NOW’s Sparks facility is vital to company’s global strategy

With the growing interest in natural food and nutritional supplements, a Sparks facility supports one company’s dramatic growth in the health food and nutritional supplements industry.

NOW Foods, headquartered in Bloomingdale, Ill., was founded in 1968 by Elwood Richard, and the company is still family owned. The company manufactures and distributes more than 1,400 products in all. Some of their product lines include bone health, glucose maintenance, joint health, cardiovascular, herbal supplements, women’s and men’s products, gastrointestinal support and sports nutrition.

NOW Health Group CEO Jim Emme joined the company in 1995 as plant manager. He describes the company as “one of the largest independent manufacturers of natural products in the U.S. health food store channel. By staying committed to our mission of providing value in products and services that empower people to lead healthier lives, NOW has experienced 30 consecutive years of growth, with double-digit growth the past nine years.”

NOW Foods came to Sparks in 2004, with the opening of the company’s western distribution center. This “significantly expanded both our domestic and global service capabilities,” said Emme. As the company grew in the past decade, it accelerated plans for a larger facility with the construction of a new, 165,000 square foot manufacturing and distribution facility in Sparks in 2011 that opened in 2013. Emme explains that NOW Foods chose Sparks because “The Reno-Sparks area is business friendly, and our Sparks operation is of vital importance to our global strategy.”

Employing about 250 people at 575 Vista Blvd., the facility not only ships products; it is a key manufacturing hub. NOW Foods continues to expand its manufacturing capabilities in Sparks, which are “needed to underscore our vision to be the trusted, independent global provider of natural products and services,” Emme said.

Job functions include quality control and engineering to production and warehouse positions. These help the company meet and exceed its certification for good manufacturing practices (GMP). The company also employs people in human resources, management and planning, to keep the facility running efficiently and effectively. The Sparks facility manufactures softgels, two-piece capsules and tablets and recently started packaging much of the company’s food line.

A special source of pride for NOW Foods is their Sparks facility’s Silver LEED certification. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is a green building certification program that recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices. This achievement supports the company’s long commitment to environmental sustainability. As Emme explains, “LEED-certified buildings are designed to reduce waste sent to landfills, conserve energy and water, be safer and healthier for occupants, and reduce harmful greenhouse [gas] emissions.” The facility saves about 24 percent of energy compared with a similar building built to minimum code standards. It also uses about 30 percent less potable water than a conventional office space with standard fixtures.

Starting with site selection, the NOW Sparks facility’s design and construction has been guided by sustainability. The project site was selected for urban infill and located near basic community resources. During construction, approximately 83 percent of all construction waste was diverted from landfills to recycling centers. Selection of building materials favored products that were sourced locally and composed of recycled content.

The site has preferred parking for low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles, plus on-site bicycle storage, showers and changing areas for company employees, to promote alternative forms of transportation. Native, drought-tolerant landscaping with a high-efficiency irrigation system saves more than 405,000 gallons of water annually. Recycling stations throughout the building spaces allow employees separately to collect plastic, paper, cardboard, metals and glass.

NOW Foods sets an example for other companies moving to northern Nevada. In November 2015 EDAWN named NOW the Company of the Year in the Large Company category. The company has used about 100 local services and suppliers in the past few years. NOW also donates to many nonprofit causes and organizations focused on local needs, world needs and relief, and environmental and conservation causes. They also involve employees in giving back to the community through quarterly employee drives, such as Christmas gift and food collections for the less fortunate, and collecting recycled goods.

“Locally in Sparks, we have donated to the Salvation Army twice per year. We participate in their Angel Tree Program in December for a toy drive and their Apple Program for school supplies,” Emme noted. Employees can participate in employer-matched donations with any of the charities that NOW supports. The company also offers matches for disaster relief.

While some companies in the dietary supplements industry have come under investigation by federal authorities, NOW Foods states that “producing safe and effective supplements of the highest quality is our top priority.” Following a November 2015 announcement of federal criminal and civil actions against unlawful dietary supplement makers and marketers, NOW Foods issued this statement, “NOW applauds the collaborative efforts of the federal agencies to enforce the laws designed to protect consumers from companies that make false claims and use hidden, synthetic and dangerous pharmaceutical ingredients, claiming that they are supplements. These products are not nutritional dietary supplements.”

As CEO of a growing company, Emme has advice for businesses looking forward to growth from Tesla and the other new businesses coming to our area: “Invest in the community.” As noted, NOW has used local businesses and continues to bring job opportunities to support the community’s economic growth.