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ViSalus Holdings LLC announces union with Blyth, Inc

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Ever since the days in which ViSalus was just an idea, it has been our mission to make an impact on the life, health, & prosperity of those willing to welcome those values into their lives. From day one, the Founders have made it clear that ViSalus was not just going to be just “another company.” Their goal has long been to become a premiere company in the direct sales industry. Over the last 3 ½ years, the Founders and Management Team have continued to put in place the necessary foundation help ViSalus move toward its “Billion Dollar Vision.”

Ladies and gentlemen, champions of the ViSalus cause, we are proud today to inform you that ViSalus has made another quantum leap toward bringing our mission to the world. ViSalus has united with established direct sales leader Blyth, Inc., and is excited and proud to now be able to say we are a part of the Blyth family of companies and successful direct selling brands. Blyth is a direct sales leader, and has been in the industry for nearly 30 years, and has offices, warehouses, and infrastructure in 4 continents . Blyth will now be focusing on bringing their expertise and resources to ViSalus.

So begins an exciting new chapter in the ViSalus story book.

Click on the buttons below to learn more about Blyth, Inc., read the official Press Release on Forbes.com, or listen to the news as it broke live on last night’s ViSalus Vision Call.

Our Co-Founder and CEO, Ryan Blair was eager to make the point, “This was our ideal partnership from the very beginning of ViSalus. Fortunately, a few members of the Blyth Board believed in us enough early on to make a silent investment personally into ViSalus. It feels great to know that because of our track record, we are now able to have the entire Blyth company behind us. I am proud to say that ViSalus now has an alliance with a global company with deep experience in the Direct Sales Industry.”

One of the most exciting benefits is that Blyth’s Chairman of the Board and CEO, Robert B. Goergen, will be joining the ViSalus Board of Managers and helping to guide ViSalus strategically over the decades to come. Commenting on the alliance, Robert B. Goergen, said, “Today’s commitment builds further on Blyth’s long-term focus on direct-to-consumer sales opportunities. Importantly, we are able to diversify within the direct selling channel with products that appeal to different consumer segments.” Mr. Goergen continued, “Our partnership with the founders of ViSalus is mutually beneficial in that Blyth is entering a third direct selling product category marketing consumable wellness goods and ViSalus can leverage expertise from Blyth’s direct selling core competency, as well as various corporate functions required by a growing enterprise. Moreover, longer term, our experience entering international markets should be beneficial to ViSalus’ expansion.”

“We have always said that our goal was to build ViSalus into a Billion Dollar Company,” said Co Founder and CSO Nick Sarnicola. “We have built a management team that can lead at that level and felt that by aligning with an investment partner like Blyth, we hope to achieve our goal even sooner.” SVP of Marketing & Branding, Audrey Sommerfeld added, “Having been part of a large, publicly traded company before, I am excited that we have partners like Blyth who really understand our channel, and can help provide resources for expansion and rapid globalization of our health and wellness products.”

In exchange for ownership in ViSalus, Blyth will help ViSalus speed up our ability to scale and get ready for large domestic and global expansion. In this agreement, Blyth also has the option to acquire more to complete ownership in ViSalus over a period of time if certain conditions are met by the company through 2012. It has been agreed that all ViSalus Founders, Management, and employees will retain their roles and continue to successfully lead ViSalus toward its goals.

CEO Ryan Blair added, “When we first started dialog with Blyth the goal was for them acquire a piece of the company in exchange for capital and resources to help fuel our global expansion initiative. The fact that Blyth has shown an even greater interest in our company is a true compliment and in my opinion the absolute best thing that could happen for the entire ViSalus community. As a perpetual student of business, I know what it means for a company of our size to be singled out by a proven leader like Blyth. We look forward to standing among their top-tier brands.”

Co-Founder and CMO Blake Mallen commented, “It feels great to know that a cause that we continue to put our lives into, one that has already impacted so many people, is now being recognized at this level. Creating value for our employees and shareholders, as well as for our Customers and Distributors, has always been our number one priority. This alliance increases that value tremendously.” Mallen added, “Plus, combining Blyth’s stability, experience, and global infrastructure with the opportunity and excitement of our 3 year-old company will surely appeal to many looking to align with a direct selling company. It definitely gives ViSalus a competitive edge in the market.”

We plan on maximizing this new relationship with an aggressive global expansion initiative and even further expanding our product R&D focus. All of this combined with our new web technology we are launching in Las Vegas at our Vitality Convention in October will make for quite an opportunity for everyone who is a part of the ViSalus community.

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