SCHILLER PARK, Ill., July 3, 2013 - Life Fitness, global leader in commercial fitness equipment manufacturing, announced that its President Chris Clawson has won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2013 award in the consumer products and services category, for the Midwest region. Clawson shares this honor with his predecessor, Life Fitness co-founder Augie Nieto, a former Ernst and Young Entrepreneur Award recipient. The award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.
Under Clawson's direction, Life Fitness recently introduced LFopen, the fitness industry's first and only open API (Application Programming Interface) product platform that is changing the way exercisers interact with fitness equipment and, as a result, the future of fitness facilities.
"Life Fitness is an exceptional company and sharing this honor with my mentor, Augie Nieto, makes the recognition even more poignant," said Clawson. "By adopting the pace of innovation that Augie first pursued, Life Fitness has continued to pioneer game-changing new products like Synrgy360 and new advancements in technology like the LFopen product platform and our Discover Tablet Consoles."
Now in its 27th year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 140 cities in more than 50 countries throughout the world. Clawson was selected from a strong pool of nominations by a panel of independent judges. Awards were presented at a special gala on June 27, at the Hilton Hotel in Chicago.
A Life Fitness veteran, Clawson has served the company in a number of different positions; including senior director of product management for cardio products, vice president of consumer sales and marketing, and general manager of U.S. fitness retailer Omni Fitness, owned by Life Fitness at the time. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Sports & Fitness Industry Association and is a National Vice President for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the Ernst & Young National Entrepreneur Of The Year Program. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the Ernst & Young National Entrepreneur Of The Year Overall Award winner, which will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, Calif., on Nov. 16. The awards are the culminating event of the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum, the nation's most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies.
Sponsors
Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are nationally sponsored by SAP America and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. In the Midwest region, sponsors include: Winston & Strawn LLP, Benefitdecisions, LaSalle Network, PNC Bank, Smart Business magazine, Becker Professional Education, Merrill Datasite and the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center.
About Life Fitness
Life Fitness is the global leader in commercial fitness equipment manufacturing. The company manufactures and sells strength and cardiovascular equipment under the brand names Life Fitness and Hammer Strength and distributes equipment in more than 120 countries. Headquartered outside Chicago, in Schiller Park, Ill., Life Fitness is a division of Brunswick Corporation /quotes/zigman/220666/quotes/nls/bcBC -0.88%.
About Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year
Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world's most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The unique award makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential, and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global award of its kind, Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 140 cities in more than 50 countries.
About Ernst & Young
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