Winner: Nutrition Now Inc.
Martin Rifkin and Kate Jones, founders
Developed first-ever gummy vitamin bottling equipment
Twelve years ago, taking vitamins meant crunching on chewable tablets or swallowing pills. Today, with the innovations of Vancouver-based Nutrition Now Inc., it can mean eating gummy bears.
Producing pills and tablets since 1985, founders Martin Rifkin and Kate Jones sought new ways to help kids take their vitamins. They chose gummy bears in 1997 not because of research, Jones said, but because they were popular.
"If we would have done market research back then we probably wouldn't have gone into this category," Jones said. "Ignorance is bliss sometimes."
Today at least 60 percent of children's vitamins are sold in gummy form, she said, and company sales compete with Bayer's Flintstone vitamin products.
In early 2008, Nutrition Now released Vita Fusion, claiming it is the first gummy vitamin product for adults.
To boost production in 2008, the company added equipment to its facility that's custom designed for making and packaging gelatin-based nutraceuticals. Such equipment didn't exist elsewhere, Jones said.
Jones declined to share revenue details, but said growth has averaged 17 percent for each of the last five years. From 2007 to 2008, employee numbers grew from 205 to 300.
"Supplements in general tend to do well in recessionary times," Jones said. "(People) want to make sure they stay healthy."
In 2009, the company plans for broader distribution of Vita Fusion and to introduce kids' products with increased vitamin levels. Jones is developing an early childhood nutrition curriculum to roll out in 2010.
"It all revolves around kids – feeding kids, making sure they're healthy and educating them," she said. "That's the best thing you can do for your community."
In that spirit, the couple established the KMR Group Foundation in 2006 to provide youth scholarships. The company also supports the Share House backpack program and the Free Clinic of Southwest Washington.
– Charity Thompson
Finalist: Ecolution NW
Heidi Olsen and Dan Plaza, founders
The store averages 10 sets of green-curious people each week
When Heidi Olsen and Dan Plaza founded Vancouver-based Ecolution NW in November 2008, they were looking to live their values.
The store offers green building options such as countertops and flooring, and sustainable lifestyle products. It is also a licensed and bonded contracting company.
Both live in Vancouver, but were working in Portland and wanted to bring their services to Vancouver.
"I see a lot of growth and activity in Uptown – there's a real community there," said Olsen, who lives in the nearby Arnada Neighborhood. "Most often, we get people coming in and saying I'm so glad you're here. People have the assumption that everything like this is in Portland."
Ecolution also is a licensed and bonded contractor
The motivator to start the store was quality of life, Plaza said.
"We felt like we wanted to be closer to home and bring this opportunity for products to this side of the river," he said. "People who wanted green products had to go across the river and that doesn't make any sense."
Innovation drives the green industry, they said.
There is innovation in finding green materials, reusing, recycling – finding creative ways to keep things out of landfills, Plaza said.
"We carry high quality, more locally produced products and materials that come from this region," he said.
One such product that has been popular with customers is Fuez, a countertop made on Swan Island with recycled glass, fly ash and concrete. The new Battle Ground Community Library, which is nearing completion at Battle Ground Village, used eight of the Fuez countertops, Plaza said.
Ecolution also hosts community classes, such as urban chicken keeping.
"The classes bring people together who share sustainable beliefs about getting back to basics, taking care of the Earth and their families," Olsen said.
Going forward, Olsen would like to continue to grow as a company and do more commercial work.
"It's been a little slow, but we do get a fair amount of people coming in," she said. "If our success is measured by the smiles on peoples' faces, we're doing awesome."
– Megan Patrick-Vaughn
