Embattled nutrition company Herbalife brought a delegation of its independent members to Washington, D.C., this week for face-to-face meetings with members of Congress.
The Los Angeles-based company has made numerous headlines amid its three-year tussle with Bill Ackman, whose Pershing Square hedge fund is short $1 billion in Herbalife, based on Ackman’s belief that the company is using deceptive business practices. A couple of years ago, in an effort to tell its own story, Herbalife began flying in members from across the U.S. to share their personal Herbalife experiences with representatives in Congress.
“We appreciate the time our Herbalife members have taken to make their voices heard in Washington, D.C.,” said Ibi Fleming, Senior Vice President and Managing Director for Herbalife’s North American region. “Herbalife is proud of the positive impact we have in the lives of our members and their customers around the world.”
This year, members traveled from 12 states—including California, where Herbalife has 100,000-plus members, and Texas, where the total exceeds 79,000—to take part in meetings on Capitol Hill. In all, the company has more than 550,000 independent members across the U.S. Herbalife logged annual sales of $880 million in North America, its second-largest region behind Asia Pacific.
