Wellness is a journey.
It brings us energy.
It clarifies our sense of purpose.
It makes us whole.
For our Executive Team, greater wellness is also a lifelong passion. Discover their
unique perspectives on health, wealth and the pursuit of wellness. And learn how
they use their talents to better serve our Members and people everywhere who are
on their pathways to greater health and wellness.
Michael Ellison
CEO & Founder
"Wellness is having the energy and vitality to do the meaningful and important
things in your life,"
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 Michael, 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. To learn
more about Michael’s passion for helping others achieve greater wellness and his
personal insights on creating wealth, each Affiliate Member is given a free copy
of his book, 10 Keys for Creating Wealth and Wellness.
Don Kurtenbach
Chief Financial Officer
"Wellness is a way of life – it’s a journey and a process – and to succeed
at it, you need focus and commitment."
"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."
Marcus Ellison
Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing
"What’s important is that you are on a wellness journey of your own."
Marcus Ellison sees wellness as a journey – one that takes people to great places
and helps them to 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
"We can fulfill our ultimate purpose of serving our customers – which is
making their wellness journey a positive experience."
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 working out at the gym.
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 four operational departments at TriVita, including Manufacturing,
Inventory Management, Human Resources, and the Canadian Distribution Center.
Because these departments must interact and work together with all other TriVita
departments, 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 -- which is making their wellness
journey a positive experience."
Gene Henderson
Senior Vice President, Legal Affairs
"The 10 Essentials are my guidelines for being physically, emotionally
and spiritually balanced. They’re the checklist for a long, happy life."
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 allows TriVita to tell its story in exciting new
ways.
Gene also 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. In addition, he oversees all Affiliate
Members activities to make sure that Affiliate Members follow appropriate standards
of ethics, excellence, integrity and legal requirements.