BOULDER, CO--(Marketwired - Jan 15, 2014) - The nutrition industry's most noteworthy business leaders of 2013 have been announced in Nutrition Business Journal's (NBJ) annual Business Achievement Awards issue. Recipients of the NBJ Business Achievement Awards will be honored during the 17th annual NBJ Summit, July 22-25, at the St. Regis Hotel Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, Calif.
As the premier publication for the nutrition, natural, organic, dietary supplement and integrative medicine industries, NBJ recognizes the industry's most noteworthy leaders through its annual Business Achievement Awards. These are individuals and companies who are committed to advancing the audience of healthy, educated consumers and fostering a business atmosphere that encourages sustainability and better nutrition.
For efforts on behalf of the industry, Corinne Shindelar, CEO of Independent Natural Foods Retailers Association (INFRA), is commended for her commitment to bringing advocacy and success to independent natural retail stores in an increasingly competitive landscape.
Noah Wilson-Rich, founder of Best Bees wins the Sustainability award for a unique approach to saving the bee population by managing beehives for amateur apiarists in unlikely urban environments. The Organic Excellence award goes to Three Twins Ice Cream for its commitment to sourcing local, organic and delicious ice cream flavors and for promoting fair-trade practices within the category.
A remarkable turnaround resulting in double-digit growth and the launch of two new doctor-formulated brands by direct-to-consumer company, Healthy Directions, wins the Management Achievement award. The Innovation award goes to DianaPlantSciences for leading the industry in advanced biosciences and innovations in hydroponics and plant cell cultures to produce sustainable food products.
American Botanical Council receives the Education award for its longstanding commitment to impart knowledge and awareness of the herbs and botanicals industry through its HerbalGram publication, and for its recent series of in-depth reports on ingredient adulteration.
The Investment in the Future award goes to Thorne Research for striving for the highest common denominator in good manufacturing practices and ingredient purity as well as a series of recent partnerships and deals positioning the company for success in a world of personalized medicine. Medicus Research receives the Science award for raising the bar for science in supplements by designing pharmaceutical-level clinical trials that make sense and are well suited for the unique demands of the natural products industry.
4Life earns the Philanthropy award for its global shelter and education efforts, along with its program to provide 3 million donated meals to combat hunger in 10 countries across the globe.
Three companies are recognized for growth including: Alkemist Labs, for above-average, consistent growth in developing rigorous testing standards in the supplements category; Navitas Naturals, for steady, above-average growth in establishing and expanding the organic superfoods movement into 30 countries; and Boulder Brands, for strategic moves that added $460 million in sales with a 45 percent growth year-over-year, as the company boosts its natural products profile with acquisitions including Udi's, Glutino and Evol Foods.
Sprouts Farmers Market receives the Stock Award for the most successful initial public offering in recent history. NBJ's top Deals of the Year include: WhiteWave's acquisition of Earthbound Farm for $600 million, VMG Partners investment in Justin's, Campbell's acquisition of Plum Organics, Danone's controlling stake in Happy Family, Nestlé Health Science's acquisition of Pamlab, BASF's acquisition of Pronova BioPharma, Post's acquisition of both Dymatize and Premier Nutrition, Omega Protein's acquisition of Wisconsin Specialty Protein, New Seasons' acquisition of New Leaf, Enzymotec's successful IPO and the announced acquisition of Atrium Innovations by Permira Advisers for upwards of $1 billion.
NBJ editor-in-chief Marc Brush will honor award recipients at the NBJ Summit, where the recipient of the 2013 Lifetime Achievement award will also be revealed. Advance registration is crucial as NBJ Summit sells out each year (www.nbjsummit.com). View winners at: http://newhope360.com/business/winners-2013-nbj-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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