Vitamin maker set to expand

A Carson City-based company that researches,manufactures, and sells nutritional supplements plans to expand.

The Nevada Commission on Economic Development last week approved a request from Vitamin Research Products Inc.

for tax incentives associated with its expansion.

The company told the commission it plans to add $813,0000 in capital investment and eight employees, primarily in sales and marketing.

In its application for incentives, Vitamin Research Products said its employees earn an average wage of $21.75.

It currently employs 71 at its Arrowhead Drive location.

The company positioned itself for growth by moving to a location twice its previous size in early 2005, said Rob Watson, president and chief executive officer.

Vitamin Research Products now operates from a 55,000-square-foot building on Arrowhead Drive.

It works three distribution channels direct-to-consumer businesses, health-care professionals and retail outlets.

Located in Carson City since 1991, it was founded 25 years ago in northern California.

In addition to operating a marketing department, call center, sales center, warehouse shipping, tech department, and Web site, the company handles clinical research for its medical line.

Naturopaths and physicians nationwide conduct clinical research for the company's medical line.

Locally, Dr.

Frank Shallenberger participates through his practice at the Nevada Center for Alternative and Anti-aging Medicine in Carson City.

While the company markets directly to physicians,Watson says,"We get a substantial amount of orders from the Web site, which is very integral to our business.We put a lot of free information there.

Health as a topic is one of the biggest uses of the Internet."

Last year,Vitamin Research Products engaged in talks with publicly-traded Argan, Inc., an East Coast company interested in gaining a West Coast foothold, but the acquisition did not take place, and Watson says the company has no further plans to seek out a merger.