Life Fitness

Life Fitness, Inc.
Public
Founded 1977 (1977)
Founder Augie Nieto and Ray Wilson
Headquarters Rosemont, Illinois
Key people
Brands Life Fitness
Hammer Strength,
Cybex
Indoor Cycling Group
SCIFIT
InMovement
Brunswick Billiards
Owner Brunswick Corporation
Number of employees
  • 1,700 (2015)
Parent Bally Total Fitness (1984-1991)
Mancuso & Co. (1991-1997)
Brunswick Corporation (1997-present)
Subsidiaries Cybex International
ParaBody Inc.
Website lifefitness.com

Life Fitness is an American fitness equipment company that specializes in the production and distribution of equipment such as stationary bikes and treadmills. They developed the industry's first electronic stationary bicycle. As of 2015, the company has over 1,700 employees and twelve manufacturing facilities around the world.[1]

History

Keene P. Dimick created an exercise bike in 1968. In 1977, Augie Nieto incorporated the company in Illinois as Lifecycle, Inc. to sell exercise bikes based on the same name that were based on Dimick's.[1][2] Nieto sold the company to Bally Total Fitness in 1984, who subsequently renamed the company Life Fitness, Inc.[3]

Life Fitness created the first computerized strength training program in 1988.[4]

In 1991, Bally Total Fitness sold the company to Mancuso & Company, a private equity firm, for $62.5 million.[5] The same year, Life Fitness expanded into treadmills.

Life Fitness was acquired by Brunswick Corporation in June 1997 for $310 million.[6][7] The sale was completed on July 11, 1997.[8] Later in 1997, Life Fitness bought Hammer Strength, a manufacturing of weight machines.[9]

ParaBody, Inc. was bought by Life Fitness in 1998.[10]

In 2015, Brunswick Billiards was placed under Life Fitness by its parent company. In addition, Life Fitness created InMovement, a product line for workplaces, and acquired SCIFIT.[11]

In January 2016, Cybex International became part of Life Fitness, following its $195 million acquisition by Life Fitness parent company, Brunswick Corporation.[12] Indoor Cycling Group was also acquired the same year.

Row GX Trainer

References

  1. 1 2 Perkins, Trinity. "The Best Gym Equipment Brands". LIVESTRONG.COM. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  2. ↑ "The Early Years | Life Fitness". www.lifefitness.com. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  3. ↑ "Augie Nieto II". North Castle Partners. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  4. ↑ "1980s | Life Fitness". www.lifefitness.com. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  5. ↑ "Bally Agrees To Sell Life Fitness Business". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2013-04-11.
  6. ↑ Gibson, Richard (1997-06-04). "Brunswick to Buy Maker Of Lifecycle for $310 Million". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2017-05-10. (Subscription required (help)).
  7. ↑ Reuters (1997-06-05). "BRUNSWICK TO BUY LIFE FITNESS FOR $310 MILLION". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  8. ↑ Fitzgerald, Jacqueline (1997-07-11). "Brunswick Completes Acquisition". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  9. ↑ Banks, Claudia (1997-11-14). "Life Fitness Buys Weighty Company". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  10. ↑ "1990s | Life Fitness". www.lifefitness.com. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  11. ↑ "2010s | Life Fitness". www.lifefitness.com. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  12. ↑ "Brunswick Acquires Cybex for $195 Million, Will Join Life Fitness". Club Industry. 2016-01-20. Retrieved 2017-05-10.


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