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USANA general counsel and corporate secretary, James Bramble has received the 2008 Corporate Counsel Leadership Award from the Association of Corporate Counsel, Mountain West Chapter.

Bramble was presented with the award this past weekend at the annual 2008 awards gala which was held at the University of Utah Fine Arts Museum. The award is given each year to individuals who have been successful in championing the profession of corporate counsel. Bramble, like past winners has shown outstanding leadership and a dedication not only to USANA, but also to his community.

As general counsel for the health sciences company, Bramble is in charge of overseeing all litigation, intellectual property, international development, government relations and Associate compliance. Bramble must also keep board members up to date and informed on all legal responsibilities.

“James Bramble’s dedication, foresight and leadership make him an outstanding recipient for this award,” said USANA CEO Dave Wentz. “His legal influence on USANA’s marketing decisions and policies and procedures has helped our company remain the industry standard for quality and integrity. I congratulate James on this remarkable accomplishment and thank him for his commitment to USANA and his community.”

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Riley Timmer, a financial analyst for Usana Health Sciences has just been promoted to the role of Vice President of Finance. The nutritional and personal care product company made the announcement this week.

Timmer joined USANA in 2001 as a financial analyst and later took on many of the responsibilities of investor relations including educating analyst and the public about the company. After 2 years in that role, Timmer became executive director of finance where he oversaw financial reporting and budgeting.

As Vice President of Finance, Timmer will continue to manage the financial reporting and budgeting as well as oversee accounting and the tax department. He will also be responsible to maintain communication between USANA, its shareholders and investors and all regulatory agencies.

Dave Wentz, CEO of Usana Health Sciences, said: “Riley is a valuable asset to Usana and our management team. We look forward to Riley continuing to help Usana achieve its financial goals. His financial expertise and years of exceptional work on behalf of the company have earned him this well-deserved promotion.”

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Utah Business Magazine, in conjunction with the National Association of Corporate Directors, Utah Chapter has named Ron Poelman, a member of the USANA Board of Directors as a 2008 Outstanding Director.

Poelman has served on the USANA Board of Directors for over ten years, coming on board in 1995. During his reign on the board, Poelman has watched the company grow to become the 8th largest public company in Utah. There have been many ups and downs during the past decade and Poelman has helped the company avoid many of the pitfalls that are common with the rapid growth of a company. Poelman also assisted Usana in its transition from a small family owned business to a public company. He was one of five directors from various Utah companies honored at a recent awards ceremony sponsored by Utah Business Magazine.

The annual Outstanding Director Award is presented to directors who have shown the leadership and business skills that it takes to grow and build a business and achieve success. Utah Business said that the Outstanding Director Award honors those directors who have demonstrated the exceptional business and leadership skills that have helped their respective companies achieve great success.

“Ron has played a vital role in USANA’s success over the past 13 years,” said USANA CEO Dave Wentz. “His knowledge and experience have been a true asset to our board, and the entire USANA family applauds him on this well-deserved recognition.”

In Poelman’s other life, when not serving on Usana’s board, he is a partner in the Salt Lake City law firm of Jones, Waldo, Holbrook & McDonough, where he is head of the Corporate and Securities Practice Group. Poelman is a founding officer of the Utah Chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors, and frequently lectures regarding corporate governance and related topics.

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USANA has announced that a California State Court has dismissed a class action suit filed against the company in 2007.

The suit, filed by former USANA distributors, Jeannette Johnson and Christopher Crane-Johnson v USANA, on behalf of themselves and all others distributors was filed last summer not only against the company, but also certain officers, distributors and directors. The plaintiffs allege that, USANA failed to disclose material adverse facts about the company, its business relationships and its future business prospects. There were also claims of concealment of fraudulent activity and that USANA maintained an unsustainable business model.

An official statement from the court states that The Plaintiffs agreed to request that the court dismiss the case with prejudice and determined there was no longer any merit to maintaining a class action lawsuit

USANA and its CEO, Dave Wentz, were also pleased at the outcome, “We are pleased that the court approved this motion to dismiss. We will continue to move forward without further distraction or expense.”

This is more good news for the company that has a had a very interesting year including being able to rid itself from the annoyance of Barry Minkow’s lawsuit and move beyond the unsuccessful attempt to take the company private.

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