New Hope Network Celebrates Hall of Legends at Natural Products Expo West
Legends are individuals at the center of stories about change—"influencers who change the way we do what we do with enduring impact," say New Hope Network officials.
January 1, 2018
New Hope Network honored the industry's greatest contributors in its Hall of Legends ceremony on March at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, Calif. Legends are individuals at the center of stories about change—"influencers who change the way we do what we do with enduring impact," say New Hope Network officials.
New Hope Network honored 12 individuals who have devoted significant portions of their lives making this industry what it is today. Inductees represented various parts of the industry, ranging from natural retail to beauty to farming.
The 12 individuals include:
Aubrey Hampton founder of Aubrey Organics, a natural and organic cosmetics and personal care company. Aubrey passed away in 2011, but his important legacy continues, say officials.
Greg Leonard, who has over 40 years of leadership experience in the natural products industry, serving much of that time as a senior executive for Tree of Life.
Dr. Muhammed Majeed, founder of both Sabinsa Corporation and Sami Labs.
James A. May and Carol May. James is founder and CEO of Wisdom Natural Brands, while Carol serves as president of the company. Wisdom Natural Brands the parent company of SweetLeaf Stevia products.
Joar Opheim, CEO and founder of California-based Nordic Naturals.
Bob Quinn, founder of Montana Flour & Grains, which introduced the natural food industry to an ancient wheat obtained from Egypt called khorasan.
Mark Retzloff, co-founder and chairman of Alfalfa’s, a Boulder, Colo.-based natural foods stores. He also co-founded Aurora Organic Dairy.
Drake Sadler, co-founder of Traditional Medicinals.
Debra Stark, the founder and co-owner (with her son, Adam Stark) of Debra’s Natural Gourmet, a natural product store in West Concord, Mass., which opened in 1989.
Brenda Watson, founder of the digestive supplement based company Renew Life Formulas, and co-founder of Vital Planet Pets.
Bill Weiland, founder, president and CEO of Presence Marketing/Dynamic Presence.
Information about the 2016 Hall of Legends inductees can be found on New Hope's website.