Activate Your Practice Podcast
The Activate Your Practice Podcast is hosted by the Chairman & Founder of Activator Methods, Dr. Arlan Fuhr. This podcast will cover a variety of subjects. Dr. Fuhr will interview guests from different backgrounds and professions, as well as talk about his 50+ years in chiropractic care.
Activate Your Practice Podcast
The Standard Process Journey with Special Guest Charlie DuBois
What does it really take to create high-quality nutritional supplements? Charlie DuBois, Chairman and CEO of Standard Process, pulls back the curtain on the 95-year journey of this family-owned company that's refusing to compromise on whole food nutrition.
Starting with his unusual path from electrical engineer to supplement company leader, Charlie shares how he borrowed "more millions than years of age" at just 29 to purchase the family business from his great-aunt's estate. This decision has preserved Dr. Royal Lee's founding vision that whole foods—not isolated nutrients—provide the best nutritional foundation.
The conversation reveals Standard Process's unique farm-to-supplement approach, including their impressive 1,200-acre certified organic farm (dwarfing the average 4-acre organic operation in America) and their commitment to keeping production entirely within Wisconsin. Charlie explains how they've expanded their scientific credentials through their North Carolina research center, which conducts everything from cellular studies to human clinical trials.
Perhaps most surprising is Charlie's revelation that he receives serious offers to buy Standard Process weekly, yet remains committed to transitioning leadership to the fourth generation—his children Jack and Simone. "When private equity owns a supplement company, the results are different," he notes, highlighting how this commitment to family ownership rather than corporate consolidation directly impacts product quality.
For chiropractors and health practitioners interested in nutrition, this rare glimpse into the philosophy, research, and family values behind Standard Process illuminates why their approach to supplementation continues to align so strongly with holistic healthcare. Listen now to understand what truly separates quality supplements from the countless options flooding today's marketplace.
Hi, I'm Dr Arlen Foer, the Chairman and Founder of Activator Methods International, and I want to welcome you to Activate your Practice podcast, and today I'm really happy to have a friend of mine, charlie Dubois, who is the Chairman and CEO of Standard Process, and we're going to talk a little bit about nutrition. And so welcome, charlie, glad to have you on.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you, I appreciate that. What an honor. I mean, like you said, we've known each other for so many years. I think this is the first official podcast we've ever done together.
Speaker 1:I think so, and you know I was telling you that in the nutrition world there's so many variables that go on. People just have no idea what it takes to get where a good product is out there for their consumption. We're going to talk about that today. Yeah, excellent, but first can you tell me a little brief overview about Charlie Dubois?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think that's always interesting to always have the listeners understand who I am and where I'm coming from. So yeah, I'm a Wisconsin boy, grew up in Wisconsin and joined Standard Process, first from working in the fields. So that was my first job was pulling weeds in the beet fields, and then later on I graduated from Marquette University in electrical engineering. So you're wondering why a guy running a supplement company is an electrical engineer. I know you're thinking about that, but I'll get to that. So then my career just grew within standard process and in 1995, I had the opportunity to buy the company from my great aunt, her estate. So after she passed away, the way the death taxes are in this country was not very conducive to our generation taking this over and inheriting it. So I ended up buying it and, at 29 years old, borrowed more in millions than I was in years of age to carry on the family business.
Speaker 1:And your uncle, was he a dentist?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so Dr Royal Lee started Standard Process. It was called Vitamin Products Company back then, back in 1929. And he was a dentist from again Marquette University. So there's a theme running there, I think.
Speaker 1:Well, can you give the listeners a brief overview of Standard Process?
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely so. We're a nutrition-based company, so founded back in 1929, we actually take our products from our raw materials that we grow on our certified organic farms all the way through the production process to the final packaging and everything else, all within the state of Wisconsin, right there in southeastern Wisconsin. So I have 650 employees. We're a third-generation family business. A fourth generation is also involved in the business.
Speaker 1:That's Jack and.
Speaker 2:Simone, yes.
Speaker 1:I know them.
Speaker 2:Two of my children.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yes, and you know what makes Standard Process unique in a crowded nutrition world.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think again, that's where we go back to the raw materials and we go back to that uniqueness about our products that they're whole food based. Dr Lee believed way back when that the best source of nutrients comes from whole foods. And yet man over the years has decided that we're smarter than nature and have done isolated nutrients and have thought that that was a better solution. Dr Lee really felt and we keep that legacy carrying on that whole foods are the best source of those nutrients.
Speaker 1:You must be really happy to have RFK then in the cabinet, because he's really raising cane with the food supplies, the kids and everything.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yes, we are. We hope that that's going to have a great influence on people choosing the right things. And when you're looking at creating supplements dietary supplements for people that are based on organic, regenerative farming, all the things that we do to make them the best that we can make them it's really satisfying to all of a sudden, now start hearing some of that respect come through from a political standpoint as well.
Speaker 1:Now you say you're in Wisconsin-based but you have a research center in North Carolina. Tell me about that.
Speaker 2:Yes, we do so. Back in May of 2018, we decided that we really needed to up our research efforts and we founded our research center down in North Carolina, in Kannapolis. It's on the North Carolina campus and it's a really a great place that's focused on whole food research. So really surrounding ourselves with a lot of really talented young researchers that their focus is whole foods, so really fits in. So we've got about a 14,000 square foot facility that we built out in one of the buildings down there and, really neat, we do anywhere from cell culture research, discovery type things all the way through to actual clinical trials on humans down there as well.
Speaker 2:Oh, clinical trials, yeah, and we conduct those right there at our facility, or we're able to work with other contract research organizations and stuff too.
Speaker 1:You know, I just as an observation, have seen that, you know, supplements haven't been regulated very much from how can I say this, a consumer standpoint, and can you? Is that getting better?
Speaker 2:consumer standpoint and can you? Is that getting better? Yeah, I think that's the the thing with dietary supplements. Um, back in 1994 they passed the dietary supplement health and education act which actually gave some guidance and everything else for structure, function claims that would be allowed for nutritional supplements. Specifically prior to we were just under the food regulations. So it really did give us an opportunity to make a little bit more, you know, structure, function, type of claims and get more information out there to the general consumer.
Speaker 2:But, however, within any industry I think, and especially in the dietary supplement industry, there's a lot of players that push the limits, that don't back up what they're saying and that aren't very ethical. In the dietary supplement industry there's a lot of players that push the limits, that don't back up what they're saying and that aren't very ethical in the things that they're doing. So that's why, with our 95-plus year history and the fact that we invest in that research we start with whole foods on our farm all those kind of things really gives us a lot more credibility out there within the marketplace.
Speaker 1:How many acres do you have at your farm?
Speaker 2:Yes, we've got about 1,200 acres and we utilize about 85, 90 of those acres. 900 of those acres I'm sorry for our needs right now and then we've got that capacity to continually grow and everything else, but 900 acres of certified organic is a lot of certified organic products coming off of there.
Speaker 1:Yes, I just wondered how big it was being a farm kid. You know, in Minnesota if you had a quarter section you were doing quite well. So 1,200 makes me think big.
Speaker 2:Yeah well, an average size organic farm in the united states is about four acres yes, so that gives you an understanding of where you're at we're doing it in a big way.
Speaker 1:You have given a lot. I'm, of course, being close to Logan. I've seen stuff that you've given there, but I know this goes on around all the other colleges because we teach there. What prompted you to be good to the chiropractic world?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think it's one of those things where I like to give back and we have been supported for so many years by chiropractors. I think our whole food philosophy aligns more strategically with the profession of chiropractic than any other company. And I think, as we have aligned with chiropractors and they've seen that you know, feeding the body the right foods, the right nutrients from a whole food based really gets the results. So we've had such a great relationship with chiropractors and the chiropractic profession so I feel that it's, you know, my obligation as well to give back and help that next generation and the next generation after that continually. So we do a lot with scholarships, we do a lot with some capital campaigns and educational programs and funding a lot of things like that for the schools and I know, I know Activator is very generous as well to schools also in the profession.
Speaker 1:Well, I think you got it right. You know, the new practitioners coming out are going to be the future, and so what do you think about the future of the chiropractic profession?
Speaker 2:You know I've I've asked that quite a bit, you know, because I've been around it for so long, being a non-chiropractor too, but I really think that chiropractic has got a great future. You know, I think the way that chiropractic believes in treating the whole person and taking the time to get things right and get people back to you know that that middle ground on things, um, and allowing the body to heal itself is just the right way to be Um, and I think that philosophy behind chiropractic is going to continue to inspire, uh, that next generation to join this profession as well. So I'm really encouraged, um, by the by the future of chiropractic.
Speaker 1:What do the next 10 years coming up look like for Standard? Have you got a plan?
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, I do. I mean I think you know. So I've been at Standard Process for a little over 40 years and that seems like a long time. It feels like a long time sometimes.
Speaker 1:But you were young when you started.
Speaker 2:I was young when I started, but thank you for that. But I guess that's where I have tried to build this company and put it in a good shape for that next generation to carry it on. My whole plan is that this gets passed on to the next generation as a family business. I actually get serious offers to buy. Standard Process at least once a week, and I have had the same discussion as I always have is that we're not for sale and that's something within the supplement industry that there's a lot of consolidation, there's a lot of private equity coming in and buying up the businesses and unfortunately, when private equity owns a supplement company or any company, the results are different, and so I want to keep that preserved and keep that intact. And you mentioned Jack and Simone earlier. I'm really excited to start educating and training them to take this company over one day.
Speaker 1:Well, I think you've started that.
Speaker 2:I have yes.
Speaker 1:Because, having met them a few times, I can see that I guess Jack works in the field area.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Jack's focused more on sales and marketing right now.
Speaker 1:Oh is he, Yep? I think he's a natural.
Speaker 2:He is a natural. He definitely is. And then Simone, on the other hand, has got her talents as well. She is really smart, yeah, yeah, and she is technically. She is just great, and she loves it too, she loves the field of nutrition. She could be a CEO and Jack could be a CEO as well. That's going to be the debate over time, so I might need your help with that.
Speaker 1:Well, no, you go to Judy, my wife.
Speaker 2:Oh, go to Judy, she knows how to handle that. Yeah, of course.
Speaker 1:So what does the next 10 years look like for you personally?
Speaker 2:Yeah, for me personally, it's just preparing those kids. I call them kids and they're in their mid-20s, upper 20s but just preparing them and giving them the most direction that I can to make sure that they're in good shape to take this over one of these days. You know, I think, as I look back, I've done a lot for Standard Process to grow. It really enhance the business and I've grown it tenfold over my time. But I think they can take it to all new levels and so I just want to see them, you know, have some fun with it. And I think they love what they do. They love working for the company and knowing that these products change people's lives in such an incredible way, and I think that's the best that I can do is give them that opportunity and let them have fun and just take it to the next level.
Speaker 1:Well, thank you very much. I have enjoyed the interview, just because you're a friend that I knew a lot about you, but I didn't know some things and I'm happy to have the greater chiropractic world here to learn about the process and the research and the things that are necessary to bring a product to fruition. So, thank you very much, charlie Dubois, the CEO of Standard Process. Well, thank you.
Speaker 2:Appreciate it.
