor in a top-seven list of growing companies.

Medi-Weightloss has 92 locations in 22 states as of May 31, and plans to open its 100th franchise by the end of the year. The business offers already-licensed physicians a way to offer additional services to established patient bases.

Upfront costs are roughly $178,500, and total franchisee investment will usually reach $350,000 eventually, according to Andrew Cox, MWC's senior vice president of business development. But average annual revenue across the company's network of clinics is $800,000, Cox says.