Happy Holidays, USANA Family

December 23 2011 by Dave Wentz

Hello, USANA Family.

We’re coming to the end of another record year giving people both true health and true wealth. There’s a lot of exciting things planned for 2012, our 20^th anniversary year, including a huge announcement in January that’s going to springboard us into a fantastic 10^th record year of sales.

Enjoy the holidays, and take advantage of this time of year to talk with your family and friends about improving their health and wealth like you have. I hope you have a wonderful end of the year and are as excited about 2012 as I am.

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Build It, And They Will Come! Yo-Yo Ma at The Wentz

December 21 2011 by USANA Health Sciences

World-renowned cellist and Dr. Wentz finally meet at the Wentz Concert Hall and Fine Arts Center

An evening of near perfection happened recently as Yo-Yo Ma played on stage at The Wentz, to a sold out crowd, at North Central College. The wish to have the brilliance of Yo-Yo Ma’s musicianship grace The Wentz began as the hall was being built and was finally made a reality on this night. And Dr. Wentz was there to experience the beauty of Yo-Yo Ma’s performance as it was enhanced by the unsurpassed acoustics of the hall that bears his name.

The man whose company designed the acoustics, Rick Talaske, had a goal to match the acoustics of Carnegie Hall. Dr. Wentz feels the finished product has surpassed that goal. The acoustics were developed to enhance all types of musical performance, and support the clarity and beauty of each one — whether it’s Yo-Yo Ma alone on the stage or the entire Chicago Symphony Orchestra (which has performed at The Wentz twice and may do some recording there because of its acoustical superiority over Chicago’s Orchestra Hall).

Yo-Yo Ma’s comment during his performance was, “I love this hall.”
His appreciation continued after his performance as he met Dr. Wentz back stage, expressing surprise and pleasure at having the opportunity to meet him in person.

Dr. Wentz’s delight in supporting his alma mater and helping create a concert hall where music can be heard in its purist form was made even greater on this special night.

Yo-Yo Ma performs at the Wentz Concert Hall earlier this year. He played three Bach pieces during the program and treated the audience to Mark O’Connor’s “Appalachian Waltz” for solo cello as an encore.

Yo-Yo Ma talks with Dr. Wentz and other members of the audience following his performance. Ma’s performance was part of North Central College’s yearlong sesquicentennial celebration.

USANA Success Story: Mother/son team create true rags-to-riches story

The past decade has given life a whole new meaning for Collette Larsen and her family. In 1994, the single mother of five faced a mountain of medical bills and needed to work at home to care for her children. Her two youngest daughters, Lexi and Sharlie, were critically ill with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). Lexi had recently undergone a double lung transplant and, due to complications, was in a medically induced coma. Doctors had discussed putting Sharlie on the transplant list as well. With her attention on her daughters, Collette needed to look at sources of extra income. “That is the day I decided to do USANA as a business,” she recalls.

Zachary Ross was in South America when his mother got involved with USANA. But upon returning to the States, he decided to concentrat on his education. “I was thinking that after graduating I would become a Spanish teacher,” he explains. Zachary’s plans changed however after he made a trip to Australia with his mother. USANA had just opened in that country, and Collette and her children spent six months there. “I kind of got a crash-course training from my mom,” he remembers. Today, Collette and Zachary lead Larsen Global Alliance and are 5-Star Diamond Directors.

Although he is still passionate about teaching, Zachary turned to USANA as a means to give his family the quality lifestyle he desired. He and his wife, Kelli, live in Southern California, where she is able to be at home with their three children.

Coincidentally, the country in which this mother and son created their business relationship has almost become a second home to Collette. She often travels throughout Australia. In fact, last year she and her adoring husband, Richard Mazey, spent their honeymoon touring Australia and New Zealand, stopping to speak at USANA ANZ Fun in the Sun events.

Business and family are not Collette’s only motivations, however. Her seemingly limitless energy is spent on a myriad of interests. She swims, takes classes in gourmet cooking and flower arranging, spends time at the beach, and is an avid reader. She is also extremely grateful for the time she can dedicate to volunteer work and charities. A couple of years ago Collette had the “life-altering” opportunity of traveling to Uganda where she was able to work with AIDS orphanages.

But fundraising as a member of the board of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is the interest closest to Collette’s heart. After losing her daughter Lexi to CF in 1995, Collette remains hopeful that more advanced treatment options will be discovered, and that someday CF will stand for “Cure Found.” In 2005 Collette served as the chairperson for the primary fundraising event held in San Diego—The Breath of Spring Gala— where records were set with the amount of money raised. “So many members of USANA came out and supported us,” Collette proudly states. “It was so wonderful to see how much people really care about finding a cure for CF.”

Both Zachary and Collette are thrilled with where their USANA business has taken them, especially where family is concerned. As they continue to create priceless memories with their growing family, they never stop working hard and dreaming big. As Collette has often said, “A dream that’s too big is just the right size.”