People in Brief
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
Baruch jumps to Schiff from Coca-Cola for chief commercial officer role; Perrigo adds Larson for supply chain security; Revo Biolabs’ Balbert retires again; researcher Bushnell leads NCCAM’s new pain program; USANA hires Smidt as R&D VP; Vega ambassadors head to Olympics.
Baruch jumps to Schiff from Coca-Cola
Salt Lake City-based Schiff Nutrition International Inc. July 2 appoints Richard Baruch Jr. to the new position of senior VP and chief commercial officer. Baruch most recently was VP of category advisory services at the Coca‐Cola Co., and previously was president and chief operating officer of laundry detergent firm Cot’n Wash Inc. Baruch also worked for 14 years at the[Clorox Co.] in various leadership roles, including VP and general manager of the home care business. Schiff CEO Tarang Amin also is a veteran of Clorox (Also see "People In Brief" - Pink Sheet, 28 Feb, 2011.).
Perrigo adds Larson for supply chain security
Bringing a compliance background to deal with terrorism threats, Sandra Larson joins Perrigo Co. PLCJuly 9 as international logistics compliance analyst. She will lead the Allegan, Mich.-based private labeler’s work to achieve and maintain Customs and Trade Partnership against Terrorism certification, a key supply chain security program led by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Larson has 21 years’ experience in her field, the past seven implementing supply chain security programs and certifications for firms in the U.S., Canada, Europe and the Caribbean, and is a member of the Overseas Security Advisory Council. Her most recent job was in global supply chain security at footwear maker Wolverine World Wide Inc.
Sandra Larson
Photo courtesy of Perrigo
Revo’s Balbert retires again
Dietary supplement industry veteran Elliott Balbert retires for the second time after briefly leading Revo Biolabs, a start-up focused on the U.S. market with plans for segment and geographic expansion. Balbert said in a July 9 email it was time to get out of day-to-day operations, adding that Revo’s founder and chairman George Hage agreed that he had accomplished their targets after helping the firm launch in 2011. Balbert founded and led Natrol LLCfor almost three decades before departing the supplement firm in 2007 and going into semi-retirement (Also see "Supplement Start-Up Revo Biolabs Has Holistic Health, Global Growth In Mind" - Pink Sheet, 26 Sep, 2011.). Revo markets weight loss and bone health supplements for women 35 years and older, as well as Tbolt energy shots and virility supplement for men 18 to 34.
Elliott Balbert
Photo courtesy of Revo Biolabs
Researcher leads NCCAM’s new pain program
Catherine Bushnell, an internationally recognized pain and neuroscience researcher, has been appointed scientific director of a new research program focusing on the role of the brain in perceiving, modifying and managing pain at the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Bushnell comes to the National Institutes of Health center from McGill University in Montreal, where she was the Harold Griffith Professor of Anesthesia and a professor in dentistry and neurology, according to a July 12 release. She also directed McGill’s Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain from 2003 to 2009. Bushnell holds a doctorate in experimental psychology from American University and began her scientific career in 1976 at NIH’s National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, then known as the National Institute of Dental Research.
USANA hires Smidt as R&D VP
Industry veteran and product developer Carsten Smidt is appointed VP of research and developmentat USANA Health Sciences Inc. He joins the Salt Lake City firm from [Shaklee Corp.], where he was chief science officer, and also helped develop more than half of the portfolio at Pharmanex Inc., where he worked for more than 10 years. From 1990 to 1995, Smidt was a senior scientist at Mead Johnson Nutrition Co., where he worked on developing the energy drink Boost. He has a doctorate in nutritional science and physiological chemistry from the University of California, Davis, USANA said July 2.
Vega ambassadors head to Olympics
Vega, maker of plant-based, natural health and performance products, celebrates the participation of three Vega “ambassadors” in the upcoming London Olympic Games. Tri-athlete Simon Whitfield, windsurfer Bob Willis and marathon runner Dylan Wykes all are endorsed by Vega (formerly Sequel Naturals), the firm said June 27. Willis, the youngest Olympian windsurfer since 1988, said he uses Vega products for maintaining a lean frame in the weight-sensitive sport. Vega’s formulator, Brendan Brazier, Ironman champion and performance nutrition author, supports the hard work and dedication of his fellow Vega ambassadors. “I’m excited that more and more elite athletes are incorporating plant-based, whole foods into their training routines,” he said.