Myron W. Wentz is the founder, chairman and former CEO of

USANA Health Sciences Usana Health Sciences, Inc., or USANA, is an American multi-level marketing company based in West Valley City, Utah. As of 2021, Usana was the 14th largest multi-level marketing company in the world by revenue. The company manufactures most o ...

, a Utah-based

multi-level marketing Multi-level marketing (MLM), also called network marketing or pyramid selling, is a controversial marketing strategy for the sale of products or services in which the revenue of the MLM company is derived from a non-salaried workforce selling th ...

company that produces nutritional products and

dietary supplements A dietary supplement is a manufactured product intended to supplement one's diet by taking a pill (pharmacy), pill, capsule (pharmacy), capsule, tablet (pharmacy), tablet, powder, or liquid. A supplement can provide nutrients either extr ...

Education

Wentz holds a BSc degree in biology from

North Central College North Central College is a private college in Naperville, Illinois. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and has nearly 70 areas of study in undergraduate majors, minors, and programs through 19 academic departments organized in thre ...

in Naperville, Illinois, an MSc degree in microbiology from the

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of ...

, and a PhD degree in

microbiology Microbiology () is the scientific study of microorganisms, those being unicellular (single cell), multicellular (cell colony), or acellular (lacking cells). Microbiology encompasses numerous sub-disciplines including virology, bacteriology, prot ...

and

immunology Immunology is a branch of medicineImmunology for Medical Students, Roderick Nairn, Matthew Helbert, Mosby, 2007 and biology that covers the medical study of immune systems in humans, animals, plants and sapient species. In such we can see there ...

from the

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

Professional history

In 1974, Wentz launched Gull Laboratories as a one-man operation and developed a test for diagnosing Epstein-Barr virus infection. The company was later sold to Fresenius, a German medical products company, in 1994, although Wentz continued as Chairman until 1998. Wentz sold his controlling interests in Gull Laboratories in 1992 and founded

in the same year. Wentz also founded the Sanoviv Medical Institute in 1998, an

alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film * ''The Alternative ...

and

holistic medicine Alternative medicine is any practice that aims to achieve the healing effects of medicine despite lacking biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or evidence from clinical trials. Complementary medicine (CM), complementary and alte ...

center located near

Rosarito, Mexico Rosarito is a coastal city in Playas de Rosarito Municipality, Baja California, situated on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. As of 2010, the city had a population of 65,278. Located south of the US-Mexico border, Rosarito is a part of the greater S ...

. Wentz served as President of Sanoviv from 1999-2010. The current president is Seth Miller, USANA’s former Director of International Business Development. Wentz and his family are the sole owners of Gull Holdings, Ltd., an

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

company, which in turn, is controlled by an entity registered in Liechtenstein, both well known tax haven countries. Through Gull Holdings, Wentz owns 51% of USANA.

Shareholder lawsuit

On April 4, 2007, Wentz was named as a defendant in a

class-action lawsuit A class action, also known as a class-action lawsuit, class suit, or representative action, is a type of lawsuit where one of the parties is a group of people who are represented collectively by a member or members of that group. The class action ...

brought against USANA by company shareholders. The suit alleged that USANA presented materially false and misleading information about the company’s financial situation and business practices. Included in the allegations were that USANA's business model was unsustainable and amounted to a

pyramid scheme A pyramid scheme is a business model that recruits members via a promise of payments or services for enrolling others into the scheme, rather than supplying investments or sale of products. As recruiting multiplies, recruiting becomes quickly im ...

. The suit cited several allegations from a report released by

Barry Minkow Barry Jay Minkow (born March 22, 1966) is a former American businessman, pastor, and convicted felon. While still in high school, Minkow founded ZZZZ Best (pronounced "Zee Best"), which appeared to be an immensely successful carpet-cleaning and r ...

and the Fraud Discovery Institute.

Citizenship

Wentz has been criticized for having renounced his

American citizenship Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constituti ...

in the mid-nineties, and for now claiming citizenship in

Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis (), officially the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, is an island country and microstate consisting of the two islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, both located in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands chain of ...

, reportedly due to tax purposes as the country is known for being a

tax haven A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, or n ...

. Former

USANA Usana Health Sciences, Inc., or USANA, is an American multi-level marketing company based in West Valley City, Utah. As of 2021, Usana was the 14th largest multi-level marketing company in the world by revenue. The company manufactures most o ...

CFO, Gilbert Fuller, responded to this criticism by stating that Wentz's decision to renounce his US citizenship had nothing to do with the company. Wentz and his companion, Prudence Conley, now live in

North Central College

Wentz donated $10 million to his alma mater, North Central College, which helped to fund construction of the Wentz Concert Hall, a $30 million performing arts facility named after Wentz. In June 2011, the College awarded Wentz an honorary doctor of science degree for lifetime achievement in the sciences. Wentz was the benefactor of the Dr. Myron Wentz Science Center at North Central College, which was due to be formally dedicated in October 2017.

Bibliography

Books

*Wentz M. ''A mouth full of poison''. Rosarito Beach, Baja California:Medicis, S.C.; 2004. *Wentz M. ''Invisible miracles''. Rosarito Beach, Baja California:Medicis, S.C.; 2002. *Wentz M. and Wentz, D. ''The Healthy Home''; 2010

Scientific papers

*Preobrazhensky S, Malugin A, Wentz M. "Flow cytometric assay for evaluation of the effects of cell density on cytotoxicity and induction of apoptosis". ''

Cytometry Cytometry is the measurement of number and characteristics of cell (biology), cells. Variables that can be measured by cytometric methods include cell size, cell counting, cell count, cell morphology (shape and structure), cell cycle phase, DNA c ...

'' 2001;43(3):199-203. *Mazumder P, Chuang HY, Wentz MW, Wiedbrauk DL. "Latex agglutination test for detection of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii". J Clin Microbiol 1988;26(11):2444-46. *McNeil C, Ladle JN, Helmick WM, Trentelman E, Wentz MW. "An antiserum to ovarian mucinous cyst fluid with colon cancer specificity". ''

Cancer Research Cancer research is research into cancer to identify causes and develop strategies for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure. Cancer research ranges from epidemiology, molecular bioscience to the performance of clinical trials to evaluate and ...

'' 1969;29(8):1535-40. *Wentz MW, Scott RA, Vennes JW. "Clostridium botulinum type F: Seasonal inhibition by Bacillus lichenoformis". ''

Science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

'' 1967;155(758): 89-90.

References

External links

Official USANA website

SEC Eyeing USANA Chief

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wentz, Myron W. Living people American chief executives American microbiologists North Central College alumni University of North Dakota alumni University of Utah alumni People associated with direct selling Former United States citizens 1940 births American emigrants to Mexico