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Awards
Annual Awards Program
Each year the Natural Products Association honors dedicated individuals who have made significant contributions benefiting the natural products industry. At the Natural Products Association's annual trade show and convention, members gather to salute those dedicated individuals who have contributed so much to the association and the industry. Award recipients are honored during the Natural Products Association’s annual trade show and convention. 2008 winners are featured below.
Natural Products Association's 2008 Award Recipients
The Natural Products Association is proud to announce the 2008 recipients of the association’s annual awards presented to outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions in various areas of the natural products industry. Recipients will be honored at the Natural Products Association’s annual trade show and convention, MarketPlace 2008, July 17-19 in Las Vegas, Nev.
Burton Kallman Scientific Award
Harry H.S. Fong, Ph.D.
The Burton Kallman Scientific Award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding scientific contributions that have benefited the natural products industry.
Harry H.S. Fong, Ph.D. is professor emeritus of Pharmacognosy in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago. His major research interests are in the search for antitumor, cancer chemopreventive, anti-malarial, anti-HIV and anti-TB agents from plants and herbal medicine. His currently serves as project leader or co-project leader in projects on drug discovery from higher plants. In herbal medicine research, he is supported on program project and center grants funded by NIH. Much of his work focuses on quality assurance and quality control, safety and clinical efficacy of natural products and herbal medicine, including his work with the American Botanical Council’s Ginseng Evaluation Program. He is also involved with issues concerning the standardization of botanical dietary supplements and traditional herbal medicines; of monographing medicinal plants; and of evidence-based traditional herbal medicine. Fong is the author and co-author of more than 255 original research papers, several book chapters and review articles and is co-editor of a book series on Chinese medicine as well as a contributor to World Health Organization monographs and guidelines on medicinal plants. He has served as a consultant to a number of herbal medicine and dietary supplements companies and is founder and president of NatProPharm Services, Ltd, a natural products pharmaceuticals research and development and consulting services company.
President's Award
Rand Skolnick
Natural Products Association’s President’s Award was created to recognize an individual who has made long-time contributions to the natural products industry, or has made a one-time, uniquely significant impact on the industry. This year’s recipient is Rand Skolnick, president and CEO worldwide of Solgar Vitamin and Herb, headquartered in Leonia, New Jersey.
Skolnick is the third son to Allen and Connie Skolnick, long-time pioneers of the dietary supplement and natural products industry. Skolnick holds a degree from Emory University in Biochemistry, and learned the industry from the ground up, helping his father in all aspects of the business, from packing orders and loading trucks, to making major decisions in the board room. He is credited with bringing Solgar, as well as the development and understanding of the importance of dietary supplements, to more than 50 countries worldwide.
Since assuming the CEO position at Solgar in 2005, Skolnick worked to redirect the distribution of Solgar products back to having a product presence only in the specialty marketplace of the natural foods industry. The support and belief that he has in the independent specialty market is extremely apparent. He is consistently quoted as saying "A specialty market can only exist with specialty products exclusive to that market.”
Rachel Carson Environmental Award
Robert F. Fox, Jr., AIA
The Rachel Carson Environmental Award honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the protection of the environment. The winner for 2008 is Bob Fox, a partner at Cook+Fox Architects in New York City, one of the city’s most highly respected leaders in the green building movement.
An advisor to Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability, Fox has been honored with many awards, including a Leadership Award from the U.S. Green Building Council, the New York City Council’s inaugural “Big Green Apple” Award, and the Urban Visionary Award from the Cooper Union. A founding partner of Fox and Fowle Architects, Fox guided that firm to a position of national leadership in the design of sustainable high-rise buildings, including the influential 4 Times Square/Condé Nast Headquarters. Fox led the team that created the original “Green Guidelines” for the Battery Park City Authority in Lower Manhattan, which will eventually result in 5 million square feet of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold level rated buildings.
In 2003, Bob Fox joined with Richard Cook to form Cook+Fox Architects, a firm devoted to creating beautiful, environmentally responsible high-performance buildings. In the summer of 2006, Fox joined Cook and Bill Browning to form Terrapin Bright Green LLC, a strategic consulting firm that crafts high-performance environmental strategies for large-scale developments, corporations, and governments.
Currently, Fox serves on numerous boards and advisory committees and speaks widely about green building. He was the founding chair of the U.S. Green Building Council/NY Chapter. Fox received a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cornell University and a Master of Architecture from Harvard University. He and his wife Gloria live in New York City and the Hudson River Valley.
Statesman/Stateswoman Award
(formerly the Lifetime Achievement Award)
The Statesman/Stateswoman Award is given to individuals outside the natural products industry who have been an ally to the natural products industry in the political and legislative arena. The winner for 2008 will be announced at a later date.
Natural Products Association Industry Champion Award
(formerly Crusader Award)
The newly renamed Natural Products Association Industry Champion Award recognizes individuals who have made notable contributions to the natural products industry above and beyond commercial success. Recipients of the 2008 Natural Products Association Industry Champion Awards are Gene Clark, Terry Lemerond, Neil E. Levin, and Judy Lindberg McFarland.
Gene Clark, C.N.
Gene Clark, founder and owner of Gene’s Health Food, Inc., in Owensboro, Kentucky, was inspired to look at health differently after reading Paul Bragg’s book “Golden Keys to Internal Fitness.” In 1980, Clark bought a small health food store and began his association with the National Nutritional Foods Association (now the Natural Products Association). He has served several terms on his regional association’s board of directors. Clark’s shares his philosophy of “your health is your wealth” on community television with his show “It’s Your Health” and on a weekly radio show. He lectures locally and sponsors health seminars. Clark credits his wife Nancy, his staff at the store, and his active involvement in the Natural Products Association for his success.
Terry Lemerond
Terry Lemerond has been both a supplier and a retailer in the natural products industry, beginning his career in the industry over 30 years ago as a health food retailer with his store, Bay Natural Foods in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Mid-American Health Organization (MAHO) chose him as retailer of the year in 1979. In 1980, Lemerond started Enzymatic Therapy, Inc., a dietary supplement manufacturer, one of the first supplement manufacturers to adopt good manufacturing processes. After selling Enzymatic Therapy in 2000, Lemerond founded EuroPharma in 2002, with a focus on matching European supplement ingredients with North American partners. Additionally, in October 2006, Lemerond and his wife Debra opened a gourmet health food store, Terry Naturally, in Green Bay. Aside from his informational Web site and speaking engagements, Lemerond has written two books: “Seven Keys to Vibrant Health” and “Seven Keys to Unlimited Personal Achievement.”
Neil E. Levin, CCN, DANLA
Neil Levin is the nutrition education manager and a product formulator for NOW Foods, a natural food and dietary supplement manufacturer in Bloomingdale, Illinois. Levin is the president of
Nutrition for Optimal Health Association, Inc., a not-for-profit nutrition education corporation, and serves on the board of directors of the Mid-American Health Organization (MAHO), the Midwest regional affiliate of the National Products Association. He is also a member of the Non-GMO Project’s Technical Advisory Board. Levin has been published in scientific journals like Annals of Internal Medicine, British Medical Journal, and Journal of Applied Nutrition, and has been featured on many radio interviews and television news reports.
Judy Lindberg McFarland
Judy Lindberg McFarland was exposed to the natural products industry early on; her parents founded Lindberg Nutrition Service in Los Angeles in 1949. McFarland’s family now owns Lindberg Nutrition in Torrance, Calif., and Nutrition Express, a mail-order catalog company. Her book, "Aging Without Growing Old", first published in 1997, was revised and updated in 2000 and 2003. During the last 20 years, McFarland has appeared on numerous television programs including “Live with Regis,” and "The 700 Club." McFarland received an award in 1996 from the Natural Products Association West regional association (formerly NNFA-West) recognizing her contributions to the industry. She has served on the board of her regional association, and the board of directors of the Natural Products Association. Aside from her lectures and writing, McFarland offers free nutritional counseling at her store, and provides telephone counseling on a nationwide hotline for her customers.
Natural Products Association Clinician Award
The Natural Products Association Clinician Award was created to honor licensed healthcare practitioners whose work exemplifies the best standards and dedication to responsible holistic, non-invasive and integrative/complementary/ alternative medicine modalities. This year’s recipients are Aaron E. Katz, M.D., Derrick Lonsdale, M.D., and Jay Udani, M.D., CPI.
Aaron E. Katz, M.D
Aaron E. Katz, M.D. is the director for the Center for Holistic Urology in New York City and an associate professor of Clinical Urology at Columbia University. Katz developed the RT-PCR (Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction) test to detect small numbers of prostate cancer cells in the blood. Katz’s work with the Center for Holistic Urology focuses on exploring the relationship of science, natural products, and treatments. The Center conducts pre-clinical and clinical research trials, and is dedicated to exploring complementary and alternative healing practices. Author of "Dr. Katz's Guide to Prostate Health," Katz also hosts a radio program called "Men's Health Talk," heard in New York City.
Derrick Lonsdale, M.D.
Derrick Lonsdale, M.D., a graduate of the University of London, England, headed the section of Biochemical Genetics within the Department of Pediatrics at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. With a background and experience in the rare biochemical disorders known as the inborn errors of metabolism, Lonsdale studied how nutrition affects the body’s biochemistry, and in 1982, joined Preventive Medicine Group to specialize in nutrient-based therapy. Lonsdale interprets laboratory test results to guide patients toward lifestyle changes that lead to health and well-being. He also studied the problem of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and how genetic predisposition is negatively impacted by stresses in the environment, vaccines and antibiotic abuse. Lonsdale has written more than 100 papers, mostly dealing with aspects of therapeutic nutritional supplementation. He also authored the book “Why I Left Orthodox Medicine: Healing for the 21st Century.”
Jay Udani, M.D., C.P.I.
Jay Udani, M.D. is the CEO and medical director of Medicus Research, a clinical trial contract research organization. Udani is also the medical director of the Integrative Medicine Program at Northridge Hospital Medical Center, Northridge, Calif., and assistant clinical professor at the UCLA / Geffen School of Medicine, where he is on faculty at the UCLA Collaborative Centers for Integrative Medicine. Udani has run dozens of clinical trials and published more than 30 book chapters and articles in medical journals. Udani is also the recipient of the American Medical Association’s National Achievement Award and the Harvard Medical School Pinkney Fellowship in Orthopedic Research.
Socially Responsible Retailer Award
The Socially Responsible Retailer Award recognizes Natural Products Association member companies that excel in integrating social responsibility in multiple aspects of their businesses including volunteerism, education, employee empowerment, environment and health. This year’s recipients are Good Foods Grocery in Richmond, Virginia, LifeSource Natural Foods in Salem, Oregon, and Marlene’s Market and Deli in Federal Way, Washington.
Good Foods Grocery in Richmond, Virginia Donnie Caffrey, Owner
Founded in 1985 in Richmond, Virginia, Good Foods Grocery comprises two stores in the city, dedicated to supporting their customers through quality service and a wide selection of natural products. A staff of about 45 employees includes some who have been with the store since its opening. Good Foods Grocery stores often donate a percentage of a day’s sales to Richmond-area non-profit organizations, and sponsors Community Giving days, when customers can designate contributions at the register. Customers use their Good Foods Grocery Advantage Card Club for discounts in the stores, and with local practitioners, wellness coaches, and neighboring businesses. The stores serve as educational centers, offering free or low-cost seminars, workshops, and health clinics on many health issues.
LifeSource Natural Foods, Salem, Oregon, Alex Beamer, Owner
LifeSource Natural Foods is a retail store located in Salem, Oregon, with a focus on supporting its customers’ healthy lifestyles and environmental consciousness. The store specializes in organic foods and locally produced products, with a 100-percent organic produce department, products for people with special dietary needs, and a vegetarian deli. The store has more than 50 employees. Since opening in 1994, LifeSource Natural Foods has been proactive on issues of sustainability -- the store meets 100 percent of its electrical load with clean wind power through Portland General Electric. The stores follow what they call a “humanistic approach” with employees, striving to pay its employees a livable wage and encouraging a work/life balance.
Marlene's Market & Deli, Federal Way and Tacoma, Washington, Marlene Beadle, Owner
On April 1, 1976, Marlene Beadle opened Federal Way Health Foods, with an eye toward providing a source for information about alternative forms of healing and natural products. The business soon expanded and was renamed Marlene’s Market & Deli. A second store later opened in Tacoma. Marlene's Market & Deli strives to provide a large and varied inventory of natural products and organic produce. With a total staff of about 100, the stores are known in the community to be stable work environments, supporting employee education and work skill development. Community education is a focus of the stores, and customers enjoy free health and cooking lectures and
workshops, and other educational events, as well as the store’s free monthly newsletters.
Natural MarketPlace 2008, the Natural Products Association’s 71st annual trade show and convention, will take place July 17-19, at the world-class Sands Expo and Convention Center and The Venetian Resort Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. Please visit www.naturalproductsassoc.org/tradeshow for more information.
Photographs available at www.naturalproductsassoc.org/2008awardsgallery |
