NPA Honors America's Champions for Natural Products

Award Winners to be Honored at Natural Products Association MarketPlace, June 23-25 in Las Vegas

WASHINGTON, March 22, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Natural Products Association (NPA) announces the winners of the 18th annual NPA Awards for their achievements and support of NPA and the natural products industry. The NPA Awards will be held during Natural Products Association MarketPlace, NPA's annual trade show and convention, June 23-25 in Las Vegas. For more information, visit www.npainfo.org/awards.

"The NPA Awards celebrate people and companies who inspire us with their accomplishments and innovation, as well as their support of the natural products industry in America," said John Gay, NPA executive director and CEO. "NPA is proud to honor these award winners, and we hope they serve as an inspiration to others."

The awards for 2011 will be presented to:

• President's Award: David Seckman, McLean, Va. Seckman, who previously served as NPA's executive director and CEO, earned this award for his longtime contributions to the natural products industry.

During his time at NPA, Seckman worked tirelessly as a spokesman for the industry, testifying frequently at congressional hearings and cultivating relationships with members of Congress and federal officials in key regulatory agencies. Under his leadership, NPA launched the NPA Natural Standard for Personal Care Products quality assurance program and moved the main NPA office to Washington, D.C., giving NPA a better advocacy position in the nation's capital.

• Burton Kallman Scientific Award: Anthony L. Almada, M.Sc., Laguna Niguel, Calif. Almada earned this award for making outstanding contributions that have benefited the natural products industry.

Almada has worked within the dietary supplement industry since 1975. He is the co-founder and past president of Experimental and Applied Sciences (EAS), as well as the founder and chief scientific officer of IMAGINutrition, Inc. He is also the co-founder and CEO of GENr8, Inc., and is the co-founder and CEO of Fein Innovations, LLC. He is the co-author of more than 25 peer reviewed original research publications.

• Rachel Carson Environmental Award: Paul T. Anastas, Ph.D., New Haven, Conn. Anastas earned this award for making outstanding contributions to the protection of the environment.

Anastas is assistant administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Research and Development (ORD) and the agency's science advisor. He is known widely as the "Father of Green Chemistry" for his groundbreaking research on the design, manufacture, and use of minimally-toxic, environmentally-friendly chemicals. He has published 10 books on the subjects of sustainability, green chemistry, and green engineering, including his seminal work with co-author John Warner, Green Chemistry: Theory and Practice.

• Industry Champion Awards: Frank J. Lampe, Washington, D.C.; Howard B. Schiffer, Santa Barbara, Calif.; Debra Short, Shawnee, Okla.; and Marc S. Ullman, New York, N.Y. They each earned this award for making notable contributions to the natural products industry above and beyond commercial success.

Frank J. Lampe has given more than 22 years of service to healthy-living media. He is recognized as a pioneer in the U.S. "lifestyles of health and sustainability" (LOHAS) market, where he helped identify and quantify the marketplace and oversaw the first research on the LOHAS consumer. In 2000, Natural Business Communications, which he co-founded, launched the groundbreaking LOHAS Journal. Since then, he has served as editor of Natural Foods Merchandiser, editorial director at New Hope Natural Media, and executive vice president of InnoVision Health Media. He is the director of communications at the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA).

Howard B. Schiffer is well known in the natural foods marketplace for developing quality products and turning them into best sellers through innovative marketing and promotions. In 1994, he founded Vitamin Angels, which has distributed more than 100 million vitamins and other supplements in the past three years alone to people in need in 40 countries. Schiffer has received numerous awards for his philanthropic work.

Debra Short is the co-owner of House of Health, a small natural products retail chain with three stores in Shawnee and Ada, Okla. She has been active in the natural products industry for nearly 35 years. Short served on NPA's national board for several years before being elected president to a two-year term in 2007. She is a long-time champion for small, independent retailers in the natural products industry.

Marc S. Ullman is widely recognized as one of the natural product industry's legal authorities and an ardent supporter of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). He is the chair of the Legal Advisory Counsel of the Natural Products Foundation (NPF). His practice represents clients on a variety of issues related to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) compliance, including the scope of the agency's powers under DSHEA. He also advises clients on health claims concerning diseases, FDA's new dietary ingredient (NDI) process, and generally recognized as safe (GRAS) status.

• Clinician Awards: James B. LaValle, R.Ph., C.C.N., M.S., Cincinnati, Ohio; and Michael R. Lyon M.D., Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada. They both earned this award as licensed healthcare practitioners whose work exemplifies the best standards and dedication to responsible holistic, non-invasive and integrative/complementary/alternative medicine modalities.

James B. LaValle is an educator, clinician, and industry consultant with more than 20 years of clinical practice experience in the field of natural and integrative therapeutics and functional metabolism. He is the founder of the LaValle Metabolic Institute, which is one of the first programs to incorporate natural therapeutics with a comprehensive interdisciplinary approach. He is also the founder of Integrative Health Resources, Inc. LaValle holds several academic posts and served as a founding board member for the Dietary Supplement Information Bureau.

Michael R. Lyon is a practicing physician and medical researcher with expertise in both allopathic and natural medicine. One of the foremost authorities in the science behind complementary medicine, Lyon is medical and research director of the Canadian Center for Functional Medicine. He has conducted several clinical trials and research projects in the pursuit of better treatments for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Lyon is the author of Healing the Hyperactive Brain through the New Science of Functional Medicine and The Prevention and Treatment of Diabetes with Natural Medicine.

• Socially Responsible Retailer Award: Community Foods Co-op, Bellingham, Wash. Community Foods Coop earned this award as an NPA member company that excels in integrating social responsibility in multiple aspects of their business, including volunteerism, education, employee empowerment, environment, and health.

Community Foods Co-op, established in 1970, has expanded several times, including the opening of a second store in 2009. The co-op is dedicated to serving the community by offering classes, sponsoring events, and making donations to organizations that assist the public. A portion of its budget is earmarked for a wide variety of charitable causes. While the co-op is sustained by its members, it strives to support and build the community through meaningful connections with those who live and work in the areas where the stores are located.

For more information about Natural Products Association MarketPlace, visit www.NPAMarketPlace.com.

Natural Products Association

The Natural Products Association (NPA), founded in 1936, is the largest and oldest nonprofit organization dedicated to the natural products industry. NPA represents over 1,900 members accounting for more than 10,000 retailers, manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors of natural products, including foods, dietary supplements, and health/beauty aids. As the leading voice of the natural products industry, the NPA's mission is to advocate for the rights of consumers to have access to products that will maintain and improve their health, and for the rights of retailers and suppliers to sell these products. Visit www.NPAInfo.org.

Find NPA on Facebook: Natural Products Association and The Natural Seal

Follow NPA on Twitter: NPA National, NPA Natural Seal and NPA California

Follow NPA on LinkedIn and join the Natural Products Foundation Group

SOURCE Natural Products Association