Thank you all so very much for being here tonight.
I have truly agonized over how to show my appreciation to all the people who have supported me, believed in me, hired me, & put up with me over the past 47 years.
There are self-made people and then there are what I would call “people-made people.” I fall into this second category, because I would not be here tonight before you without all the people who have brought so much to my life.
Leaders
I worked for some amazing leaders in this industry – many of them pioneers, original visionaries and risk-takers.
They all had the same mission: helping people live a healthy lifestyle. David Chapman, the founder of Purity Life, was fond of reminding us regularly during my time with Purity: “We make a difference in people’s lives’’.
What I’ve seen
I have seen most of the current natural health categories and brands launch.
I’ve also seen many Brands and businesses rise and fall however…there is one I would like to tell you about…the one product that stands out above the rest, launched when I was first hired at Flora in 1986 as rep out of Winnipeg.
This was when Siegfried Guersche, founder Alive magazine, the magazine which built the industry in the early years, inspired Udo Erasmus to write the book Fats and Oils together.
They introduced OMEGA 3s to the North American market. It was the first Omega 3 product – Flora Flax Oil. They were supported each step of the way by Flora’s owner, Thomas Greither, who supplied the original oil press machine. Thomas perfected the best way to produce flaxseed oil. He was an innovator and pioneer in the production of commercial high-quality organic plant-based oils, allowing them to retain the integrity of the essential fatty acids.
There were no OMEGA 3s prior to mid-80’s. Currently, Omega 3 is a top-selling supplement in Canada and the world.
Industry trivia:
While travelling with Udo on his first road trip throughout Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta as he did trainings to retailers, consumer and local media. The support person who booked the hotel room, food, media and itineraries was Lorna Vanderhaeghe.
Retailers
I have met so many amazing retailers on my travels coast to coast the past 35 years, most were women. They taught me that caring is the strongest of all-natural medicines!
We could fill volumes with countless testimonials of people living healthier more vibrant lives once they were introduced to a natural lifestyle. We all know there is no “one-diet-or- supplement-regime-fits-all – Every person has different needs. And it’s the people in the health stores who are the ones to guide each individual’s path to good health. They have always taken the time to care, listen, understand, and suggest products that safely prevent most chronic health conditions.
The independent retailers have been servicing Canadian communities safely, with life-changing results since I came into the industry. This should never change!
What has changed in retail, mind you, is when I was first in retail I do not recall any Type 2 Diabetics, the rare Gluten Intolerance, Autism, ADHD, while environmental disorders were just starting to be diagnosed…
Experts
I have worked with many industry experts who travelled across Canada on a regular basis educating store staff, consumers and media while laying the foundation for the current $149B natural product industry.
These people worked their butts off, they often flew in late……6am media – all day store visits – 7PM lecture – last book signed 10pm – next day repeat…
Thank you, Udo, Elaine, Natasha, Sam, Lorna, Brad, Dr. Jensen, Dr. Whitaker, Dr. Cass, Mike Dean, Dr. Marita, Dr. Kate, Julie, Dr. Rona, Dr. Jen & my good friend 95 years old Dr. Ken Gifford Jones Walker.
And thank you to the many more here in the audience, who work to help raise awareness of the benefits of natural safe foods and medicine, as sold in health foods stores. Thank you for what you do!
CO-WORKERS
I have to recognize the people I worked with during my days at Flora, Purity and Preferred Nutrition. Over half my career was spent working in these dynamic, innovative, trend-setting companies.
We had so much fun, we had so much freedom to create, as no one had done it before. We had some crazy success! Crazy…so much fun, exhilarating, and risky for the owners…
The people made the companies look good. I could never say enough. The teamwork of production, order entry, purchasing, Finance to out the warehouse doors was continually improving through the efforts of hard-working dedicated people & loyal people.
I’ve been very fortunate with the sales and marketing teams I’ve worked with, led by outstanding marketing managers Shelagh/Flora, Kathleen/Purity and Lynn Zions/Preferred. Can’t say enough. I was so lucky!
To natural health PR pioneers, Beth Potter and Shelley Armstrong, thank you for booking the media for many of the experts for over 20 years. This media attention had a major impact on the sales of NHPs across Canada. Through their efforts working with media, they filled many halls across the county: some examples – 850 in Ottawa, 700 in Windsor, 450 in Prince Albert, 450 in Charlottetown and similar in many more communities from coast to coast.
I am so happy I have this moment to recognize these unsung heroes as they drove new consumers and sales to the stores for all our benefit… I have worked with many fine sales managers. However, the one who I would like to acknowledge tonight is Deb Larocque. Not so much for being a good sales manager, though she is very gifted, no I’d like to recognize Deb for teaching me about the importance of culture in the workplace, Though I always recognized team spirit and working well together created the best results, Deb, showed me how culture is the invisible glue that holds a company together and is based on the integrity of everyone in the business. Of everything I’ve learned, this should be held most sacred above all else. I wished I had learned it earlier…
I could be up here all-night recognizing people but I will try and be brief… Kirby, Linda, Rheece, Rhonda, Bill & Lou, thank you for helping me start Preferred Nutrition, my most recent adventure in business. Heidi, Denise and entire Preferred team and Nancy Cheeseman…thanks for the memories…
Thank you, Mike Hobson, from Natural Factors for 45 years friendship and support along with Maureen Goldsmith while building Preferred.
Thank you, to my brother Dwight for loaning me $3,000 so I could buy my first store back in 1975. The store owner was having a bad day and sold me half his store (for $6,000!)
Thank you to Bruce Reid from the Vitamin Shop, here tonight with his wife Jennica and son Jonn , to Alice Chung from Alive Health Centers, we sure go back a ways, and Jason Sebeslav here with his mother Anjie Wirth who founded the Peanut Mill in St Catherines, for being here tonight. Each have supported, mentored and bought a lot of product from me since we first met in the mid-80s. And here you are decades later, still successful leaders of your own businesses, as well leaders within the entire Canadian NHP industry. Thank you!
Thank you to my long-time friend Amber Davies, who worked with me at Flora, and to my understanding, was the first female sales rep in the country. We’ve been friends for over 40 years. My heart always enjoys your company.
Thank you to Roland Gahler, the founder of Natural Factors, for being my first friend in the industry. Roland and I met in 1975 when I owned my first store. At the time, he was a sales rep for his Father’s company. Roland gave me my first sales and marketing tips when I was a new retailer. I guess he taught me well because now I am doing what he did for me all those years ago: travelling the country an Ambassador for Natural Factors & Assured, giving sales and marketing tips. Thank you Roland for your friendship throughout my career!
Thank you to my daughter Alexandra who is here tonight with her boyfriend Dion and to her Mom Brenda and my son Sean for their love, support and patience as they followed me across Canada on my next business challenge.
We could have just stayed in North Vancouver, Flora was treating me very well…North Van was pretty sweet…But if I hadn’t have gone, I would have missed the most amazing journey.
My son told me he had no interest in the health food business so now he is in Hazleton BC working with his aunt Rhonda and Mom Brenda run their local health store…
Thank you to Sandra my honey who along with her wonderful daughters Paige and Mackenzie & her Mom have welcomed me into their family, so I am loved, pampered, kept healthy and made sure to be presentable before coming on stage tonight.
To CHFA a big thank you for allowing me this moment in the spotlight for a career that gave purpose and meaning to an ordinary life. Thanks Helen, for 20 years of dedication to the CHFA cause! & Thank you, Bruce, for helping edit my speech, the friendship, travelling companion and kick in pants encouragement to begin writing in your magazine and training stores, it is something I truly love to do and have you to thank for giving me purpose!
Love for Industry
My love for the natural lifestyle began in 1973 when I realized what I ate could influence my thoughts, feelings, actions, behavior and even the outcome of my life.
On that topic, I have to tell you this one little story In the early 80s, I started a mail-order business with a friend. I drove across Canada selling vitamins & building a mailing list at big exhibitions, Red River Days, Buffalo Days, Klondike Days, Calgary Stampede, CNE and PNE.
I must have asked thousands and thousands of people, “hey do you take vitamins? are you a vitamin user?”’.
One day I was working the Victoria Home Show, which was very slow, verrrry….
The booth next to me was manned by a biker gang, doing tattoos. We played cards with the bikers during slow times…they were great guys.
One evening, a woman came to ask me what I was doing, probably feeling sorry for me.
I began to tell her about the benefits of hi dose vitamins.
She shared a sad story: she told me her husband had been sent home to die due to his heart condition. She wandered away, but returned a few minutes with her husband. I showed him the suggested program for heart disease in the book by Paavo Airolas ‘How to Get Well.’ It was the Prescription for Nutritional Healing of it’s day.
Anyway, he bought some supplements, took the book and was on his way. Five years later, I was working as a rep for Nationwide, which was founded by Aaron and Rattana Stephens.
During a sales call in West End Vancouver, at one of my all-time favorite stores, Garden Health, I was waiting to speak with the manager, when suddenly, a man came up to me and put his arms around me and gave me a huge hug.
I had no idea who he was and since I was in the West End, I thought he had taken a liking to me.
He took a step back, looked up at me and said “You do not remember me! You saved my life!” I looked again and realized:
It was the man from the Victoria home show who had been sent home to die.
Think of this for a minute: by stopping by my booth in Victoria – during one of my failed business ventures – I was able to help guide him to a healthy lifestyle, so he could regain his life when he was given up for dead. That had a real effect on me and showed me that even though the business failed, its purpose succeeded.
I have been so blessed to have a career that surrounded me with people whose sole intention was making a difference in people’s lives with clean, safe, effective foods and medicines.
People just like each one of you.
We are all blessed to work in a business where what we do makes a positive difference in the health of the plants, all creatures, people and the Planet.
What a wonderful business we find ourselves in…truly!
He also has an 18,000 square foot warehouse with a 4,000 square foot organic food processing facility and 400 Rainbow Acres products. He also does private label productions for other stores, including Cheryl Hughes and The Whole Wheatery in Lancaster, California. We spoke with Howard for the Natural Health Movement Project.
Nicole Klimek is the Director of Design for Seven Roots in California. We talked with her about her interest in the Natural Health industry and about our project.
This is why she agreed to join our Advisory Board.
Cheryl Hughes, Founder of The Whole Wheatery Lancaster, California.
So recently I learned about this cool Web site called The NaturalHealthMovement.org.
And it’s really kind of a pilot program that’s going to explode on the marketplace because we’re going to trace the roots of some of these amazing people.
And I’ve only listed a few.
But let me tell you I’ve got a list a mile long of the people that have made changes and influence the American palate through the history of just my life. And I only have a short life compared to the history of this movement. And so this is actually a document meet those people continue some of the work that’s been done in the early days like Once Upon a Slingshot.
That’s actually the history of the natural products industry followed by a book called The Natural Prophets which talks about some of these people talks about the co-ops talks about the macrobiotic movement talks about the East Coast and the West Coast how products developed and how transportation to deliver these products from the East Coast to the West Coast made the whole industry explode. About the people that created these products in the early days about the co-ops that supported them. It’s just gonna be an incredible thing for you to watch.
