Augie Nieto

Augie Neito is a man who's defying the odds, continuing to live (and still thrive) 12 years post-diagnosis of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS, also commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. ALS is a degenerative disease of the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement. Augie's inspirational story is depicted in the new feature documentary 'Augie'. The always CEO, charismatic, tough, bullheaded, successful, and devilishly handsome, Augie was once known as the Steve Jobs of the fitness industry...and in many regards, still is. He's the founder of Life Fitness and LifeCycle, and is credited with building the fitness industry from the early 80s. Here's a link to Augie in his own words. A leader dedicated to maintaining muscle strength, fitness and performance, it's tragic irony that ALS robs Augie of his strength and use of his body - self-dubbed, "Irony of the Iron Man." Augie's inexorable drive to work and achieve has never been stronger, but this time he's taking on ALS, and winning. In establishing Augie's Quest to Cure ALS -- a non-profit dedicated to finding effective treatments and an ultimate cure for ALS that he co-founded with his wife Lynne -- Augie is transforming the ALS space-proving it is not an incurable disease; rather an underfunded one. And now, Augie and Lynne Nieto are the subjects of the new feature documentary 'Augie' from James Keach, the award-winning director of "Walk The Line," and producer Eric Carlson, that will come to market later this year. Theirs is a remarkable story, an unlikely and enduring love story, one that also is changing the way ALS treatments and research are funded and advanced, with exercise and fitness a key piece of the puzzle. Despite ALS, the couple is literally changing the course of this horrific disease. Together, Augie and Lynne have rallied the entire fitness industry, teaming with hundreds of popular brands, clubs and boutique gyms to join the fight -- raising more than 55 million since establishing Augie's Quest. Funding that is making it possible for critical research via the ALS Therapy Development Institute, including work on a promising new drug, AT-1501. Most recently, the popular Orange Theory Fitness stepped up to raise more than $2 million for the cause in just 10 days. Additionally, Augie Nieto is the Chief Inspiration Officer for Augie's Quest to Cure ALS, and the Chairman of the Board for the ALS Therapy Development Institute. He is one of the original pioneers of the fitness industry, and the founder and retired Chief Executive Officer of Life Fitness, a global leader in product development and innovation that helps people lead active and healthy lives. Currently, Augie serves as an operating advisor to North Castle Partners, a private equity firm and is on the board of Curves, Jenny Craig, and Hydromassage. Augie formerly served on the board of Quest Software, where he was one of four members of its 'Special Committee' that negotiated the sale of Quest Software to Dell Computers in 2012. He also served on the board of Dynavox Systems, a developer of speech generating systems, and was Chairman of the Board of Octane Fitness.