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Editor’s Note: Nu Skin Enterprises held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its new global headquarters in Provo, Utah, in conjunction with its biannual global convention. They invited Direct Selling News along with press from Greater China, Korea and Southeast Asia. This report is our exclusive coverage of the events.
The Innovation Center
Original expansion plans for the Nu Skin offices only involved reimagining the space for a data center. But Nu Skin executives are fond of dreaming, and dreaming big. The end result is a stunningly beautiful modern building that is also environmentally friendly, achieving a LEED Silver certification upon opening. The team is planning to achieve Gold status next year.
On Wednesday, Oct. 23, Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board Steve Lund opened the ribbon-cutting ceremony by saying, “The Innovation Center may be a strange name for a business building, but innovation is central to success in this business. For 29 years we’ve been about reinventing ourselves and our product line.”
The “always innovating” mantra spoken at Nu Skin is clearly evident in the architecture and design of the new building. Sleek and modern, with clean lines, blond maple wood floors, crisp metal and glass accents, along with 26 tons of Virginia mist stone, the building also incorporates one material that’s constantly changing: the beautiful natural light that floods the place through the walls of glass.
“The Innovation Center may be a strange name for a business building, but innovation is central to success in this business. For 29 years we’ve been about reinventing ourselves and our product line.”
—Steve Lund, Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board, Nu Skin
In addition to innovation, executives at Nu Skin often speak of their commitment to Provo, Utah, and the surrounding community, where they have been located since the company founding in 1984. This commitment was literally carved in stone during the design phase of this building. The atrium—a beautiful open space between two walls of glass—is open to the public as a pass-through for downtown shoppers and pedestrians. With leather couches, a mesmerizing fountain and a spectacular view of the Wasatch Mountains, the atrium could become a tourist destination all its own.
Furthering the commitment to the community, the building houses a restaurant open to the public—The Spoon—named in honor of the founding days of Nu Skin, when samples of the products would be “spooned” out to distributors who brought their own containers. The menu features a healthy approach to eating and is based on the principles woven into Nu Skin’s anti-aging products.
 The new center is outfitted with five research labs.
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The company is also committed to providing its employees with a great place to work. When the executives realized they had several thousand square feet for future expansion of the data center, they decided that while waiting for its future to arrive, they’d turn the space into a top-notch gym facility. The building also houses eight installations of original art throughout for employees to enjoy. Outside, the grounds feature an acre of open green space, gardens and extensive landscaping.
As Lund opened the ribbon-cutting ceremony, he was standing in front of one of the most impressive features of the Innovation Center—a piece of innovation itself—one of the largest HD screens in the world, installed at the west end of the building. Containing over 3 million pixels, the screen not only projects large images, but it is also interactive—live texts and tweets can stream across it. A video camera has been set up so consultants all over the world can watch the board and their team members’ “hopes, dreams and aspirations” flying across it.
Also attending the ribbon cutting and speaking to the audience was Mayor of Provo John Curtis, Governor of Utah Gary Herbert, and U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (Utah). Each spoke about the impact that Nu Skin has had on the local and state economy, noting that this global convention alone would bring more than $14 million to the Provo and Salt Lake City economies. Mayor Curtis called Nu Skin a “key stakeholder” in Provo.
Nu Skin executives say that the heart of the Innovation Center is the cluster of world-class research labs—five in total—that look out over the atrium from the second floor. Outfitted with best-in-class materials and equipment, these labs cover 22,000 square feet and are where Nu Skin scientists will perform over 70,000 testing procedures. These scientists will also be researching and developing the future Nu Skin anti-aging products.
 Enjoying the view through the glass wall, a Nu Skin employee runs on the treadmill. |
 Nu Skin executive staff and board members pose in front of the Innovation Center. |
 Over 15,000 people attended the biannual global conference in Salt Lake City. |
The Global Conference
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Nu Skin anticipated more than 15,000 people coming to Salt Lake City to attend the conference. Many individuals came from Japan, Korea, Europe, Greater China and Southeast Asia. The attendance marked this convention as the largest from a Utah-based company.
President and CEO Truman Hunt addressed the record-breaking crowd with the good news that company officials expect fourth quarter 2013 to be their first $1 billion quarter. The company is growing in all markets, most notably in Greater China, though results in South Asia and in the Americas also rose significantly over the same period last year.
During the conference, Hunt reiterated that Nu Skin focuses on renewing itself—by opening new markets, by refining business processes and by “continually renewing the vibrancy of the opportunity.”
During his presentation, Hunt encouraged the sales leaders in the audience by acknowledging their achievements. He said, “It takes tremendously hard work and great sacrifice to be successful in this business. The leaders who are recognized on the wall [at the Innovation Center] and the many others who will join them set their goals and went to work.” There are 762 names on the wall, and plenty of room for more.
