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[Editor's Note: Welcome once again to our Industry Leaders Series, a recurring feature which will consist of conversations with CEOs, founders, and senior executives from some of the most respected and innovative companies in the sports supplement field. Our purpose is to provide our readers with unique insights into the most effective products and the philosophies behind their creation, as well as an overview of where the supplement science world stands today and where it's going to go in the near future. In this installment, we're talking to Gerard Dente, founder and CEO of MHP. A former bodybuilding champion, Gerard has lived the lifestyle for more than thirty years, and after retiring from competition in 1996, he founded Maximum Human Performance in 1997. His company swiftly established itself as one of the industry leaders in research, development, and product integrity. He's one of the great pioneers in our field and he has plenty to say.]

ProSource: Can you state the basic philosophy of your company and how it translates into the manufacturing and marketing of your products?

Gerard Dente, MHP CEO and Founder

Gerard Dente, Founder and CEO of MHP:   MHP was built on the philosophy of providing innovative, high quality nutritional supplements to help athletes achieve maximum performance. The company is not a one-hit wonder -- it has a 15-year history and proven track record of product innovation unmatched in the industry. From day one, we understood the need for highly effective nutritional supplements. Our insights, ingredient research and forward thinking have helped the company grow into the industry leader it is today. MHP has built a very loyal customer base among bodybuilders, powerlifters, strength and professional athletes and general fitness enthusiasts due to its full line of groundbreaking performance nutrition products.

ProSource: What key feature of your product line distinguishes it from those of your competitors?
    

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Gerard Dente:In a word," innovation." MHP prides itself on research and development of new and unique nutritional supplements that help its customers accomplish their fitness goals more easily. We're a leader in innovation, not a "copycat" company that follows the latest industry trends. From the very first product MHP introduced -- Secretatogogue-One, a nighttime GH releaser that is still sold today -- the company's goal has been to formulate only the most effective performance enhancing products. MHP was the first to introduce a nitric oxide product (TRAC), the creator of the first sustained release combination protein supplement (Probolic-SR), the first to conceive an EPO/NO combination pre-workout formula, and the first to develop a shelf-stable ready-to-eat high protein pudding -- among numerous other supplement innovations.

ProSource: How important is customer feedback in your research and development process? What is the primary means by which customers communicate their issues with your company?
    

Training Day with Dente

Gerard Dente: Of course, customer feedback is always important, as is consumer education. Knowing the industry and what consumers are looking for is a critical part of product development. MHP's product formulation process begins by combing the latest scientific, medical and nutritional research to discover the most advanced ingredients that meet specific performance enhancing goals. The R&D team utilizes research that most people don't have access to or aren't even aware of. Based on solid findings in this advanced analysis, MHP's formulators create precise formulas that work. MHP communicates with its customers via social media, direct feedback from its websites and through beta testing programs. Answering questions about product benefits and formulations is essential for customer service and education. In addition, MHP reps are on call during business hours to help communicate with prospective or current MHP customers.

ProSource: Briefly describe a recent promotion or product launch your company undertook and why that promotional was successful.
    

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Gerard Dente: The launch of MHP's Power Pak Pudding combined numerous avenues of marketing and promotion to ensure a major impact on the marketplace. This included the traditional realms (print advertising in all the major magazines, web promotion, email blasts) and an aggressive sampling program. Because it is impossible to communicate the taste of any product via regular advertising, MHP set up massive sampling opportunities at trade shows (such as the Arnold Classic, Olympia and Europa), gyms and supplement retailers across the country to allow consumers to taste this delicious, ready-to-eat high-protein pudding. Videos of "taste tests" helped educate the masses about this product, along with promoting its numerous performance and health benefits. To date, thousands of people have tasted Power Pak Pudding, which has helped sales explode.

ProSource: Of the following choices: a) pricing b) product effectiveness c) customer service, which is most important to your customer and why?
    
Gerard Dente: Although all three of these attributes are critical to consumers, the most important concern of every MHP customer is product effectiveness. After all, paying even a small amount for an ineffective supplement is a waste of money. When I was competing, I experimented with countless supplements to enhance my bodybuilding prowess. I had no qualms about paying a premium for a product that delivered its promised benefits -- and today's MHP customer has the same exact point of view. The end goal of any supplement consumer is results. MHP has built its business on delivering products that help its customers achieve everything they set out to do in the gym. And by stressing customer service and competitive pricing, the company continues to grow.

ProSource: Pick one supplement product category that you believe is poised for great change and advancement in the coming two or three years. What is it, how and why will customers see that impact?

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Gerard Dente: MHP's newest product innovation, MYO-X, has actually launched a totally new supplement category -- myostatin inhibitors. MYO-X is a revolutionary muscle-building product that utilizes an amazing new technology to increase anabolic potential. It is the latest step in the evolution of groundbreaking bodybuilding supplements. Myostatin first came under scientific scrutiny after its muscle growth dampening effects were discovered in 1997. Researchers theorized that inhibiting (reducing) myostatin could dramatically increase muscle building potential. The discovery of a natural food source myostatin inhibitor that was clinically proven to work -- causing a 46% reduction in myostatin levels in 100% of test subjects -- led to the creation of MHP's MYO-X. This innovative product is the only supplement on the market that contains the clinically tested myostatin inhibitor MYO-T12. With MYO-X, MHP has a big head start in this brand new supplement category that is poised to revolutionize how consumers build muscle mass in the coming years. It's just one example among many of how MHP leads through research and innovation.

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