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HerbalEGram: Volume 2
Mark Blumenthal Honored with Lifetime Leadership Award
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At the opening reception of the 8th annual Newport Summit, the Nutrition Business Journal honored American Botanical Council (ABC) Founder and Executive Director Mark Blumenthal with a Lifetime Leadership Award. Each year at the Summit, senior executives from natural, organic, health, and nutrition companies join leading figures from nonprofit herbal organizations to share ideas and discuss issues impacting the nutrition industry. NBJ recognizes leading individuals, companies and organizations for their efforts and achievements at an annual awards ceremony.
Loren Israelsen of LDI Group introduced the Lifetime Leadership Award. As a former recipient of the same award, and longtime friend of Blumenthal, Israelsen said “Mark has been an integral part of the natural products industry for 30 years. He has a clear vision of what is needed in the herbal medicine community and is turning that vision into a reality.” Among Blumenthal’s accomplishments, Israelsen noted that Blumenthal founded ABC, was instrumental in the founding of the American Herbal Products Association and the Herb Research Foundation, created the Journal HerbalGram, was the senior editor of the Complete German Commission E Monographs, Herbal Medicine: Expanded Commission E Monograph, and the ABC Clinical Guide to Herbs, and continually responds to negative media and creates proactive positive stories on herbs, and is “generally a mensch.”
Israelsen introduced ABC Chief Administrative Officer Wayne Silverman, PhD, who received the award in Mark’s absence due to family illness. Silverman began by delivering some comments requested by Blumenthal. He said that Blumenthal was honored to receive the award and acknowledgement, but “wondered if Grant and Tom knew something about him that he didn’t; was his ‘lifetime’ now at and an end? Aren’t these awards reserved for the likes of Samuel Goldwyn and Jimmy Stewart?” Silverman also relayed Blumenthal’s sentiments that this award belongs to everyone at and associated with ABC who do the excellent work that the achievement represents.
After relaying Blumenthal’s greetings and a joke approved by Blumenthal involving a Chihuahua and a restaurant, Silverman said, he was honored to accept the award in Blumenthal’s absence. Silverman noted, “after 10 years at ABC, I clearly see that many of us have been touched by Mark’s humor, wisdom and caring. He truly lives his vision and dream on a daily basis, and that dream is to make herbs and the power of plants clearly understood and responsibly used by all.” Silverman said later that it was clear from the response that night and from the well wishes and accolades sent through him to Blumenthal throughout the rest of the weekend, that NBJ had selected the right person for this award. He added, “it has been a pleasure to learn from and be a partner with Mark through the years. The response from the Summit confirms all that we know about Mark and we all thank him for his life’s work and the work of his life.”
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