Established in 2002, Isagenix International is a global health and wellness company that provides more than 100 life-changing nutrition and lifestyle products, packs, and systems worldwide. Our privately owned business headquartered in Gilbert, Arizona, has more than 400,000 customers.
Jim and Kathy Coover came out of retirement to co-found Isagenix, a global health and wellness company, with John Anderson.
Since inception, we have generated over $7 billion in cumulative global sales through independent distributors in 14 markets internationally. According to our most recent economic impact data for Arizona, in 2018, Isagenix generated $30.3 million in revenue in Arizona, paid an estimated $1.4 million in sales tax, and paid Arizona companies $105.2 million for goods and services.
In 2019, Isagenix contributed $6 million in monetary and product donations worldwide, and our ISA Foundation awarded grants totaling over $1.8 million to 51 U.S.-based nonprofits who align with the foundation’s focus on healthy nutrition and support for underserved children, wellness education for all, and aid for those affected by natural disasters.
My wife, Kathy, and I were fortunate to retire early after achieving our career and financial goals. I had led several direct sales companies in the health club and nutrition arenas, and Kathy had been a top earner in three separate direct sales companies. We were ready to step away so we could travel and spend time with our son, Erik, before he went to college.
As we were enjoying retirement, John Anderson, a private-label formulator and manufacturer who had created more than 2,300 nutritional supplements and weight-loss products, contacted us with a business opportunity. His vision was to offer high-quality, no-compromise products that would have a significant impact on world health, and he believed Kathy and I had the direct-selling expertise necessary to share his products with a global audience.
Scientists on the company’s research and development team include nutritionists, dietitians, food scientists, chemists, microbiologists, and biologists.
We resisted at first, but after meeting with John, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to help make a difference in people’s lives as well as establish a lasting legacy for our family. In 2002, we came out of retirement and joined forces with John to co-found Isagenix, which has generated over $7 billion in cumulative global sales since inception and now has customers in 14 markets internationally.
One of the keys to our success has been our innovative and scientifically supported approach to weight loss using a cleansing and fat-burning system that Isagenix created. Customers use a combination of “Shake Days” and “Cleanse Days” to help achieve their desired results. On Shake Days, individuals replace two meals with our high-quality, protein-rich meal replacement shakes, IsaLean® Shake and IsaLean® PRO Shake, which support efforts to burn calories and lose unwanted fat.
On weekly Cleanse Days, customers engage in nutritional cleansing, a nutritionally supported program designed to help them feel nourished and energized. Scientists refer to the basic concept behind Cleanse Days as intermittent fasting, a practice that has recently gained considerable popularity. With the Isagenix approach to intermittent fasting, individuals consume 200 to 400 calories per day using a product specifically developed to support detoxification, Cleanse for Life®, a dietary supplement whose blend of bioactive herbs and antioxidant botanicals helps nourish the body’s natural detoxification systems.
Isagenix opened its 166,000-square-foot world headquarters in 2016. The building has laboratories dedicated to developing new health and wellness products and solutions.
Our combination of overall calorie restriction and intermittent fasting through Shake Days and Cleanse Days has been the focus of two independent clinical studies that highlight the benefits of our system. In the first study, which focused on women, University of Illinois at Chicago researchers compared eight weeks of following the Isagenix System to eight weeks following a physician recommended heart-healthy diet and observed significantly greater weight loss and improvements in measures of cardiovascular health with Isagenix.
In the second study, which included men and women, Skidmore College researchers found that in a 12-week intervention with the Isagenix System followed by a 52-week weight maintenance program, subjects who continued to use Isagenix products had greater, more sustained weight and fat – both total and abdominal – loss. The study also found that the system led to better maintenance of muscle mass and metabolic rate when compared to the physician-recommended low calorie, heart-healthy whole foods-based plan.
On weekly Cleanse Days, Isagenix customers enjoy Cleanse for Life®, a dietary supplement that helps nourish the body’s natural detoxification systems.
The value of our innovative approach to weight loss can also be seen from an economic standpoint. According to a study by Arizona State University’s Seidman Research Institute, body mass index reductions among a sample group of 12,561 Isagenix customers could save the U.S. economy $461 million over 20 years due to avoided medical treatment costs and retained workforce productivity gains linked to 20 diseases*.
Kathy and I are excited not only about what our company has achieved, but also about what it will achieve in the future as Isagenix continues to focus on being an innovator within our industry.
*Asthma, Alzheimer’s, breast cancer, chronic back pain, colorectal cancer, congestive heart failure, coronary heart disease, diabetes, end stage renal disease, endometrial cancer, esophageal adenocarcinoma, gallbladder cancer, gallbladder disease, gastric cardia adenocarcinoma, hypertension, osteoarthritis, ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer, renal cancer, and stroke
Why Phoenix?
The climate, culture, access to talent, universities, infrastructure, and overall quality of life in greater Phoenix make it the ideal place to raise families, attract talent, and grow a dynamic business. Our mild winters alone are often a big selling point for residents and entrepreneurs, especially those who enjoy golfing.
Advice & Best Practices
My advice is applicable not only in Phoenix, but anywhere you choose to innovate. Have a big vision, surround yourself with talented people, and execute with integrity.
“Knowledge is the spark, action is the fire.” – Eileen Feather, mentor and pioneer in women’s health and fitness
