Augie Nieto

Augustine L. "Augie" Nieto II (born 1958) is the founder and retired chief executive of Life Fitness and the chairman of Octane Fitness. He and his wife Lynne live in Corona Del Mar, California and have four children and three grandchildren.

In September 2005, he received the fitness industry's top honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award.

He is noted for fighting against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) by creating "Augie's Quest", which he started by teaming with the Muscular Dystrophy Association after his diagnosis.[1] In 2014, Augie's Quest officially transitioned from MDA to the ALS Therapy Development Institute.[2] Since 2006, "Augie's Quest" has raised over $45 million in funds for research into the disease.[3]

Battle with ALS

In March 2005, Nieto was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Despite the limitations of the disease, Nieto continues to lead an active life. Drawing strength from his family, friends and a flood of supportive e-mails, he maintains a positive attitude. After diagnosis, he endured an initial bout of despair. He quickly rebounded though and teamed with the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) and created "Augie's Quest" with the sole purpose of finding a cure for ALS. The team he assembled to fight the disease and find a cure hold to one mission: Identify the genetic basis of the disease in order to seek a treatment.

In addition to numerous honors, Nieto was given the President's Award by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists in 2008. Then-NAHJ President Rafael Olmeda cited Nieto as someone who, without fanfare, put a "Latino face on an American story."

Furthermore, Nieto was appointed to the board of directors of DynaVox.[4]

Five for Fighting song

In 2009, Five for Fighting wrote a song in Nieto's honor on his album Slice to help raise funds for Augie's Quest.[5]

Awards

Nieto received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2007.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Augie and Lynne Nieto Co-Chairs, MDA's ALS Division". MDA. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  2. ↑ "Augie's Quest Transitioning to the ALS Therapy Development Institute". Press release. January 30, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Augie's Quest". Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  4. ↑ http://www.pressreleasepoint.com/dynavox-mayerjohnson-names-augie-nieto-its-board-directors
  5. ↑ "Five for Fighting". Five for Fighting. Wind Up Records. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  6. ↑ http://www.ocregister.com/articles/nieto-10799-says-life.html

External links

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