OpTree

Max International (OpTree Profile) the direct sales company that has made millions off of their nutritional supplement, Max GXL, has finally added a second product to their company’s offerings. The newest product is called Max WLX, and the company claims it is a weight loss breakthrough that will help millions slim down safely and effectively.

The product, which was formulated through a partnership with the University of Minnesota, became available earlier in the summer, and is now available everywhere Max GXL does business.

The WLX, which took researchers at the University of Minnesota seven years of studying to formulate, targets a dis-function in the fat hormones found in overweight people.

Max says that the WLX aims to correct the dis-function by working with 2 hormones in the body, Leptin and Adiponectin which messages to the human brain regarding weight loss. Both hormones work in a complementary fashion sending messages to the brain regarding fat burning, weight loss and muscle activity.

While the WLX was made by the University of Minnesota, clinical trials proving its effectiveness were done in a double blind placebo study by the University of Connecticut. The eight week trail showed that the Max WLX was 90% percent more effective than diet and exercise alone.

Max is counting on the fact that the trial was done by an accredited and legitimate institution to set the WLX apart from the pack of weight loss options. While the product is still too new to get any real feedback, only time will tell if the product is truly as effective as the company claims.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Adding more insult to injury for YTB, we just got word that The Waterford School District in Michigan which was once a distributor of YTB has decided to disassociate themselves from the embattled company.

“Last fall, in an effort to generate revenue for the Waterford school district, we entered into an agreement with YTB Travel to place a link to their website. The Waterford School District did not pay any start up costs and we have never paid any monthly maintenance fees to provide the link.”
“During the last school year, the Waterford School District did receive small commission checks as a result of our staff and community utilizing YTB Travel. Just recently, the decision to disassociate ourselves from YTB Travel was made. We no longer promote their travel website on our website.”

The Waterford School District

We actually have a cached version of the old webiste which once had a link to YTB on it which you can see here. It also seems the YTB/Waterford site is still up as well. Guess no one at YTB was told of the breakup. The new version of the Waterford site no longer features the YTB link.

Popularity: 5% [?]

USANA has just unveiled two new products that they are hoping will rev up their product offerings. USANA CEO Dave Wentz made the announcement at USANA’s 16th annual International Convention which is currently being held in Salt Lake City.

Over 8,000 distributors were on hand at the Energy Solutions Arena to see the unveiling of Rev3 Energy and Rev3 Energy Surge. Two new products that they are hoping will be healthy alternatives to current energy drinks that are on the market.

Wentz , who is known for his active lifestyle, asked the company’s scientists to develop a healthy energy formula after trying many that were on the market and noticing that they provided no nutritional value, had tons of sugar, and caused him to crash.

The new Rev3 products are green tea based product and contain USANA’s patented olive fruit extract, Olivol. Rev 3 Energy comes in a can while the Rev 3 Energy Surge is a pack that comes with easy to carry sticks which can be mixed into any water bottle. Usana says that the new product provides tons of energy and is also an efficient dietary supplement. The products are all natural, and contain no artificial flavors, colors sweeteners or preservatives.

“This is a product that will appeal to a wide audience,” Wentz said. “Rev3 is a healthy alternative to today’s energy drinks, and USANA is excited to finally be able to offer this type of product to our associates.”

No word yet on when the products will become available to consumers, but we have gotten our hands on the pricing for the products and this should be an exciting and profitable edition to the vast line of USANA nutritional products.

REV3 Energy (12 cans)
$66.00 retail
$61.11 wholesale
$55.00 autoship wholesale

REV3 Energy (24 cans)
$112.50 retail
$104.17 wholesale
$93.75 autoship wholesale

REV3 Energy Surge Pack (14 stick packs)
$35.94 retail
$33.28 wholesale
$29.95 autoship wholesale

REV3 Energy Surge Pack (28 stick packs)
$63.54 retail
$58.33 wholesale
$52.95

Check out the video that appeared at the convention to launch the new energy products

Popularity: 11% [?]

Although online travel company YTB proclaimed their innocence and defended themselves against accusations of fraud, it seems all is not well over at YTB headquarters. Apparently the lawsuits have begun to affect the company in a very short period of time. YTB International Inc. has reportedly terminated 25 people from its corporate headquarters this past Wednesday.

One employee who was laid off said that he and over two dozen others were told their positions were being terminated due to the tough economic situation in the United States. They were told that the management “regrets this necessary decision.”

The laid off man who asked to remain anonymous, said that ever since the California Attorney General filed a suits against YTB the company has continued to tell employees that all if fine, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

In a recent statement, YTB CEO Scott Tomer defended the company saying, “As a matter of policy, we do not comment on pending litigation. However, we can tell you that YTB believes the allegations we’ve heard are without merit, and we will vigorously defend ourselves

YTB Employs between 300 and 350 people at its Wood River Illinois headquarters. Currently the company is spending $25 million to expand the facility. While YTB has grown significantly over the last few years, it seems that this case is hitting them hard.

A local Wood River Paper attempted to contact the company, but to no avail as the company would not respond to any inquiries regard layoffs or the current financial situation at the company.

YTB is pretty adamant about their innocence and feels justified telling their employees that all is “OK” with the company. However, for a company that is allegedly financial sound and feels secure with their business model, it seems odd that they would “lie” to their employees about the company’s stability, only to turn around and lay their loyal employees off. Instead of spending a ridiculous amount of money expanding an organization that is under attack, they should focus on treating their employees better and defending themselves against fraud allegations.

Popularity: 6% [?]