Nieto-Jones Innovation Center
A Center of Excellence
The Nieto-Jones Innovation Center is a center of excellence for product development and performance for Life Fitness / Hammer Strength. Based in Schaumburg, Illinois, NJIC unites Mechanical, Electrical, Software, QA and Reliability teams in a loop of concepting, prototyping and rigorous lab validation—from sound and environmental chambers to fatigue and software testing. Named for the company’s fitness pioneers Augie Nieto and Gary Jones, the center embodies the company’s pillars of innovation and quality: pushing fitness further while engineering equipment that outlasts real-world demands.
Performance Insights Lab at Harper College
At Harper College’s Performance Insights Lab, Life Fitness / Hammer Strength partners with faculty and students to conduct hands on research and real-world product testing. Managed by our biomechanics team, the lab captures field feedback that sharpens innovation and validates quality. The Health and Recreation Center now features 50+ new cardio and Insignia Series strength products with the Life Fitness Connect System, supported by the Connect App and Trainer Connect. These two spaces create a community hub where learning, performance and better workout experiences come together.
How They Work Together
The Nieto-Jones Innovation Center and Harper College’s Performance Insights Lab operate as connected “living labs.” The NJIC drives disciplined engineering — with Mechanical, Electrical, Software, QA and Reliability teams — while the Insights Lab proves performance in everyday use. Together they accelerate cocreation with customers: ideas become prototypes, prototypes become validated products, and field feedback continually raises the bar. This integrated model strengthens Life Fitness / Hammer Strength’s pillars of Innovation and Quality, delivering equipment that feels better, lasts longer and inspires the world to work out.