Reliv
Encyclopedia
Relìv International, Inc. or Relìv, is a worldwide marketer and manufacturer of nutritional supplements. The company is based near St. Louis in Chesterfield, Mo., and its products are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Austria, the Netherlands and Indonesia. Products are sold through a direct selling format, with a network of 60,740 distributors globally as of December 2010. Relìv has an 'A+' rating from the Better Business Bureau of the United States.
Relìv International, Inc. is the corporation that develops, manufactures and markets Relìv products. Relìv Independent Distributors are independent contractors of Relìv International, Inc.
The year 1993 was particularly eventful for Relìv International. The company became a publicly traded company on the American Stock Exchange
. (Three years later, the company moved trading to the NASDAQ
national market system under RELV.) Then, in the summer, the Great Flood of 1993 flooded the company’s headquarters and put a temporary halt to production. Later that year, Relìv opened in Mexico. Relìv was ranked number 3 of the “Top 100 International Companies” in International Business Magazine.
In 1995, Relìv opened in the United Kingdom
. Later that year, the Relìv Kalogris Foundation was established in honor of Dr. Theodore Kalogris, inventor of the first Relìv product, Classic.
The company broke ground on a $4 million headquarters expansion in 1997. It was completed in 1998 and enabled the company to increase office space and enhance the manufacturing facility as the company continued to grow.
Relìv Founder and CEO Robert Montgomery was recognized by Ernst and Young as the Missouri Entrepreneur of the Year in 2003. The following year, Relìv opened in Singapore and also completed a $1 million upgrade to its manufacturing plant and laboratories. That same year, BusinessWeek
magazine included Relìv International on its list of the “Top 100 Small Growth Companies” (also including Relìv to this list in 2005, 2006 and 2007).
In 2005, Relìv International ranked number 11 Forbes
Magazine’s “200 Best Small Companies” list and ranked number 14 in 2006. Relìv Germany opened in 2005, just as the company reached $1 billion in cumulative sales since its opening. The following year, Relìv expanded even further internationally by entering Austria and the Netherlands.
1. Bioavailability
- Relìv asserts that the powdered format of the nutritional shakes make it more easily capable of being absorbed by the body.
2. Synergism
- Relìv says that its balance of vitamins and minerals work together and enable each other to be more effective.
3. Optimal Nutrition- Relìv’s products include more than minimum daily requirements
of many vitamins and minerals.
4. Quality Ingredients- Relìv states that it complies with all requirements of the http://www.fda.gov/
, its products are manufactured following Good Manufacturing Practices and that all ingredients undergo manufacturing certified by the Therapeutic Drugs Administration.
with a multi-level marketing
plan.
Relìv International, Inc. is the corporation that develops, manufactures and markets Relìv products. Relìv Independent Distributors are independent contractors of Relìv International, Inc.
History
Relìv was founded in 1988 by Robert and Sandy Montgomery. The Montgomerys licensed a nutritional formula developed by Dr. Theodore Kalogris in the early 1980s. The formula, called Relìv Classic, became Relìv’s first product and was granted US Patent number 4,737,364 in 1988.1990s
In 1991, Relìv opened in Australia, its first foray into the international markets. A year later, in 1992, Relìv opened in New Zealand and Canada.The year 1993 was particularly eventful for Relìv International. The company became a publicly traded company on the American Stock Exchange
American Stock Exchange
NYSE Amex Equities, formerly known as the American Stock Exchange is an American stock exchange situated in New York. AMEX was a mutual organization, owned by its members. Until 1953, it was known as the New York Curb Exchange. On January 17, 2008, NYSE Euronext announced it would acquire the...
. (Three years later, the company moved trading to the NASDAQ
NASDAQ
The NASDAQ Stock Market, also known as the NASDAQ, is an American stock exchange. "NASDAQ" originally stood for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations". It is the second-largest stock exchange by market capitalization in the world, after the New York Stock Exchange. As of...
national market system under RELV.) Then, in the summer, the Great Flood of 1993 flooded the company’s headquarters and put a temporary halt to production. Later that year, Relìv opened in Mexico. Relìv was ranked number 3 of the “Top 100 International Companies” in International Business Magazine.
In 1995, Relìv opened in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Later that year, the Relìv Kalogris Foundation was established in honor of Dr. Theodore Kalogris, inventor of the first Relìv product, Classic.
The company broke ground on a $4 million headquarters expansion in 1997. It was completed in 1998 and enabled the company to increase office space and enhance the manufacturing facility as the company continued to grow.
2000s
An in-house research and development program was launched in 2000. That same year, Relìv opened in the Philippines. Two years later, Relìv Ireland opened.Relìv Founder and CEO Robert Montgomery was recognized by Ernst and Young as the Missouri Entrepreneur of the Year in 2003. The following year, Relìv opened in Singapore and also completed a $1 million upgrade to its manufacturing plant and laboratories. That same year, BusinessWeek
BusinessWeek
Bloomberg Businessweek, commonly and formerly known as BusinessWeek, is a weekly business magazine published by Bloomberg L.P. It is currently headquartered in New York City.- History :...
magazine included Relìv International on its list of the “Top 100 Small Growth Companies” (also including Relìv to this list in 2005, 2006 and 2007).
In 2005, Relìv International ranked number 11 Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
Magazine’s “200 Best Small Companies” list and ranked number 14 in 2006. Relìv Germany opened in 2005, just as the company reached $1 billion in cumulative sales since its opening. The following year, Relìv expanded even further internationally by entering Austria and the Netherlands.
Products
Relìv’s products encompass four product lines: Essential Nutrition (Nutritional shakes), Weight Loss (Simplicity meal replacement shakes and metabolism-boosting supplements), Targeted Solutions (Nutritional shakes targeting specific benefits such as digestive, joint, heart health, etc. and an energy drink called 24K), and Relìvables (skin care, soy milk, sunscreen, snack bars, and soy nuts).Science and nutrition
Relìv is a member of the Council for Responsible Nutrition which is the leading trade association for dietary supplement manufacturers and ingredient suppliers. Relìv states that the company bases its nutritional formulations on the latest in nutritional research, focusing on three areas of nutritional science: bioavalability, synergy and what the company refers to as “optimal” levels of nutrients or “the Relìv Difference”:1. Bioavailability
Bioavailability
In pharmacology, bioavailability is a subcategory of absorption and is used to describe the fraction of an administered dose of unchanged drug that reaches the systemic circulation, one of the principal pharmacokinetic properties of drugs. By definition, when a medication is administered...
- Relìv asserts that the powdered format of the nutritional shakes make it more easily capable of being absorbed by the body.
2. Synergism
Synergism
In theology, synergism is the position of those who hold that salvation involves some form of cooperation between divine grace and human freedom...
- Relìv says that its balance of vitamins and minerals work together and enable each other to be more effective.
3. Optimal Nutrition- Relìv’s products include more than minimum daily requirements
Reference Daily Intake
The Reference Daily Intake or Recommended Daily Intake is the daily intake level of a nutrient that is considered to be sufficient to meet the requirements of 97–98% of healthy individuals in every demographic in the United States .The RDI is used to determine the Daily Value of foods,...
of many vitamins and minerals.
4. Quality Ingredients- Relìv states that it complies with all requirements of the http://www.fda.gov/
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
, its products are manufactured following Good Manufacturing Practices and that all ingredients undergo manufacturing certified by the Therapeutic Drugs Administration.
Clinical studies
- A study published in Phytotherapy Research showed that GlucAffect significantly lowered blood glucose and body weight in 50 individual subjects who took it for 8 weeks.
- A study at the Northpoint Cancer Center in Dallas showed that a daily regimen of Relìv Classic and Innergize! may help relieve radiation-related fatigue in cancer patientsCancer-related fatigueCancer-related fatigue is a subjective symptom of fatigue that is experienced by nearly all cancer patients.Among patients receiving cancer treatment other than surgery, it is essentially universal. Fatigue is a normal and expected side effect from most forms of chemotherapy, radiation therapy,...
- A study published in the Journal of Complementary and Integrative Medicine showed that CardioSentials taken daily is effective in significantly reducing two risk factors for heart disease and stroke: elevated cholesterol and elevated glucose.
- A study showed that soy-based food supplements, NOW and Fibrestore taken twice daily were effective in the management of DyslipidemiaDyslipidemiaDyslipidemia or dyslipidaemia is an abnormal amount of lipids in the blood. In developed countries, most dyslipidemias are hyperlipidemias; that is, an elevation of lipids in the blood, often due to diet and lifestyle. The prolonged elevation of insulin levels can lead to dyslipidemia...
.
Marketing and distributor compensation
Relìv is a direct selling companyDirect selling
Direct selling is the marketing and selling of products directly to consumers away from a fixed retail location. Peddling is the oldest form of direct selling. Modern direct selling includes sales made through the party plan, one-on-one demonstrations, and other personal contact arrangements as...
with a multi-level marketing
Multi-level marketing
Multi-level marketing is a marketing strategy in which the sales force is compensated not only for sales they personally generate, but also for the sales of others they recruit, creating a downline of distributors and a hierarchy of multiple levels of compensation...
plan.