NOW Founder Elwood Richard’s high standards for quality and science-based products are key guideposts for our company today. We believe in the ethos of Honesty, Integrity, and Respect in all we do as a company.

—Jim Emme

 

Jim Emme Smiling Headshot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AtNOW®, our leadership tenets are focused on six key operating areas: Strive for Greatness, Training for World Class Leadership Skills, Great Communication, Authenticity and Accountability, Transparency, and Results. Each leader throughout the organization learns these tenets, and is trained on why they are important and how they support the ongoing success of our business. We are a science-based, information-driven company. This, combined with our Core Values, helps us to be adaptive and agile in our decision making.

Company Differentiators

Because NOW is privately owned by the Richard family, who believe in founder Elwood Richard’s founding mission, we can make decisions based upon long-term thinking, rather than short-term return on investment to shareholders. This is a significant difference from other major brands. This support for doing the right thing allowed NOW to plan, equip, and staff the most sophisticated and comprehensive in-house testing lab in the industry. NOW is and always has been a value brand, because Elwood Richard believed cost should not be a barrier to seeking to support health. NOW products are high-quality, yet affordable.

Committed to Excellence

For nine consecutive years, NOW has been an annual recipient of recognition from the National Association for Business Resources® (NABR) as one of the Best & Brightest Companies to Work For in the Nation. This competition identifies and honors organizations that display a commitment to excellence in operations and employee enrichment that led to increased productivity and financial performance. The national winning companies were assessed by an independent research firm, which reviewed a number of key measures relative to other nationally recognized winners. This national program celebrates those companies that are making better business, creating richer lives, and building a stronger community.

We have long focused upon implementing sustainability practices in our company because it is the right thing to do. We do our best to build in improved environmental practices in all aspects of our products. We are not perfect, yet we try to continuously improve the environmental impact of our activities. Continuous improvement in support of sustainable practices is also good business. It’s common sense that reducing waste of any type almost always reduces operating costs. This is quite important for a company that is striving to produce high-quality products at a fair price for consumers.

In 2020, NOW took over naming rights to the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, near our headquarters. As part of this 15-year agreement, the NOW Arena will continue to be a resource for the local community to enjoy family-friendly entertainment, high school graduations, concerts, and sporting events, while also providing them with opportunities to learn more about healthy products they can feel good about.

What’s New at NOW

NOW has grown steadily over the decades. We expanded from one manufacturing facility in Bloomingdale, Illinois, to three, with facilities in Sparks, Nevada and Ontario, Canada. We are about to open a fourth state-of-the-art manufacturing site, right next door to our Bloomingdale facility. This will help us meet increased demand, and position us well for continued growth.

We also just launched our first-ever fully-integrated national brand campaign. The new campaign emphasizes that NOW is the brand that provides high-quality supplements, but without a premium price tag. The multi-million-dollar effort, launched in April, will continue throughout the year. “Feel Good Spending Less” messages will appear in magazines such asWomen’s HealthandReal Simple, on over-the-top TV, digital out-of-home and displays, and streaming audio.

Aha MomentsNOW logo

Our Founder, Elwood Richard, once said that his key “aha” moment was when he realized he couldn’t successfully lead his growing company all by himself. He learned to hire qualified talent that could meet the business needs of the company, while making sure that these new staff additions could fill those company needs for years in the future. His high standards for quality and science-based products are key guideposts for our company today. We believe in the ethos of Honesty, Integrity, and Respect in all we do as a company.

Wise Words

The natural products industry is positioned to help consumers meet their nutritional goals and support their desires for healthier lifestyles. Consumers need to have access to safe and clear choices in the products they choose to consume, and we as an industry have a major responsibility to continue to earn the trust of the consumers we support each and every day. This is simple if we as companies commit to doing the right things for the right reasons, while supporting our customers.

All About NOW

NOW is the largest independent, family-owned natural products manufacturer in the U.S. health food store channel. Founded by Elwood Richard in 1968, it is still owned by the Richard family today. They remain dedicated to its original mission to provide value in products and services that empower people to lead healthier lives. Since 2014, NOW Health Group has been led by CEO Jim Emme.

Company Highlights NOW Arena

NOW founder Elwood Richard believed that high-quality health products should be affordable for everyone, a core ideal that the Richard family has adhered to in shaping company policies for over 50 years.

NOW’s wide range of products includes dietary supplements, herbs, pet supplements, personal care, essential oils, sports nutrition, sweeteners, and natural foods.

NOW operates a cutting-edge manufacturing facility and a separate distribution facility in Bloomingdale, Illinois, a manufacturing and distribution center in Sparks, Nevada, and a manufacturing facility in Ontario, Canada. The in-house labs and testing capabilities are second to none.

NOW’s quality processes are confirmed by multiple third-party quality and purity certifications. All NOW Solutions personal care products are UL® (Underwriters Laboratories) ISO 22716:2007 certified for production and quality control of cosmetic products. The products are made at both the Bloomingdale, Illinois and Sparks, Nevada facilities. ISO 22716 is an internationally recognized standard with requirements for the production, control, storage, and shipment of cosmetic products. NOW Solutions products and essential oils are also certified cruelty-free through the PETA Beauty Without Bunnies program. NOW was one of the first to receive UL certification for its dietary supplement manufacturing process in 2015, which has been renewed each year following an annual surveillance audit.

Most NOW Sports products undergo third-party certification through Informed-Sport, a globally recognized assurance program that certifies that every batch of a supplement bearing the Informed-Sport logo has been tested for banned substances by a world-class sports anti-doping lab.

The NOW Pets line of pet supplements carries the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC) quality seal.

The brand’s goal is for 100% of its products to contain only non-GMO ingredients. The entire food line is GMO-free, with the majority Non-GMO Project Verified. All of NOW’s essential oils are Non-GMO Project Verified. Most of NOW supplements are Non-GMO Assured, NOW’s active process for characterizing non-GMO products, defined by stringent NOW quality standards, using documentation and testing. NOW also offers 1100+ certified kosher products, hundreds of certified organic products, and 700+ Halal-certified products.

NOW has received many awards for its products, business growth, employee programs, and philanthropic and environmental initiatives. In 2021, NOW was honored by NBJ and several other industry organizations for a program of strategically testing products bought on Amazon that revealed serious quality problems with supplements offered by unknown brands. It continues the program in 2022, with a recent investigation finding serious, persistent discrepancies in CoQ10 and Quercetin supplements bought on Amazon. It’s all part of NOW’s commitment to promoting quality and integrity in supplements available to consumers.