USANA Products was founded by an immunologist and microbiologist Myron Wentz. It is based in West Valley City, Utah.
USANA products encompass three product lines: USANA Nutritionals (Essentials, Optimizers, and Digestion/Detox nutritional supplements), USANA Diet & Energy (RESET meal replacement shakes, protein bars, and Rev3 energy drinks), and Sensé personal care (Usana skin care, Usana skin care treatment, and hair & body care products). USANA manufactures 90% of its products in-house, including all of its tableted nutritional supplements and Usana skin care products.
As with any nutritional supplement company no health claims can be made. USANA products claim the supplements are of a better quality than store bought. Other experts dispute this.
Usana Products sells its supplements through multilevel marketing: distributors recruit other distributors. Face-to -ace recruiting is the norm. As with any MLM company the Usana products are not available through retail channels, but instead can only be obtained through one of its independent distributors The company has approximately 228,000 associates and 77,000 “preferred customers” in its worldwide distribution network. The company states that, as of 2010, its products are marketed in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, Mexico, Malaysia, The Philippines, and China.
This method of marketing is reflected in lack of success for many newcomers. The company’s significant turnover in distributors makes it necessary to continually recruit.
From 2004 to 2006, USANA Products was named on Forbes “200 Best Small Companies” list. In 2007, USANA was not included on Forbes’ 200 Best Small Companies” list, and an article in the magazine quoted industry and government experts who had raised questions about USANA’s business practices and products USANA responded by issuing a press release denying that the company had breached a $40 million loan agreement with Bank of America. Also USANA faced repeated controversy after several of its executives were discovered to have made false statements regarding their qualifications.
Despite negative press the company continues to grow. The Usana skin care product has been a great product. On January 3, 2011, USANA completed the transfer of its common stock from the NASDAQ to the New York Stock Exchange.
3838 Parkway Blvd, Salt Lake City, UT 84120-6336
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