Ernst & Young Names Nautilus CEO as Pacific Northwest 2002 Entrepreneur Of The Year

VANCOUVER, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 19, 2002--The Nautilus Group, Inc. (NYSE:NLS - News), a leading marketer, developer, and manufacturer of branded health and fitness products, today announced that Brian Cook, chief executive officer, was selected as the Pacific Northwest 2002 Ernst & Young Retail/Consumer Entrepreneur Of The Year®.

The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year awards are designed to recognize leaders of fast-growing companies who have demonstrated excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.

Pacific Northwest award recipients are eligible for National Entrepreneur Of The Year awards, which will be announced in November 2002. Recipients also become lifetime members of the Entrepreneur Of The Year Hall of Fame.

"I am very pleased and honored to win this award on behalf of all of our dedicated employees, who have made our success possible," said Brian Cook, chief executive officer. "With our strong portfolio of quality products and powerful brand names--Bowflex, Nautilus, Schwinn, and StairMaster--we are very excited about our growing leadership position in the worldwide health and fitness markets."

About The Nautilus Group

The Nautilus Group, Inc. (formerly Direct Focus, Inc.) is a leading marketer, developer, and manufacturer of branded health and fitness products sold under such well-known names as Nautilus, Bowflex, Schwinn and StairMaster. The Company currently markets its Bowflex home fitness equipment and Nautilus Sleep Systems through its direct-marketing channel, using an effective combination of television commercials, infomercials, response mailings, the Internet, and inbound/outbound call centers. The Company sells its Nautilus, Schwinn and StairMaster commercial fitness equipment through its sales force and selected dealers to health clubs, government agencies, hotels, corporate fitness centers, colleges, universities, and assisted living facilities. The Nautilus Group also markets and sells a complete line of consumer fitness equipment, under its Nautilus, Schwinn and StairMaster brands, through a network of specialty dealers, distributors, and retailers worldwide. The Company is headquartered in Vancouver, Washington. The Nautilus Group is located on the Web at www.nautilusgroup.com.

From time to time, The Nautilus Group may issue forward-looking statements relating to its products and services, including statements regarding its Nautilus, Schwinn Fitness, and StairMaster businesses. Factors that could affect The Nautilus Group's actual results include its reliance on a limited product line, fluctuations in advertising rates, market acceptance of its existing and future products, growth management challenges including the growth resulting from the acquisition of the assets of Schwinn Fitness in September 2001 and StairMaster in February 2002, a decline in consumer spending due to unfavorable economic conditions, government regulatory action, its ability to effectively identify and negotiate any future strategic acquisitions, its ability to integrate the StairMaster business and any other acquired businesses into its operations, unpredictable events and circumstances relating to international operations including its use of foreign manufacturers, and general economic conditions. Please refer to our reports and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recent annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, for a further discussion of these risks and uncertainties. We also caution you not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. We undertake no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date they were made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

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