Photo: Kevin Guest, newly appointed CEO of USANA.
Co-CEO Dave Wentz is departing USANA Health Sciences (NYSE—USNA) after more than two decades with the nutrition company.
As Wentz steps down as a board member and Co-CEO, the man with whom he shared the office, Kevin Guest, will transition to CEO. In the company’s announcement, Wentz said he anticipates spending more time with family and continuing to be a voice for direct selling companies as Chairman of the Direct Selling Education Foundation.
“I am grateful for my long tenure with USANA and am proud of what we have accomplished over the past 24 years,” said Wentz. “USANA has always been, and will remain, a positive influence for so many lives, including my own, and I am confident in the company’s future under Kevin’s leadership.”
Wentz initially was named CEO in 2008, succeeding his father, Dr. Myron Wentz, who founded USANA in 1992. Having been a part of the family business since its inception, the younger Wentz had held a number of leadership roles within the company, among them president, executive vice president and senior vice president of strategic development. During his tenure as CEO, USANA has seen multiple years of record sales growth, including 2015, when revenue rose 16.2 percent to a record $918.5 million.
In August 2015, the company announced that CEO responsibilities would be divided, with Wentz heading global operations and Guest leading field development and sales. A year earlier, Guest had been named company president, following a stint as president of the Americas, Europe and South Pacific. He has been with USANA since 2003.
“In each role, Kevin has demonstrated sound leadership, integrity and judgment,” said Dr. Wentz, who now serves as Chairman of the Board, which earlier this month approved a two-for-one split of the company’s common stock. “Perhaps most importantly, Kevin has earned the trust, respect, and admiration of countless USANA Associates, customers and employees around the world as he has served them.”
Looking to the future, Guest expressed “complete confidence” in the leadership team the company has built in recent years. “Our team has talent and experience in each of the key leadership positions and is committed to USANA’s mission. As demonstrated by the board’s recent decision to split the stock, we are confident that the strategies we have in place will help USANA achieve its long-term growth potential.”
