Augie Nieto: A Man for All Seasons

Augie Nieto was only 19 years old when he took a risk that seemed like something only a young man in the folly of youth would attempt. He and his partner, Ray Wilson, bought the rights to an obscure invention called the Lifecycle (thank you, Keene P. Dimick) that was the first piece of exercise equipment with digital technology. Nieto and Wilson would go on to found Lifecycle, Inc., which then became Life Fitness in 1984. Life Fitness would grow to be the largest manufacturer of commercial fitness equipment over the next 20 years.

The Lifecycle didn’t just create a manufacturing giant; it also was one of the key drivers in the evolution of the health club industry from a loosely connected group of modest racquet-sport facilities to what we know today.

All this from a self-described former pudgy kid who learned the value of fitness and traveled to clubs around the country selling a strange new device, armed with only the raw talent of a born salesman with more charisma than seemed fair to lesser men.

Nieto believed in the Lifecycle and its ability to revolutionize an industry. Even when club owners weren’t ready to commit to buying Lifecycles for their facilities, Nieto would find a way to get one of the units in the club. One tactic was giving a Lifecycle to club owners’ wives, who would fall in love with them, prompting their husbands to later buy them in bulk for their clubs.

That’s what vision is, and Nieto had it, harnessed it, and made a fortune for himself and many of his colleagues.

A Legacy Is Born, With Another on the Way

Despite his youth, Nieto knew that a young industry needed structure and unity. He was an early champion of the HFA (then IHRSA) and influenced many of his peers who would be instrumental in creating the global health and fitness industry.

Mark Mastrov was one of them. Now widely acknowledged as one of the architects of the modern fitness industry, Mastrov built 24 Hour Fitness into a global giant in the 1980s and has gone on to lead and invest in a number of successful ventures with his company, New Evolution Ventures.

Like Nieto, Mastrov learned to practice the art of paying it forward and has mentored many of today’s industry leaders. But back when he was learning the business in the company of Nieto, he was awed by his friend’s abilities.

“Augie was truly one of the greatest salespeople of all time,” Mastrov says. “He was that alpha male that we all admired. When you sat in the room with him, he was the man.”

Back then, the Lifecycle was a cumbersome, weighty machine that took four or five people to move around on the cardio floor. But it helped make an industry. Without Nieto, that giant step forward would have arrived years later.

“I don’t think the industry would be anywhere near where it is today without him,” Mastrov says. “He was the first to bring digital automation to the industry in a major way with Lifecycle. He will always be one of the greatest and most important entrepreneurs in our industry’s history.”

If Nieto’s story ended there, he’d already qualify as an exceptional success story who deserved the honors bestowed on him, including the latest: being named a member of the first class of inductees to the HFA Hall of Fame.

He had already cemented his legacy as a businessman and was revered by his colleagues. He and his wife, Lynne, lived with their four children in a beachfront home.

Then one day, he struggled to hold on to a dumbbell during a workout, his grip failing after repeated attempts. What seemed like a minor annoyance at the time marked the beginning of Nieto’s second life, one that is more well-known around the world than his accomplishments as an entrepreneur.

He was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2005. With ALS, every diagnosis is a death sentence—the average survival time with the disease is two to five years.

At first shocked and devastated, Nieto, with his family’s support, did what he did best. He rolled up his sleeves, got to work, and created a lasting legacy that, to this day, inspires all who know his story.

Augie’s Quest for the Cure Is Born

Nieto wasted no time establishing Augie’s Quest to Cure ALS. With the same dogged determination that drove him in business, Nieto and his team built an infrastructure for the nonprofit organization and scheduled fundraisers and campaigns to get the word out.

Nieto initially turned to the people he knew best—the fitness industry, including the HFA, which for years on the last night of its annual convention hosted Augie’s Bash, a fundraising event that included top-name entertainers, several-course meals, and inspiring stories by those battling ALS, including Nieto himself.

ALS is a devastating disease that progresses with cruel determination. Many people want to look away. But Nieto wouldn’t let them. As chairman and co-founder of Augie’s Quest, Nieto's magnetic personality drew others to him. He became widely known beyond the world of ALS activists to raise funds with celebrities and organizations aligned with Augie’s Quest.
 His strength and endurance nearly defied all belief.

Instead of succumbing to ALS in a few years, Nieto survived 18 years. On February 22, 2023, he died peacefully, surrounded by his family.

“I knew him since I was 16,” Lynne says. “He was one of the most disciplined people I’ve ever met. He had a tenacity about him that just didn’t stop. It was a privilege to walk with him, to see him fight. He was a real inspiration to me.”

To learn more about Augie’s Quest to Cure ALS, visit augiesquest.org.