Brent Neidig named Utah CXO of the Year by Utah Business Magazine

USANA Chief Officer and Managing Director of China, Brent Neidig was named a Utah CXO of the Year by Utah Business Magazine for his strong business and community leadership along with his incredible work in growing and stabilizing USANA’s largest market.

Neidig was appointed as chief officer and managing director of China in May of 2019 after serving as Executive Vice President of China since 2017. During his time in these roles, he oversaw USANA’s Chinese subsidiary, BabyCare, as well as dramatically expanding USANA’s presence in China. As the youngest officer at USANA, Neidig provides insights and perspectives into younger demographic trends within the U.S. and China.

About USANA

USANA has over 25 years of experience in providing the highest quality nutritional products. Founded in 1992 by Dr. Myron Wentz, USANA is a company that values science-backed products, which is evident in the recognition from third-party assessors.

Most recently, CosumerLab.com honored USANA with a seal of approval for their Digestive Enzyme supplement, the fifth seal of approval received for USANA’s probiotic. The company has also received more than 100 states, national and international accolades, including Utah Best of State, Stevie Awards, Australian Business Awards, NutriSearch Editor’s Choice, and others.

Previous to establishing USANA, Dr. Wentz started his career as an internationally recognized microbiologist, immunologist, and pioneer in the development of human cell culture technology and infectious disease diagnoses.

His work previous to USANA was concentrated on the development of many of the world’s first FDA approved laboratory assays for viral diseases at his laboratory, Gull Laboratories. His intention in creating USANA was to broaden his focus from infectious diseases to chronic degenerative diseases and develop advanced nutritional products.

USANA Health Sciences started as a state-of-the-art facility manufacturing nutritional supplements and grew into a leader in the health and wellness industry, later inspiring the creation of the USANA Foundation. The USANA Foundation is a charity with a mission of helping those suffering from hunger and malnutrition.

USANA’s products

USANA’s products encompass a wide variety of nutritional needs, making it an easy and convenient one-stop-shop for anyone trying to focus on their health but unsure where to start.

USANA employs and relies on more than 60 scientists, including nutritional biochemists, molecular and cellular biologists, pharmacists, and sports science experts that research and develop products based on the latest nutritional scientific discoveries. They test, study, and continuously improve product lines using state-of-the-art technologies.

For example, USANA InCelligence Technology delivers key nutrients that speak to your cells’ language to support your body’s natural ability to respond to stress and promotes normal, healthy aging. USANA also utilizes hybrid technology in a state-of-the-art approach featuring bilayer tableting, which allows previously distinct products to be joined into a single formula.

Hybrid technology was used to develop Proflavanol® C100, a groundbreaking bioflavonoid and advanced vitamin C supplement designed to give your body advanced antioxidant protection and support a balanced immune system. There’s a lot to choose from, but their website has plenty of resources, including a product advisor quiz, that provides customers with assistance in evaluating their top health priorities.

USANA’s supplements support and maintain health and optimize each bodily system’s function. One example of this is the product line called CellSentials. CellSentials is a comprehensive daily multivitamin and mineral supplement.

Science shows that a majority of people’s health would benefit from adding some sort of nutritional supplement or vitamin to their daily routine. CellSentials makes it easy in that it is broad-spectrum and supplements any potential nutritional gaps a person might have in their current diet.

USANA also develops cutting edge products in skincare. USANA’s new Celavive skincare system won its second-ever Best of State award in the Personal Care Products category. Celavive makes it simple to find a skincare routine that works to nourish and protect a range of complexions.

USANA’s growth in the Chinese market

The company has been expanding growth into China for years now and the country has now become one of their most important markets. In 2016, USANA opened a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Beijing, China, through its subsidiary in mainland China, BabyCare, Ltd. BabyCare operates via two brands, nutritional supplements for mothers and infants and USANA supplements for adults.

The construction on the new facility began in 2014 after the company saw rapid growth in net sales. “There were many backorders and we wanted to increase the supply to satisfy the demands in China,” said Neidig, who at the time served as Vice President of China Strategic Development.

Neidig played a key role in navigating USANA’s relations with the Chinese government, which presented challenges that the company did not anticipate. Licensing presented a whole list of road bumps that the team did not anticipate, especially since the amount of licenses needed was double that which they expected. But alas, the team at USANA was able to navigate the process seamlessly and finally pursue its vision of growth in the Chinese market.

In fact, this vision of growth reached new heights in January of 2019 when the USANA-sponsored show, The Dr. Oz Show was picked up for distribution in China. USANA has been a Trusted Sponsorship Partner of the show since 2015 and has had a long-standing relationship with Dr. Mehmet Oz through his foundation, HealthCorps®. Aofei Media now distributes new episodes of the show in China with Chinese subtitles.

The 10-time Emmy award-winning show will help the Chinese audience find enjoyable paths to health by providing preventive medicine and care information. After the show was picked up for Chinese distribution, Dr. Oz completed a multi-day trip to China and was able to visit the USANA BabyCare headquarters.

Given the incredible amount of expansion the company has seen in its Chinese market over the past few years, it comes as no surprise that Neidig is being honored as Utah CXO of the Year. “Brent possesses qualities that make him a dynamic leader and outstanding member of the USANA family and leadership team,” says Jim Brown, president of USANA, president of USANA. “I am fortunate to work with him and witness the growth and success he’s achieved.”

Neidig’s exceptional leadership skills coupled with his versatile and adaptable range of expertise have guided USANA China to nearly double in growth. “I am honored to receive this award from Utah Business Magazine,” says Neidig. “Utah is filled with amazing chief-level executives, and to be included on this list is humbling and inspiring.

I am lucky to not only work with incredible people at USANA’s home office in Utah but also with the wonderful employees in Beijing and other USANA facilities. I wouldn’t be where I’m at today without the support of my loving family at home and my USANA family.”

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