Scottsdale businessman John Leonesio founded Massage Envy with proceeds from the sale of his string of Q The Sports Club fitness centers to 24 Hour Fitness in 1999.

The Scottsdale-based company now has 624 locations open in 42 states that generate about $600 million in annual revenue and employ about 20,000 people.

Leonesio sold Massage Envy in 2008 for an undisclosed sum to Veria … Earlier this year, Veria sold Massage Envy to Sentinel Capital Partners, a New York-based private-equity firm that owns Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Church’s Chicken and other franchises in a number of states.

The Arizona Republic, Phoenix, Arizona, July 28, 2010