Orlando, FL—The Southeast Natural Products Association (Southeast NPA) held a successful show, SOHO, in early December 2013, here.

The conference was again heavy on the education with several informative sessions. According to show organizers, “Attendees had the opportunity to experience 28 hours of educational programs and panels with 30 speakers offering up-to-date information on nutrition and business from experts in the field.”

In addition to a lively exhibition hall featuring 389 companies, the event featured its 14th annual golf tournament, a dance party and other events.

A main event was the annual presentation of the President’s Award, which recognizes those that have made significant lifelong contributions to the natural products industry. This year’s recipient was Terry Lemerond, president and founder of EuroPharma, and founder of Enzymatic Therapy and PhytoPharmica. He helped market groundbreaking natural ingredients like glucosamine sulfate, standardized ginkgo and saw palmetto, and helped introduce botanical standardization to the U.S. market.

Said NPA Southeast president Karen Greenway, “There is no one more iconic and deserving than Terry. It is especially personal to me, as it was crossing paths with Terry in the mid-1990s that changed the course of my life in a positive way.” She also called Lemerond a treasure of the industry.

In addition, outgoing board members, Ben Henderson, Debby Swoboda and Jeff West were given plaques for their service.

Published in WholeFoods Magazine, February 2014