SupplySide West - International Trade Show & Conference

H. DeWayne Ashmead Ph.D. is president of Albion Laboratories Inc. and a member of the board of directors. His undergraduate work in business was completed at Weber State University and he received his doctorate in human nutrition from Donsbach University. Ashmead is a member of the National Advisory Council and sits on the advisory board for the college of business and economics at Weber State University. He is a member of the advisory council for the school of nutrition and is an adjunct professor at the University of Utah. Ashmead is an active member of several professional societies including being elected a fellow at the American College of Nutrition. He has published research papers in scientific journals, authored many magazine articles, written 12 books on mineral nutrition and contributed chapters to several other books. Ashmead has been awarded 12 patents for his pioneering research in mineral nutrition.

Sheldon Baker, with more than 25 years of public relations experience, has developed and managed a wide range of publicity and corporate communications programs. He merged the firm with executive partner Karena Dillon to form Baker-Dillon Public Relations in 1999. Focusing on the nutraceutical marketplace, the firm provides public relations services that generate corporate and product awareness. Creator of the highly acclaimed CitriMax publicity campaign, he has developed new product introductions that have generated millions of dollars in product sales, as well as corporate public relations campaigns and crisis management programs. Richardson Labs, sold to Rexall Sundown, credits him with creating several product and corporate promotional campaigns that increased product revenues and positioned the company for its eventual sale. Past president of the Consultants Association for the Natural Products Industry (CANI) and the San Francisco Bay Area Publicity Club, he holds a bachelor's of arts degree in communications from Columbia College, Chicago.

Elliott Balbert is chairman of the board, CEO and president of Natrol Inc. (NASDAQ: NTOL), a manufacturer and marketer of branded, high-quality dietary supplements. Balbert founded Natrol in 1980 and has guided the firm's growth to more than 300 employees, total of 250,000-square-foot of state-of-the-art manufacturing and distribution facilities, and annual sales of more than $81.5 million. During the intervening years, his leadership has been responsible for breaking Natrol out of the large cluster of small supplement companies to the successful initial public offering of Natrol stock in July 1998. One of the many ways he achieved this was by guiding the company in introducing new products, such as Natrol Ester-C, Melatonin and Kavatrol, which were quickly popularized by the American consumer.

Jon Benninger is group publisher of the natural products division at Virgo Publishing, which produces Natural Products Industry Insider, HSR: Health Supplement Retailer, Organic & Natural News and Gourmet Business magazines. Virgo Publishing also produces the SupplySide trade shows. Benninger entered the natural products industry in 1990 and has held positions in sales, marketing, public relations, purchasing and management. He is an active member of many associations, including the National Nutritional Foods Association (NNFA), American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) and Organic Trade Association (OTA). He also serves on the board of directors of Citizens For Health and Medcorps International Foundation and on the steering committee of the Dietary Supplement Education Alliance. He graduated from Arizona State University with a bachelor's degree in journalism.

Mark Blumenthal is founder and executive director of the American Botanical Council (ABC), an independent, non-profit group dedicated to disseminating accurate, reliable and responsible information on herbs and medicinal plants. He is editor/publisher of HerbalGram, an international, quarterly journal whose content reflects the educational goals of ABC. He is also an adjunct associate professor of medicinal chemistry at the University of Texas at Austin, College of Pharmacy. Blumenthal has an extensive background in the area of herbs and medicinal plants, with more than 20 years of diverse experience as an herbal advocate, consultant, educator, researcher, writer and advisor. Since 1988, he has been an educator and researcher at ABC. He was a founding member of the Herb Trade Association, the American Herbal Products Association and the Herb Research Foundation. In addition, he participated in the final drafting of the World Health Organization's "Guidelines for the Assessment of Herbal Medicines (1991)."

John Cuomo, Ph.D., director of product development, has designed and helped introduce a variety of new nutritional products at USANA. He has developed numerous methods to evaluate the quality and efficacy of nutritional ingredients, and helped pioneer USANA's quality control methodology. Cuomo has extensive experience in synthetic organic chemistry, new product discovery, natural product isolation and identification, process development, manufacturing, analytical methods development, personnel management, EPA regulations, patent law and GLP protocols. He holds 17 U.S. and European patents and has authored 12 scientific publications. Previously, he was the director of chemistry for AgriDyne Technologies, where he coordinated all aspects of process and product development for the introduction of new, extremely safe natural insecticides.

Randy J. Dennin is the vice president of global business development dietary supplements for Capsugel, a division of Pfizer Incorporated. He has worked on regulatory issues around the globe and has been a leader in developing the market for dietary supplements. His commitment to the industry is evident through his affiliations with several organizations, whose objectives are to promote advancement in this industry. He currently is the chairman of the International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplement Associations (IADSA). This alliance is comprised of trade associations from 25 countries and was founded to face the increasing globalization of markets and global regulatory challenges. He is chairman of NNFA Japan, a recently formed trade association representing Japanese and American companies engaged in the manufacturing, distribution, marketing or sale of dietary supplements and natural food products in Japan.

Steve Demos is the founder and president of White Wave Inc. Founded in 1977, White Wave is one of the largest producers and marketers of soy products in the U.S. White Wave products are sold in over 90% of the nation's supermarkets and the Silk brand is the number one revenue-producing soymilk in America. Demos was a founding member of the Soy Crafters Association of North America in 1978 and its successor Soyfoods Association of North America (SANA). He has served on the board of directors for SANA and held the position of president. Demos was awarded Entrepreneur to Watch in 1977 and Entrepreneur of Distinction in 1996 by the Boulder Chamber of Commerce. White Wave was named Small Business of the Year in 1992 and Colorado recipient of the U.S. Small Business Administration Entrepreneurial Success 2001 award.

Marta Draper, Ph.D. is a nutritional biochemist and the chief technical officer of Weider Nutrition International Inc. Weider Nutrition is one of the leading dietary supplement companies in the world dedicated to providing dietary supplements and food products for good health and fitness. Prior to her work at Weider, Draper worked with such international firms as Banner Pharmacaps, Campbell Soup Co., and Nabisco Brands, where she added her expertise to product development, technology management, research management and quality assurance/quality control. She also founded Marta Draper Lifestyle Management Inc. in 1990. This health and fitness company is dedicated to delivering state of the art products for healthy living. Draper created and developed a computerized lifestyle management tool to improve the health of an individual.

John B. Foret is director of the Division of Compliance and Enforcement, Office of Nutritional Products, Labeling and Dietary Supplements, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, FDA. He was previously director of the Division of Programs and Enforcement Policy, Office of Food Labeling (OFL). In these positions he has been responsible for food labeling, dietary supplement, infant formula and medical food compliance policy; and for developing, managing and coordinating enforcement actions. Prior to this, he was the branch director responsible for enforcement policy and case management for Nutrition Labeling and Education Act implementation and general food labeling. Before his assignment to OFL, he supervised the team in the Division of Regulatory Guidance responsible for labeling policy and enforcement and was a compliance officer responsible for cases involving filth in food, food standards and general food labeling. He has conducted numerous seminars for domestic as well as foreign firms and government officials on labeling and enforcement policy.

David C. Franson has been a research analyst with Euromonitor International since 1998. His training is as an economist at Cornell University. Among other areas, he has focused his expertise within the U.S. vitamins and dietary supplements market. Recently completed research and titles include the Global Market for Natural Medicines and The US Market for Vitamins and Dietary Supplements.

Heather Granato has almost ten years of experience in trade publishing in the natural products industry, currently serving as the group editor for Virgo Publishing's Natural Products Division. The division includes the magazines Natural Products Industry Insider, HSR: Health Supplement Retailer, Gourmet Business Magazine and Organic & Natural News. She has been a presenter at industry events including SupplySide, Natural Products Expo, the Natural Gourmet Show and NNFA MarketPlace. Her additional publishing includes Looking Fit, SunWellness, Country Living's Healthy Living, Delicious! and WomenOf.com. She currently serves as the advisory board chairman for the Arizona State University chapter of the national women's fraternity Kappa Alpha Theta. Granato graduated magna cum laude from the University of Richmond, Va., in 1992 with a bachelor's degree in journalism.

Adam Ismail is a senior consultant at Health Business Partners, where he manages the research process in the consulting division and performs in-depth research and financial analysis for the mergers and acquisitions division. In addition, he also publishes a free daily e-mail newsletter for industry executives with the industry's top headlines. Ismail also developed two Web sites for the nutrition industry, DealsinHealth.com, an online site to facilitate mergers and acquisitions, and NutraceuticalNetwork.com, a site for the transfer of nutritional technologies. Before joining Health Business Partners, Ismail was a financial analyst intern at First Healthcare Partners in Boston, where he also performed merger and acquisition analysis. Since 1996, he has started and sold three businesses: a restaurant, a tour company, and a promotional products company. Ismail, who is proficient in Japanese, received a bachelor's degree from Boston University with concentrations in finance and organizational behavior.

Peter Leighton has nearly 20 years experience in the fields of management, brand development and strategic marketing. He is a founding partner of Copernican Associates, a business consultancy with clients in pharmaceuticals, packaged goods, nutrition, biotechnology and sustainability market segments. Copernican Associates services include a range of management consulting, strategic market development, branding initiatives, product ideation and corporate outreach. Previously, he was vice president of Galileo Laboratories, a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of bioactive compounds for pharmaceutical and nutritional applications. Prior to Galileo, he served as senior vice president of marketing for Weider Nutrition International. He also is a contributing writer for industry publications including Nutraceuticals World, Frozen Food Age, Gourmet Retailer and Health Foods Business.

Edward A. Lemmo, Ph.D., R.D., CDN is vice president for product development at Solgar Vitamin and Herb, an operating unit under American Home Products Corp.'s (NYSE:AHP) Whitehall-Robins Healthcare Division, maker of a broad range of consumer health care products. In this position, he develops new supplements based on the most recent advances in nutritional science and provides scientific guidance to substantiate Solgar's product line. Prior to joining Solgar, Lemmo was in private practice as a nutritionist and clinician, and also consulted for corporations specializing in natural products. Before going into private practice, he worked as the director of nutrition for General Nutrition Companies (GNC) Inc., where he was involved in product development, research and education, and the regulatory functions of the company.

Kevin M. Loftus is a partner in the law firm of O'Connor, McGuinness, Conte, Doyle & Oleson, Esqs., which maintains offices in New York City, White Plains and Poughkeepsie, N.Y.. He is a 1983 graduate of Hofstra University School of Law. Loftus is a trial lawyer who concentrates his practice in the fields of product liability, medical malpractice and significant personal injury cases. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the American Trial Lawyers Association, the Westchester County Bar Association, the Dutchess County Bar Association and the New York Bar Association. He is a member of the product liability and the civil litigation sections of the American Bar Association. He has spoken at seminars on behalf of the New York Bar Association and published on the law of product liability and its effect on manufacturers and distributors of herbal products.

Rohit Medhekar, Ph.D. is the technical resources manager at National Enzyme Company. He presently is researching the characterization of fungal enzyme activities, the effects of enzymes on botanical compounds and the application of enzyme products to specific health needs. Medhekar earned both his bachelor's and his master's degree in chemistry from the University of Bombay. He went on to earn his doctorate in chemistry from the University of Iowa. While obtaining his doctorate, Medhekar was awarded the Center for Biocatalysis and Bioprocessing Fellowship from the University of Iowa.

Mary C. Mulry, Ph.D., is president of Foodwise Inc. in Hygiene, Colo. Since 1993, she has supplied technical and scientific consulting to natural and organic food and beverage, herbal product and dietary supplement companies. She has held positions such as vice president, research and operations at Rainbow Light Nutritional Systems; vice president of R&D at Celestial Seasonings; and product development and analytical positions at Kraft and Kellogg. She contributes on a technical advisory level for the Herb Research Foundation, American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), and the National Organic Standards Board. She holds a doctorate in food science and human nutrition from the University of Florida.

William A. Murphy is director of operations planning and purchasing for Nutricia USA in South Carolina. His current responsibilities include buying, planning and managing inventory of nutritional supplements. He has worked in both the operations and finance area for other companies such as United Technologies Corporation and Rexall Sundown. Murphy received his bachelor's degree from Northwood University and master's degrees in business administration and accounting from Nova Southeastern University.

Jonathon P. Pinkus is president and CEO of Arizona Nutritional Supplements (ANS), a leading NNFA GMP certified dietary supplement contract manufacturer. Pinkus, together with his business partner, Aaron Blunck, founded the company in 1995. With his financial and production background and Blunck's sales and marketing expertise, they were able to hand pick a team of the most qualified dietary supplement manufacturing technicians in the field. ANS recently moved from its original 10,000-sqare-foot plant to a state-of-the-art 50,000-square-foot facility. He earned a bachelor's degree in finance and accounting from Arizona State University and currently is a member of National Nutritional Foods Association (NNFA) and the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT).

Steven Shapiro is a partner in the New York-based law firm Ullman, Shapiro & Ullman, LLP. He has 13 years of experience in food and drug regulatory matters and regularly counsels clients in all areas of food and drug law relating to the manufacture and marketing of foods, dietary supplements, drugs, cosmetics and medical devices. His practice concentrates in areas of interest to the natural products industry and he spends much of his time advising companies on aspects of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), as it concerns the marketing of dietary supplement products and dietary ingredients. He has also assisted clients in matters relating to enforcement by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), including the handling of issues that arise during FDA inspections. His litigation practice includes involvement in several cases concerning interpretations of the Food and Drug Act, which have resulted in judicial precedents. Shapiro is a 1986 graduate of the where he was an editor of the Syracuse Law Review.

James T. Tanner, Ph.D. serves as the executive vice president of science for Food Research Inc. He joined Food Research in 1999, after 30 years of service with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). At FDA he contributed to three major regulations under the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA), the Infant Formula Act and the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). Tanner started at the FDA as a research chemist, dealing with food composition, trace and toxic elements, and radioactivity in foods. After he was promoted to chief of the nutrient surveillance branch, Tanner was responsible for determining compliance with nutrition labeling regulations. During his tenure, the Infant Formula Act was passed, whereupon he worked with infant formula companies and other laboratories to identify and collaboratively study methods for the analysis of infant formula. This work resulted in two awards from the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) and several papers in scientific literature. He also was responsible for the development of policy and a manual for the treatment and acceptance of databases for food labeling which conformed that the requirements of the NLEA.

James S. Tonkin, president and CEO of Essentia Water Inc., has been described as a beverage management/marketing expert, with extensive practical and hands-on experience. He has created and implemented successful business, financial and marketing strategies for large and small, domestic and international corporations. Tonkin has held executive positions and has had extensive experience in beverage production, wholesale and retail sales, marketing and national distribution. Early in his career, he marketed soft drinks for a regional bottler. He then helped launch one of the first "new age" beverages in the early 80’s, Napa Naturals. He became a beverage consultant in the late 80’s, his clients included POKKA Corporation, Nabisco, Stoh’s Brewery, Fiji Natural Water and Hawaiian Natural Water. Tonkin currently is growing his newest venture, Essentia Water, which he co-founded in 1998. Essentia is niche marketed, alkaline and electrolyte enhanced water. Essentia just introduced Aquéss, water-soluble fiber beverages, the first of their kind in the business. He is a veteran of guerilla beverage marketing and has become a true believer in pure drinking water long-term growth.

Sid Tracy, founder of Traco Labs, has been active in the nutritional industry for more than 25 years. He is continuing as president at Traco after the company became one of SKW Nature's Products BioActives companies. He testified in front of the U.S. Congress for United States vs. Two Plastics, a case that shaped current DSHEA laws. Prior to Traco, he worked for Johnson and Johnson, Rp Scherer and Viobin.

Stephen Turner, director of product development at Nutraceutix Inc., is responsible for the company's research and development efforts, and is instrumental in the application of proprietary delivery technologies for dietary supplements, OTC and pharmaceuticals, including patented Controlled Delivery Technology (CDT). Additionally, he has filed for several patents on novel delivery technologies and processing innovations for the nutritional, OTC and pharmaceutical industries. Most recently he has collaborated with researchers at Temple University for advanced controlled delivery systems. Turner's work has been presented at industry conferences, including the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists' Annual Meeting. He is an active member of AAPS as well as the Controlled Release Society.

Turner joined Nutraceutix in 1999 as project manager where he was in charge of new products and research. He has several years experience in the health care industry, including clinical work in Swedish Hospital's Rapid Response Laboratory in Seattle. He has a bachelor's degree in biology with a minor in environmental geochemistry from Western Washington University in Bellingham, Wash.

Marc Ullman is partner in the New York City-based law firm Ullman, Shapiro and Ullman, LLP, which specializes in representing clients in all aspects of food and drug law. Ullman's work includes representation of clients in matters concerning the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), FTC, DEA, CSPC and related state agency regulatory and legal proceedings. Prior to the formation of the present firm, he served of counsel to Bass & Ullman, PC, which provided legal counseling to clients in the natural products industry for over 50 years. He also practiced with one of New York's white-collar criminal defense firms for 10 years. He has written extensively on compliance-related issues as they concern the natural products industry. Ullman is also on the board of directors of MedCorps International Foundation.

Chuck Wach, director of materials management at Nature's Sunshine, is responsible for global procurement, operations planning and supply management. He oversees contract manufacturing, strategic sourcing agreements, supplier certification and establishes inventory policies. He is actively involved, in connection with new products, in marketing and research and development. With more than 15 years of broad-base international experience, he has worked in various operations and purchasing functions with leading-industry companies such as Perrier Group of America, Heinz USA and Frito Lay. Wach received his bachelor's degree in business finance from Brigham Young University's Marriott School of Business.