Something special happened this year at Expo West, the largest health food expo in the country. As thousands gathered at the Anaheim Convention Center in Southern California to see the latest and greatest natural supplement and food innovations, true pioneers of the health food industry were honored. Ray Clark and Clark’s Nutrition & Natural Foods Market were the sole recipients of the New Hope Community Purpose & Impact Health Award. Out of the hundreds of thousands of natural food retailers, manufacturers, distributors, innovators, and corporations within the natural foods industry, Ray and Clark’s Nutrition were chosen for the impact they have made over the last 50 years!
In the 1970s, the public often thought of health food stores as a source for date shakes, carrot juice, and hippies. The nutritional store model was in its infancy, and in 1972 Jim Clark opened a store of his own. A short time later, Jim’s son, Ray, a young hard-working manager at Smart & Final, joined the adventure.
By 1978, Ray and his wife, Carol opened Clark’s Nutrition Center in San Bernardino. The new business began to grow. As the demand for supplements also grew, so did Ray’s commitment to learning about nutrition. Clark’s Nutrition’s legacy is firmly tied to their commitment to educating and prioritizing sharing knowledge with customers rather than just selling them products. Ray’s character of always making people the priority is a hallmark of Clark’s Nutrition experience.
Over the last 50 years, under Ray’s leadership, Clarks has trained thousands of employees and helped hundreds of thousands with their health journey; a claim that few four-store independent Natural Foods stores can make. In fact, if we could see the Clark's family tree representing each life touched by Ray Clark and Clark’s Nutrition, it would not be a single tree with multiple branches, but we’d see acres and acres of trees they have planted, watered, and grown.
For the last fifty years, we have always tried to make people our priority!” — Ray Clark, CEO, Clark's Nutrition & Natural Foods Market.
One of Ray’s industry contributions is that in 1994 he helped to get the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA) bill passed, giving freedom of supplement choice to all.
Like most pioneers, Ray would be the first to say that he didn’t do this alone. His wife Carol, who in the early days would remind him when things were rough that, “The Lord didn’t bring us this far to let us fall. It is going to work out!” Ray’s three children, Bruce, Jeff, and Tracy have all played pivotal roles in making Clark’s Nutrition a generational success. Bruce’s vision helped to expand Clark’s influence and locations. Jeff, as Clark’s President, not only provides directional strategy but has created systems and in-house technologies that have kept Clarks at the forefront of our industry. And CFO, Tracy, takes on the task of managing all the financial commitments of Clarks locations. Ray’s grandkids are also managing stores and working in corporate positions to ensure the legacy of Clark’s Nutrition and the work of Ray Clark continues. Clark’s employees, past and present, have also helped Clarks be a leader in our industry. In fact, some of the new employees include Ray’s great-grandkids who are taking up Clark’s mantle and working in the stores.
Another key player in Clark’s Nutrition story is the Director of Education, Starkie Sowers. For over 42 years, Starkie has taken the education principles Ray instituted and created a 5-level in-house training course that he teaches to every Clark’s Nutritional Consultant.
As Ray received this award he was quick to remind the audience that the honor of receiving The Health Award signals to anyone looking at the definition of success is that it’s found in the investment in people. Ray and his family will continue to sow into the health of others. The grove of people they influence will continue to grow, so we all can eat from the trees of health the Clark family have tended for the past 5 decades!
Congratulations to Ray Clark, his family, and Clark’s Nutrition for investing in others and setting the bar high for future award recipients.