![\"Jim](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NLWPAI4DXBBK3JJL2NANRAQIUY.png\")
Jim Emme, on May 1, 2014, after being names CEO of NOW Health Group ((NHG))<\/p>\nUpon receiving the award at the July 13 ceremony in Chicago hosted by NutraIngredients, Emme congratulated his fellow honorees, thanked colleagues and industry partners, and reflected on the values that continue to drive growth at NOW, one of the largest natural brands in North America.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it comes down to common sense, and it makes life a lot easier,\u201d Emme said. \u201cWe had a family member who once said that \u2018common sense is a gift, not a given\u2019, and we\u2019ve been blessed with the gift of common sense. That doesn\u2019t mean we\u2019re perfect at everything, but we try to deliver the right things at the right time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since 2018, the NutraIngredients NutraChamp award has honored individuals who have made a lasting, transformational impact on the nutrition and dietary supplement industry.<\/p>\n
At the helm of NOW<\/p>\n
When Emme walked through the doors of NOW in 1995 as plant manager, the company was already respected for its commitment to making high-quality natural foods and dietary supplements affordable and accessible to a broader public.<\/p>\n
Founded in 1968 by Elwood Richard in the Chicago area, today NOW manufactures thousands of products sold across more than 100 countries. It operates some of the industry\u2019s most sophisticated quality laboratories and has become one of its most vocal advocates for transparency through its testing of supplements sold through online marketplaces to identify products that fail potency or quality standards.<\/p>\n
Jim Emme, on May 1, 2014, after being names CEO of NOW Health Group ((NHG))<\/p>\n
Over the last 30 years, Emme has been the steady hand behind the scenes\u2014first overseeing operations, then serving as president and, since 2014, as chief executive officer. <\/p>\n
Colleagues describe his leadership as grounded in science, operational excellence and long-term thinking. Under his direction, the company has continued to prioritize product quality and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) compliance, ethical and transparent business practices, employee development, affordable pricing and the long-term perspective afforded by family ownership rather than short-term shareholder demands.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe at NOW have a culture of being honest and honorable in the way we do business, while managing risks in a measured way,\u201d Emme said. \u201cWe are not a product innovator, but we are very innovative in leading the way in setting the highest possible quality standards while keeping our products at a reasonable price. We also are not afraid of trying out many new ideas and are very agile in this approach.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Dan Richard, vice president of global sales and marketing at NOW and the youngest son of founder Elwood Richard, Emme\u2019s influence has been defined by hard work, versatility, personal connections and a deep dedication to the natural products industry rooted in strong personal values and professional purpose.<\/p>\n
\u201cJim has left his fingerprints all over our business, he is a very hands-on manager,\u201d Richard said. \u201cOur founder, my dad, was the same way. His fingers were in every detail of the business, so our business is used to that and likes when the CEO knows the who, why and where of what is going on.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"(From](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/CIDNOBKF7JHL5KFHUET7S4NJUQ.png\")
(From left to right) Dan Richard, Perry Worthen, Jim Estill, Elwood Richard, Lou Richard, Sharon Wong, Al Powers, Jim Emme (NHG)<\/p>\n
Over the years, Emme has been instrumental in NOW\u2019s global expansion efforts and in developing its operational resources and facilities in North America\u2014from growing manufacturing operations in Illinois and Nevada to strengthening operations at its Puresource subsidiary in Canada. All of NOW\u2019s buildings have been upgraded to sustainable energy and water conservation systems. <\/p>\n
Suzanne Shelton, founder of industry public relations firm The Shelton Group, highlighted Emme\u2019s investment in and advocacy for best practices.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving worked with NOW for nearly 30 years, I\u2019ve observed Jim\u2019s role in the company\u2019s impressive global growth, while also preserving the deep commitment to the health and well-being of our industry and consumers,\u201d she said. \u201cJim has overseen the significant expansion of the company\u2019s manufacturing capabilities, while ensuring that the environmental commitment essential for our industry\u2019s future was prioritized.\u201d<\/p>\n
NOW has partnered with charitable, environmental and industry-advocacy initiatives including Vitamin Angels to provide vital nutrients to at-risk populations, rePurpose Global for plastics recovery, The Conservation Foundation to promote environmental stewardship and Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation to advance education around nutrition, food quality and health.<\/p>\n
At the center of advocacy and industry<\/p>\n
Beyond leading the execution of strategy at NOW, Emme is active in the broader industry, advocating on Capitol Hill to protect the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) to ensure public access to responsibly produced supplements and championing industry through its various trade organizations and initiatives.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndustry-wise, he carries on the family\u2019s heritage of being deeply involved, and we\u2019ve been especially supportive of the NPA [Natural Products Association] because of the important role it plays in keeping our products legal and advocating for the protections our industry needs to continue serving consumers,\u201d Richard said, noting that Emme is regularly in Washington, D.C., meeting with members of Congress and White House officials. <\/p>\n
Much of Emme\u2019s formal advocacy has been conducted through NPA, whose board he joined in 2015 as member before being elected chairman beginning 2025. According to Dan Fabricant, president and CEO of NPA, Emme joined at a time of significant organizational upheaval and structural challenges and quickly became a steady presence, helping maintain stability through the transition. This is when Fabricant first learned of Emme\u2019s fondness for American basketball coaching great John Wooden\u2019s quote: \u201cWhat is right is more important than who is right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fabricant highlighted the NPA\u2019s achievements over the past decade, including defending consumer access to dietary supplements by opposing overly restrictive legislation, protecting key ingredients through litigation, securing tariff relief for major vitamins and advancing technical and regulatory expertise to support industry compliance. <\/p>\n
\u201cThose would not have happened without Jim and the other NPA leaders,\u201d he said. \u201cHe was literally only a board member for a few months and ran to the fight. There are not many who would take that on. Jim\u2019s level of breadth and depth on the industry and on NOW Foods commitment to quality is a gear few people have.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"(from](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/G3JHWN5SFZCM3GCJD67V5QNAYE.jpg\")
(from left to right) Jim Emme, Dan Fabricant, Nora Dowell, Hank Schultz, Andrea Benson and Adam Adelmann attending this year’s NPA Fly-in Day in Washington, D.C. (NutraIngredients)<\/p>\n
Mark Blumenthal, founder of the American Botanical Council, expressed gratitude for Emme and NOW\u2019s long-standing and far-reaching support of research, educational and sustainability initiatives in the natural products, dietary supplements and natural health community, including the council\u2019s non-profit work to advance the understanding and value herbs and herbal medicine.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the years, Jim\u2019s passionate commitment to research and education has made NOW Foods one of the largest supporters of the nonprofit research and educational mission, publications, and programs of the American Botanical Council,\u201d he said. \u201cOn a spiritual level, Jim\u2019s heart is bigger than his fairly robust physical size. He\u2019s one of the most generous, inclusive, approachable, forward-thinking and genuinely humble people I\u2019ve ever met in the entire herb and dietary supplement industry.\u201d<\/p>\n
His dedication and work ethic were shaped by his upbringing on his family\u2019s generational farm in East Central Indiana, where he excelled both as an honor student and high school athlete. He carried those values with him to Purdue University, earning a degree in food science and food chemistry, and into an internship with The Pillsbury Corporation, which ultimately led to a full-time position.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the things I had learned at Pillsbury was the importance of giving back to the communities in which we operated,\u201d Emme said. \u201cCommunity engagement efforts were authentic, and the company never expected anything in return, however being an important part of the communities we were in led to strong and lasting relationships with the communities and with the business partners we counted on to help us succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Loren Israelsen, founder and president of the United Natural Products Association, highlighted Emme\u2019s longstanding support for family- and employee-owned businesses, as well as the independent community health food stores, which have served as trusted sources of guidance, education and support for consumers for decades. NOW Foods itself began as a small health food store called Health House in 1962, growing into a regional chain under the Fruitful Yield banner which Emme also oversees as part of his many functions.<\/p>\n
\u201cJim is a champion of providing financial support for trade associations, non-profits and local community building,\u201d Israelsen said. \u201cHe is a champion of product testing and publishing the truth about certain products sold on Amazon as well as a steadfast champion of the defense of DSHEA. I could go on. In all respects, Jim is truly a Nutra Champion. My congratulations to you, Jim, with appreciation for all you have done and will continue to do to make our industry and the world a better place.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Upon receiving the award at the July 13 ceremony in Chicago hosted by NutraIngredients, Emme congratulated his fellow…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":574463,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[103,61,60,446],"class_list":["post-574462","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-nutrition"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/574462","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=574462"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/574462\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/574463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=574462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=574462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=574462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}