About TriVita

History of TriVita

Founded in 1999, TriVita is a privately held formulator and provider of natural dietary supplements for people seeking superior quality products that deliver a true wellness experience.

Our Name

The name TriVita (try veeta), was inspired by our belief in the three (Tri) essential parts of human life (Vita): physical, emotional and spiritual. Our name is an expression of the passion and commitment we have to our mission and vision of sharing wellness around the world.

Our Mission

At TriVita, our mission is to inspire people to experience wellness and to create wealth for their life purposes.
Experiencing wellness is at the forefront of our mission, but we also believe that having the necessary resources to fulfill your life’s purposes is equally essential for complete wellness. At TriVita we have a saying: the mission is in the bottle. Our commitment to advancing our mission lies inside the premium line of natural dietary supplements we produce and formulate. Our products have become a trusted and loyal brand for people who want the best to help them with their wellness needs.
Product satisfaction and brand trust create an income opportunity for people who want to help cover the cost of their products, and in many cases, earn additional income. Our Affiliate Member community is made up of people who simply share the products from the belief inspired by their own wellness experience, while other Affiliate Members find TriVita to be a resource for supplemental income. For many, this income opportunity allows them to be a part of something they can feel good about doing, and allows them to create the financial resources and wellness they need to help fulfill their life’s purposes.
Learn more about the Affiliate Opportunity »
10 Essentials for Wellness
We developed a simple but profound wellness program to help anyone achieve greater wellness regardless of their current state of wellness. Our premium natural products will boost your well-being and put you on the pathway to a healthier life, but they’re just the beginning. Our 10 Essentials for Health and Wellness will help you maximize your wellness journey – and make your life whole.
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Executive Team
Wellness is also a lifelong passion for our Executive Team. Discover their unique perspectives on health, wealth and the pursuit of wellness – as well as how they use their talents to better serve TriVita customers and help people everywhere on their pathways to wellness.

 + Michael Ellison, CEO & Founder

TriVita CEO & Founder Michael Ellison has a mission. He wants to help people everywhere to experience wellness – and to create wealth for their life purposes. “Wellness is having the energy and vitality to do the meaningful and important things in your life,” he says. “To have daily positive emotions of love, forgiveness, gratitude and acceptance and to feel connected to God and His purposes for your life. Wealth is having the abundant resources to fulfill those meaningful and important purposes.”
For Ellison, this mission became crystal clear when he experienced a personal health crisis at the age of 50. As he recovered and found his way back to health, he became determined to share his message of wellness and wealth with others. This led to his founding of TriVita in 1999, where he now leads the company’s ongoing pursuit of wellness and teaches others how to build wealth to fulfill their life purposes.
Helping people live healthier, more joyful lives continues to be Michael’s purpose and he brings this passion to the table in day-to-day operations at TriVita, as well as at annual events such as the company’s Galaxy of Stars awards gala. You can read Michael’s monthly blog to learn more about his passion for helping others achieve greater wellness and his personal insights on creating wealth.
Read Michael's Blog »

 + Marcus Ellison, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing

Marcus Ellison sees wellness as a journey – one that takes people to great places and helps them reach amazing personal goals. “For one person, wellness could mean losing 150 pounds. For another, it could be about setting a new triathlon time. What’s important is that you are on a wellness journey of your own,” he says. “For me personally, as the father of three children, it’s about providing a quality future for my family.”
As Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing for TriVita, Marcus is responsible for the development of the company’s nutraceutical products, strategic brand direction and consistent presentation of TriVita brands across all channels of distribution, including TV, radio, catalog, web, magazine, events and Affiliate Member sales. “It’s amazing how starved people are for accurate information on our products,” he says. “And this fuels my passion for sharing wellness.”
Marcus also serves as a member of TriVita’s Senior Executive team, where his role is to carry out the mission, vision and business development initiatives set by the company. To help plan, project and execute the desired key initiatives, Marcus works to create an environment where people feel appreciated and respected, but also challenged to perform at their highest level. “Creating a high performance ‘Superbowl’ team is what it’s all about,” he says. “Because without great people, there is no great company.”

 + Jim Dudleston, Senior Vice President, Operations

Jim Dudleston believes that wellness takes discipline. “You have to be committed to a healthy lifestyle and invest in it every day, in order to reach your full mental, physical, emotional, social and spiritual potential.” As a devoted TriVita customer, Jim practices what he preaches. His daily nutritional supplement regimen includes seven TriVita products and his active lifestyle includes regular games of tennis and gym workouts.
As Senior Vice President of Operations, Jim relishes the energy that wellness gives him. His primary responsibility is to support TriVita’s sales and marketing initiatives and to ensure that various systems and processes within the company run efficiently. He’s responsible for five operational departments at TriVita, including Manufacturing, Inventory Management, Human Resources, Information Technology and the Canadian Distribution Center.
Because these departments must all interact and work together, Jim highly values teamwork and collaboration. “We must collaborate in order to run the company effectively,” he says. “That way, we can fulfill our ultimate purpose of serving our customers – and making their wellness journey a positive experience.”

 + Don Kurtenbach, Chief Financial Officer

“Wellness is a way of life,” says Don Kurtenbach. “It’s a journey and a process and to succeed at it, you need focus and commitment.” To fulfill his own wellness journey, Don eats properly, exercises regularly and educates himself about healthy living. He also takes TriVita nutritional supplements to help stabilize the effects of aging and stress. “These practices give me the energy and stamina necessary to balance my personal life with my TriVita career.”
As Chief Financial Officer, Don provides the ethical financial foundation that supports the mission and vision of TriVita. He’s responsible for implementing and monitoring internal financial controls, directing the corporate budget and forecasting to meet financial goals.
Don oversees TriVita’s capital-raising strategy to support corporate expansion. He’s also responsible for managing financial risk to ensure economic value for TriVita stockholders. “With the current regulatory and economic environment, the role of the CFO is becoming increasingly complex. It requires constant flexibility in the face of change,” says Don. “And it’s a challenge I look forward to each day.”

 + Gene Henderson, Senior Vice President, Legal Affairs

Gene Henderson has battled cancer, had two knees replaced and had a stint in his heart. But by following TriVita’s 10 Essentials for Health and Wellness, he’s found a way to stay strong through it all and to live well every day. “Wellness is a way of life,” he says. “And the 10 Essentials are my guidelines for being physically, emotionally and spiritually balanced. They’re the checklist for a long, happy life.”
As Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs, Gene’s foremost responsibility is to ensure that the company and its Affiliate Members are secure for the long term. To do this, he oversees a Legal and Compliance team that monitors all of the company’s marketing materials. He especially loves the challenges and opportunities of electronic marketing and new media, which allow TriVita to tell its story in exciting new ways.
Gene ensures that TriVita adheres to professional standards and adequately represents product benefits while conforming to FDA, FCC and FTC requirements – as well as standards set by the Executive Team. Additionally, he oversees all Affiliate Member activities to make sure that they follow appropriate standards of ethics, excellence, integrity and legal requirements.
Health and Wellness Professionals
Working with leading health professionals and an all-star Medical Advisory Board, we ensure that our products are formulated with the highest quality ingredients, backed by the latest scientific developments and tested against the most up-to-date standards.

Healthcare Professionals

 + Brazos Minshew, Chief Science Officer

For Brazos Minshew, wellness starts with a simple human truth: We all have physical, emotional and spiritual needs that must be met if we are to be healthy. But that’s just the beginning. We must also have a sense of purpose. “In order to have a reason for wellness, we must claim our purpose – and work to fulfill it.”
As Chief Science Officer, Brazos shines a spotlight on the natural remedies that can make us physically, emotionally and spiritually whole, so that we have the energy to seize our destiny – and live a life of meaning and purpose. He uses his medical science education and extensive naturopathy experience to analyze society’s most pressing health problems and to seek out solutions in nature. “Everything we need for physical wellness is found in the plants that nourish us,” he says.
One of Brazos’ greatest accomplishments has been working with TriVita to find a natural solution to North America’s inflammation epidemic. “There are native people living among us who do not experience the diseases associated with inflammation,” says Brazos. “My responsibility and great pleasure has been to find out what they eat that reduces inflammation and how it improves their quality of life.” With the discovery of the health benefits of Nopal cactus and the development of Nopalea, Brazos has fulfilled at least one of his personal destinies. He’s helping people everywhere to live healthier lives – and to thrive.

 + Scott Conard, M.D.

Dr. Conard’s passion is to help people live longer and better lives. A national expert on disease prevention, he is reaching out to the many Americans who are worried about their health, are concerned about their weight and are frustrated because prior diets and exercise plans have fallen short. He believes going to a health care provider should be an entertaining and educational “wow” experience.
The most rewarding part of Dr. Conard’s job is helping people improve the quality of their life by discovering for themselves improved health. He is an advocate for empowering people to take control of their health. Dr. Conard genuinely believes in his patients and is dedicated to sharing concepts that will change their lives.
Dr. Conard is the founder of the TienaHealth Medical Group and along with maintaining his private practice there, he is the Medical Affairs Director of MedicalEdge Healthcare Group, Inc.

Medical Advisory Board

 + Samuel N. Grief, M.D., C.C.F.P., F.C.F.P.

Dr. Grief’s main specialties are obesity management, nutrition, diabetes and dermatology. He is Board Certified in Family Medicine and works at the University of Illinois/Chicago in its Department of Family Medicine. He has authored research studies in a variety of professional publications.
Dr. Grief has also done extensive work with homocysteine management and antioxidants and has appeared on television and radio programs discussing health issues and preventive measures.
He studied at McGill University in Montreal (Quebec, Canada) and holds professional associations with the American Board of Family Practice, American Medical Association, Society of Teachers of Family Physicians, American Academy of Family Physicians and the College of Family Physicians of Canada, among others.

 + Tammy Pon, M.D.

Dr. Pon works with patients to enhance their health through whole food supplementation, nutraceuticals and homeopathy. She is a Functional Medicine Physician at Designer Health Concepts, P.A. in Dallas, Texas.
Dr. Pon has been a practicing physician for over 12 years, working with patients of all ages. She was named Doctor of Medicine by the University of Texas Medical School/Houston and is Board Certified in Family Medicine.
Her studies have been published in Plasmid and the American Academy of Family Physicians Home Study Self-Assessment Program. Plus, Dr. Pon has lectured on topics such as the use of alternative medicine for menopausal patients and teaching children to develop lifelong healthy eating habits.
Products
Today, more than ever, people are looking for high quality supplements they can trust to help them achieve and maintain optimal health and wellness. TriVita’s line of premium products are formulated using the latest science and advanced technologies to ensure maximum absorption of the most bio-available ingredients.
Discover Nopalea,
TriVita’s new anti-inflammatory wellness drink »