OpTree

We have received a couple comments as to why we have not run the story on Gold Canyon Candles. So, in order to appease our readers, here is the whole story. I want to start off by saying there are many many conflicting reports, however I will get to the bottom of it the best that I can……

On September 10th, Maricopa County sheriff’s deputies along with an entire SWAT team raided the Arizona based Gold Canyon Candle Company. The candle company makes candles that are sold through a network of independent distributors. The raid was conducted for two reasons, 1) to arrest those suspected of being involved in identity theft and 2) arresting illegal immigrants.

The September 10th raid netted 23 arrests on suspicion of identity theft and 42 arrests for illegal immigrants. An additional five U.S. citizens were arrested on outstanding warrants.
Gold Canyon Company spokeswoman Rebecca Clyde said deputies showed up with a search warrant, not only looking for illegal workers, but also looking for specific individuals on charges of identity theft. The Sheriffs Dept says that they have already verified three victims of identity theft so far, including one person who is a Washington, D.C., White House staff member working in the Bush administration.

There have been raids on several businesses in the area in the last year and in response to those raids Gold Canyon claims they have taken steps to ensure that all of their employees are in compliance with the all immigration laws. Company spokeswoman Rebecca Clyde says the company has used e-Verify since last year and has always complied with federal law. “Gold Canyon has always used every single tool that the government has given them to verify documents and done everything it legally is allowed to do to verify employees’ status,” she said.

Gold Candle remains firm in their stance that they will be found innocent of all charges related to hiring illegal immigrants. Arizona recently passed an employer-sanction law that punishes employers for hiring and employing those who are not legal to work in the United States.

There have been claims back and forth of some shady activity by the Sheriffs department and by Gold Canyon. Reports from over 100 Gold Canyon employees say that their civil rights were violated by the Sheriff’s department by being held against their will in conference rooms for up to five hours. On the other side of the fight, the Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas said that they received a tip that workers were told by someone in management to toss their IDs and run if the sheriff showed up.  If you want to read Gold Canyon’s response, click here.

Only time will tell what will come of all of this. The company thus far has not been charged with any wrongdoing. The sheriffs department and attorney general say that it will take some time to sort through all of the papers, but they will stay on top of it.

As details of the raid and its aftermath become more clear, we will definitely keep you up-to-date. In the meantime, its business as usual over at Gold Canyon Candle Co. Oh….and by the way, Gold Canyon is a member of the DSA- and no word or update on the status of the company from the DSA, another example of your hard earned money at work over at the DSA.

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Tahitian Noni is the latest casualty of the current economic crisis. The company announced that they will have to cut 85 jobs from various departments within the company.

Aside from being pretty shocked by this news, we actually wonder if it is actually worse than we may be lead to believe. John Wadsworth, co-creator of the company, and its President made the announcement this past week. Wadsworth recently began revamping the company’s business model as well as cutting costs to ensure the company will survive the tough economic climate. Revamping the business model???

Wadsworth took over as President of the company in July, after taking a 3 year break to serve as mission president for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Wadsworth replaced Kelly Olsen, who is now focusing on Noni product strategy and expansion.

The 85 workers cut were from all areas of the company including training, marketing, operations, warehousing and even executive management. The cuts represent about 7 percent of the company’s workforce. Those who were laid off were given severance packages based on the length of time they served the company as well as outplacement support and an extra month of health insurance.

Along with the cutting of jobs, Noni is restructuring the company to put more of an emphasis back on the direct selling business model, and focus less on retail sales in their various lifestyle centers and cafes. Tahitian Noni feels that the direct sales business model is more effective and brings the company the most revenue. The retail sales failed to produce the kind of returns the company expected that it would.

“Restructuring always hurts,” said Wadsworth, “but we also have to look at where the company is today, where the economy is today and what’s the best course to stay strong and stable.”

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Global nutrition and wellness company, Herbalife has just appointed a new general manager of Herbalife India. Ajay Khanna will assume the role of country manager/general manager of Herbalife operations in India.

Khanna will oversee all operations within India, focusing on driving sales and growth within the region. Herbalife India, which is headquartered in Bangalore, has grown significantly over recent years and the company is hoping that Khanna’s vast experience in the business world will help him achieve various business objectives. Khanna will world closely with Tim Sanson, VP of the Asia Pacific region which includes Australia, India and Thailand.

Khanna has a great deal of experience in sales and business development. Before joining Herbalife, Khanna spent 15 years at Xerox where he held various senior positions, including Associate Director-office post sales group of Xerox, India Ltd.

This is a very good move on Herbalife’s part and will help the company strengthen what most believe is major opportunity for Network Marketing countries, India. With its growing population and more specifically, its growing middle class, the desire for herbs and natural products, this market is ripe for companies like Herbalife to see significant growth in over time.

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Mannatech has just announced that two of their most popular supplements, the PLUS and Ambrotose AO have been certified by NSF International showing that they have met all claims on their label with regards to the purity of the ingredients in the products.

NSF International is an independent accredited testing organization that sets guidelines for dietary supplements. The nonprofit public health certification company is dedicated to investigating labels on health products and dietary supplements to test the efficacy and safety of the ingredients. The NSF also monitors manufacturing plants and facilities to ensure that each company meet rigorous audit requirements regarding the production of supplements.

This past June, Mannatech received certifications for it Ambrotose and Advanced Ambrotose products. The most recent certification came according to the NSF/ANSI 173 Dietary Supplement Supplement Standard, which is the only National Standard for dietary supplements.

Mannatech, needless to say, is very proud of this accomplishment and the company says that it will carry the NSF certification mark on all of their product labels. “Mannatech is committed to pursuing the highest standards of product quality and science. Not only did we earn NSF certification, but we ensure all our manufacturing partners adhere to Good Manufacturing Practices, our industry’s standards for ensuring high quality products,” said Marika Berkley, vice president of global regulatory affairs and quality assurance for Mannatech. “Customers need to know that our products always meet these high standards and that they will never be compromised.”

“By obtaining certification for two additional products, Mannatech continues to demonstrate its dedication and commitment to excellence,” said Ed Wyszumiala, general manager of NSF’s dietary supplements programs.

Mannatech said that In the future they will continue to work with NSF to ensure that all of their current and future products meet the requirement to wear the NSF certification label.

Popularity: 6% [?]