BOULDER, CO–(Marketwire – Jan 10, 2013) -The nutrition industry’s most notable business leaders of 2012 have been named in Nutrition Business Journal’s (NBJ) annual Business Achievement Awards issue, published this month. Recipients of the NBJ Business Achievement Awards will be publically honored during the 16th annual NBJ Summit, July 23-26, at the St. Regis Hotel Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, Calif.
NBJ is the premier publication for the nutrition, natural, organic, dietary supplement and integrative medicine industries. NBJ‘s Business Achievement Awards recognize the industry’s greatest leaders making significant advancements in health, wellness and nutrition.
For efforts on behalf of the industry, Michael Funk, chairman of the board for United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) and president of the Non-GMO Project, is recognized for decades of service and commitment to the broad advancement of natural and organic products throughout the United States.
Josef Brinckmann is recipient of the Sustainability award for his unwavering dedication to sustainable practices at Traditional Medicinals and his dedication to producing a sustainable supply of slippery elm in North America.
For keeping organic relevant and fierce, Dr. Bonner’s receives the Organic Excellence award. This small, always authentic company has been fearless in its longstanding commitment to the non-GMO movement, fair trade and sustainability.
WellnessFX wins the Innovation award for redefining and democratizing cutting-edge healthcare for the digital century.
Receiving the Education award is Dr. Daniel Amen for elevating public awareness of the importance of brain health and putting personal SPECT scans on everyone’s radar. Dr. Amen has begun difficult discussions around the dangers of contact sports, as well as the impact of poor diet on cognitive health.
The Investment in the Future award goes to Aker BioMarine for strategically investing more than $550 million to build out the krill supply chain in the Antarctic with a long-term focus on sustainable harvesting.
A wide array of philanthropic endeavors earns Nature’s Path the Philanthropy award. The company has donated $150 thousand to community gardens, $1.6 million to environmental causes, $2.5 million to food banks and has recently started a new initiative with Whole Foods Market to fight poverty and empower women.
A courageous leadership endeavor by Life Time Fitness to banish overly processed and artificial food products from its cafés nationwide earns the company this year’s Management Achievement award.
Four companies are recognized for growth including: Plum Organics, for triple-digit growth in the competitive sector of baby and children’s foods; Reserveage, for multiple successful product introductions and triple-digit growth as the leader in resveratrol; Vega, for dramatic growth and leadership in the world of sports nutrition and for redefining the protein market toward plant-based formulations; and Next Pharmaceuticals, for dramatic growth with its Relora product.
For outstanding stock performance, Schiff Nutrition (now part of Reckitt Benckiser) is honored. Ten companies are recognized for the most significant nutrition industry deals of 2012, including: Pfizer’s acquisition of Alacer; Procter & Gamble’s purchase of New Chapter; Annie’s Homegrown’s IPO; Reckitt Benckiser’s acquisition of Schiff Nutrition on the heels of Schiff’s acquisition of Airborne; General Mills‘ purchase of Food Should Taste Good; Sprouts‘ merger with Sunflower; Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s IPO; Oak Hill’s acquisition of Earth Fare from Monitor Clipper; DSM’s purchases of Ocean Nutrition Canada and Fortitech; and Campbell Soup Company’s acquisition of Bolthouse Farms.
NBJ publisher Patrick Rea, along with editor-in-chief Marc Brush, will honor all award recipients at the NBJ Summit on July 25. The recipient of the 2012 Lifetime Achievement award will also be announced. Last year’s Lifetime Achievement recipients were Herbalife’s Gerry Holly and Metagenic’s Jeffrey Bland, Ph.D. Advance registration is essential as NBJ Summit sells out each year (register at: www.nbjsummit.com). View the complete list of award winners at: http://newhope360.com/news/2012-business-achievement-awards.
About Nutrition Business Journal
Through a portfolio of media products, including a monthly executive journal and in-depth research reports, Nutrition Business Journal, produced by New Hope Natural Media (a division of Penton Media), supplies authoritative data and analysis to leaders and decision makers in the nutrition business. NBJ also provides strategic consulting services to many of the top companies in the industry. To request a free issue or subscribe visit: www.newhope360.com/nbj.
About Penton Media Inc.
As a leading, independent, business-to-business media company, Penton knows business and how to create and disseminate the vital content that moves markets. Headquartered in New York City with approximately 1,100 employees across key locations throughout the world including New York, Ohio, Illinois, Kansas, Colorado and Hong Kong, Penton is where professionals turn to gain the critical insight, expert analysis and relevant connections needed to compete and succeed. Penton is a privately held company owned by MidOcean Partners and U.S. Equity Partners II, an investment fund sponsored by Wasserstein & Co., LP, and its co-investors. For more, visit: www.penton.com.
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