The 2008 Arnold Sports Festival was a big hit for Sunrider International!

I’m excited to tell our blog readers a little about Sunrider International’s participation both as a sponsor and a competitor at the 2008 Arnold Sports Festival, a 3-day event that promotes "a weekend of sports and a lifetime of fitness." Held in Columbus, Ohio from February 29 to March 2, it’s the largest annual sports festival in the world, with 17,000 athletes competing in a wide variety of events—only the Olympics are bigger and they occur every four years. The Festival features 37 events and 12 Olympic sports, and attracts 150,000 sports and fitness enthusiasts from around the world. And this year was extra special as it was the 20th anniversary of the Festival’s centerpiece event—the Arnold Classic—which is considered to be among the most prestigious bodybuilding competitions in the world.

Sunrider as Sponsor
One of the main reasons Sunrider started sponsoring the Arnold Sports Festival in 2006 was to provide financial support to showcase top athletes from China. This event also provides a great venue to introduce the attendees to a successful worldwide company that has been providing “Health and Wealth” to the world for over 25 years. Sunrider was delighted this year to sponsor Zhang Jie and his teammate Lu Changliang, junior weightlifting champions from the Chinese Weightlifting Association. Both of these amazing athletes wowed the crowds on center stage with their performances as shown below.

Sunrider is also dedicated to supporting various other athletic activities and events, as evidenced by Sunrider International’s selection to be the sole nutritional supplement provider for the Israel Olympic team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

When people ask me “What is Sunrider?” I often give them the following quick 30-second response:

● 25 years of stable financial growth

● Currently doing business in 42 countries

● Self manufacturer of over 400 exclusive products

● Own and operate over 2 million square feet of manufacturing facilities in 4 countries

● Opportunities to own a business system we consider to be better than a franchise.

Here are some approximate details about our newest manufacturing plant addition currently under construction near Los Angeles, CA:

● State-of the-art pharmaceutical-grade manufacturing equipment

● Nearly 1 million-square feet of working space

● 150 million dollar estimated total investment

● Perimeter of the project is approximately 1 mile long

● Ribbon cutting ceremony during our Grand Convention in July 2008

Sunrider as Competitor
Although I’ve always enjoyed bodybuilding as a hobby, I became really excited about competing in the sport because of Sunrider’s sponsorship presence at the event and being surrounded by thousands of athletes and fitness enthusiasts. Last year, I set a personal goal to compete in my first amateur bodybuilding show and I took third place in the lightweight division. A few months later I found out that my third place finish had qualified me to compete at the 2nd annual amateur bodybuilding competition during the Arnold Sports Festival. Sunrider was already planning to send me back in 2008 as a sponsor representative anyways, so now I could also participate “on stage” instead of just watching from a distance—this was to be the perfect mix of business and pleasure!

My exercise regimen consisted of working with my professional fitness trainer twice a week for about an hour, and then a one-hour per day workout 4 more days during the week by myself, and then resting on Sundays. My dietary supplementation for this show came only from Sunrider’s exclusively formulated “foods” made with our own pharmaceutical-grade manufacturing equipment to ensure the highest quality foods. From where I started before beginning this journey to compete as a bodybuilder, I can enthusiastically say that I looked great and felt great on stage!

All in all Sunrider was honored to participate both as a sponsor and as a competitor during this very special anniversary year for the Arnold Sports Festival.

John Teng

Sales Manager – North America

Photos courtesy of and copyright 2008 John Teng

Torrance Advantage Award

On Thursday, March 13, 2008, Sunrider International won the inaugural 2007 Torrance Advantage Award in the “People to People” category from the City of Torrance. The awards ceremony took place at the Torrance Marriott with a wonderful buffet and the attendance of the City Mayor, Frank Scotto, and other city officials. The unveiling of the winners was a surprise to all who applied. Even though we had a feeling that Sunrider would win in one of the four categories since we fit into each one, we were still surprised and happy to know that we won the “People to People” award. Sunny Beutler and Paul McCabe accepted the award on behalf of Sunrider. Our beautiful crystal award and framed letter from the mayor will be on display at our Torrance Headquarters.

The Torrance Advantage Awards were established to recognize innovative economic development strategies of local significance. The Awards are designed to showcase best practices and highlight outstanding results. Through this recognition, the City of Torrance thanks businesses that contribute significantly to the growth and enrichment of the Torrance community.

The "People to People Award" Category honors an organization's excellence in enhancing employment opportunities in Torrance. Additionally, it honors an organization's commitment to its current employees and investments in their talented and skilled workforce, including:

o Types of jobs created

o Number of jobs created

o New & existing programs for employee motivation and career advancement

Additional info is available at www.torrnet.com/TAA.htm

This was a great event, and we were honored to receive recognition from the city since Sunrider has been in Torrance since 1986. A little recognition goes a long way. This is for all of our employees who have made such a great impact on the company and have helped us achieve great heights.

Sunny C. Beutler
Regional Operations Director

Drs. Chen Host 400 Sunrider Business Leaders at the Leadership Conference in Hawaii!

If you polled the 400 North American Business Leaders who attended the Leadership Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii, held during February 17 – 24, all of them would give it “two thumbs up!” The setting at the luxurious Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa overlooking a wide stretch of beach and the Pacific Ocean was a paradise and it just got better and better as the week went on.

We started out on Monday afternoon, loaded on nine buses, with a visit to the famous Polynesian Culture Center, where we spent eight hours enjoying a taste of South Pacific culture, visiting native villages, and viewing an IMAX presentation. We then were treated to an authentic luau and an amazing and spectacular two-hour show with a cast of over 100 that kept the audience riveted.

Tuesday’s tour to the Pearl Harbor monument was relevant and moving. We watched an historical film depicting the events of December 7, 1941, and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and then took the ferryboat to the Arizona Memorial, which sits on top of the sunken hull of the battleship USS Arizona. This memorial honors the crewmen who lost their lives during the attack. It was an emotional tour and we were touched by it.

We had a delicious buffet lunch following Pearl Harbor at an upscale Japanese restaurant and had the entire place to ourselves! The city bus tour took us to places of interest giving a perspective of island culture, history and landscape.

Wednesday and Thursday were “free” days allowing Sunriders to select leisure activities of their choice, which for many included hiking, snorkeling, shopping, or island hopping. During this time we also had seven Opportunity and Training meetings featuring the sought-after John Teng. Approximately 250 people attended these productive, positive, and informative sessions, including guests from Hawaii.

Thursday and Saturday mornings, selected key leaders and guests were invited to a special meeting with Drs. Chen.

Friday’s General Meeting, which was emceed by Jeff Smith, was open to everyone and it was inspirational and exceptionally motivational. There was energy in the room and Dr. Chen really was at his best – and most of you know how powerful his message can be! He reiterated his Business Building Advice, focusing on the 4-step approach techniques. Dr. Chen then went on to urge the IBOs to make approaches a habit and said that when they do this, sponsoring will happen naturally. To get to this point, Dr. Chen talked about what they have to do: (1) change their mindset; (2) have the courage the face the ensuing challenges; and (3) work hard to achieve their “optimal” goal. No one does it better than Dr. Chen as he mixes humor, business acumen, and logic to drive home the point. Based on the feedback I have received, he did drive home the message.

Mrs. Chen followed him with her energy and enthusiasm and presented a PowerPoint on Frequently Asked Questions. She feels these are extremely important and that all business builders should learn them and be able to answer them with confidence and clarity. She asked the questions and had the IBOs answer the questions.

The lunch that followed at the hotel was like all the meals we shared in Hawaii – EXCELLENT! We got more compliments on this conference, food-wise, than on any of our conventions or cruises. As a matter of fact, all the comments on the Leadership Conference have been extremely positive, if not glowing.

Friday evening was an exceptionally enjoyable event. The two-hour Alii Kai Catamaran Sunset Dinner Cruise was a resounding success! Sunriders were treated royally and had the entire deck reserved exclusively for them. Everyone had a great time listening to Polynesian music and dancing. The entertainers also did a fantastic job in getting all IBOs to participate in dancing with them, even after the boat docked back in port. Once again, the food was delicious and it was a fun-packed evening.

Finally, the week was drawing to a close, but the Saturday evening Banquet was a grand finale to a fabulous week. Don Caster emceed the evening and kept it going. The buffet dinner was sumptuous, and the highlight of the evening was the IBO performers! There were seven groups that were creative, imaginative, and entertaining – worthy of American Idol! A great moment was when Dr. Chen serenaded Mrs. Chen singing, “I can’t help falling in love with you.” Even the staff was talked into a karaoke version of “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” Dr. Chen once again brought his single-minded passion to the evening and inspired IBOs to make a commitment to change, and approach using the 4-steps and make sponsoring a habit. Mrs. Chen held a raffle where over 50 excited and happy winners won innovative products such as the Antioxidant, Brightening Eye Cream, Color Compact Cases, and new Lip Colors – all of which will be launched during Grand Convention! It truly was a memorable evening.

IBOs enjoyed another incentive from our marketing plan – a free vacation in Hawaii! The average Travel Incentive Check was $2,200, which fully paid for a week-long vacation in a setting where the rich and famous play!

When they get back to their homes, the challenge to the IBOs was to have the courage to make the changes that Drs. Chen urged everyone to make. We have no doubt that they will make that commitment to change – I have heard that from many. We are also looking forward to the IBOs making a concerted effort to promote and attend the upcoming Grand Convention in Anaheim, California, with their downlines so they too can immerse themselves in the grandeur of Sunrider while enjoying the global camaraderie, inspiration, and pride this most important event provides.
Aloha, Sunriders, until Grand Convention 2008 at Anaheim!

Ras Jeyakumar
Director, Regional Operations
North & South America

Simply the Best Seat in the House

As a Sunrider employee, it’s always a pleasure and a privilege to have the chance to listen to Dr. Tei-Fu and Dr. Oi-Lin Chen in person, something that normally I only get to do once a year during Grand Convention when I work onsite and attend various events. So I was excited when I was asked to attend a special meeting held at SR HQ last Thursday. The meeting involved North American Business Leaders and Drs. Chen getting together to discuss various business matters, and as Dr. Chen said, “to improve communication and get everyone on the same page.”

For the meeting, I was asked by my manager, Wendy Teng, to take notes for future articles; but during the course of the meeting I found it difficult to do, as I’d become so engrossed in what the Chens were saying that I’d sometimes forget to put pen to paper.

Dr. Chen has always impressed me with his charisma and confident yet engaging personality. He’s a business visionary who’s able to infuse his talks with a down-to-earth practicality and a natural sense of humor, making any topic accessible and entertaining (even the stuff dealing with calculation formulas!). It doesn’t matter what country or culture you come from—when Dr. Chen speaks, you want to listen. I can see how people around the world have been attracted to Sunrider with such a dynamic spokesperson and leader at the helm.

What struck a chord with me at this particular meeting was Dr. Chen’s message about the importance of having the “courage to change.” He gave examples how great leaders throughout history had the courage to change, to get out of their comfort zones, and make tough, sometimes unpopular decisions that paved the way for innovation and growth. Dr. Chen not only initiates change, but also embraces it when he believes it’ll benefit the lives of Sunriders. Having the courage and dexterity to adapt to changing circumstances and the willingness to learn from experience, and even from other companies, are attributes of his that I think have contributed to Sunrider’s continuous growth and success spanning over 25 years.

Mrs. Chen always amazes me with her boundless energy and incisive intellect. She’s always ready for any question an attendee might throw at her. And her ability to orchestrate a meeting, to say nothing of Grand Conventions and her global company, is remarkable. She’s the ultimate multi-tasker in my book.

At the meeting I saw how she’s able to cultivate success in business builders through her organized presentation of the Sunrider marketing plan and by sharing her expert business advice; but most of all I think she helps people maximize their potential through serving as an inspirational role model. Sure, Sunrider provides lots of excellent materials and marketing tools that provide guidance and the blueprints for success, but through experiencing Mrs. Chen, you get a real-life example of how to challenge yourself and go after your goals.

Attending the meeting also gave me the chance to meet some of the Business Leaders and to see them in action (Mrs. Chen sometimes likes to put people in the hot seat, in a good-natured way). Watching the leaders made me realize that although there was an undeniable diversity of backgrounds, ages, and personalities, there was a common denominator that made them all distinctly “Sunriders”—they all exuded an almost tangible passion for the Sunrider business. Hearing them tell their incredible success stories almost made me feel like switching from working at Sunrider to working in Sunrider, as an IBO. For the time being though, I like using the SR gym and working in the great environment at SR HQ too much to change just yet.

Thanks for your time; I need to sign off now to see if I can make sense of my meeting notes.

Bob Seawright

Marketing Dept.

Sunrider Corporate Office

Hawaii Regional Meeting

The Hawaii Regional Meeting held in Honolulu on December 27, 2007 was very special for me in so many ways. First of all, this trip was part of a prescheduled family Christmas vacation in Hawaii so I got to mix business with pleasure on this one. I have to admit that I always feel a little bit guilty taking up the invitations of our Independent Business Owners to go tour local attractions or do any sightseeing when I visit their beautiful cities during regional meetings. I guess I feel like I get to have all this fun while my wife Wendy is at home wrestling with our kids. Anyways, on this particular trip I could whole-heartedly enjoy the whole package since my family was there, too!

Secondly, my Brother-in-Law Reuben and his wife Katie also made the trip to Hawaii and they treated me to an introductory scuba diving experience for my Christmas present. I braved the merciless power of the Pacific Ocean to a depth of 41 feet and swam right next to sea turtles and eels. Sorry no photos to show since my so called “waterproof” camera immediately filled up with water once I jumped in the water.

Next, the Hawaii meeting date also marked my 4-year wedding anniversary and I am happy to report that I was fully prepared to give Wendy a big surprise during the evening meeting. I hired a guitar player to accompany me as I serenaded Wendy to the music of the Hawaiian Wedding Song. We then danced one more verse of the same song during the intermission between the opportunity meeting and the training meeting. I then handed her a beautiful anniversary ring that I brought with me from the mainland. It was a true-to-form day in the life of the Sunrider family—business and pleasure all mixed together into one big fun event!

And last but not least the actual Hawaii meeting! The evening represented a reunion of the Chen family with our beloved Sunrider friends in Hawaii. With the greatly appreciated help of our dear Sunrider friends, the Sugai family, a beautiful hotel venue was prepared to receive loyal Sunriders and guests at the big event. I was given the chance to share an opportunity meeting overview for all of the new guests. Dr. Chen, founder of Sunrider International, then shared a very powerful training message of how to effectively combine the power of the products with the earning potential of the compensation plan into one solid message that was so easy to understand and duplicate!

Although each trip to Hawaii always seems so short, I am really excited to go back again this February with all of our Sunrider leaders to enjoy the food, entertainment, and training awaiting those who qualified for the North American Leadership Conference. See you in Hawaii my friends!

John Teng
Sales Manager - North America

Sunrider Distributors Now Called Independent Business Owners, New Rank Names

We wanted to make sure all of our blog readers are aware of the title change of Distributor to Independent Business Owner. We’re very happy with this change and hope you are too. Below is the official announcement from our corporate website:

Sunrider is pleased to announce that Independent Distributors will now be known as Independent Business Owners (IBOs). Effective immediately, the terms Independent Business Owner and IBO will be used and the name "Distributor" will be discontinued. Sunrider founder Dr. Tei-Fu Chen explains, "When I first came to the United States and started Sunrider, my English wasn't very good. We used the name "Distributor" because that's what most companies used at the time. As Sunrider grew, I felt the name Distributor wasn't quite right because it just told part of the story. Our "Distributors" didn't just sell or distribute Sunrider products, they also owned a business that was better than a franchise. Many of them have businesses in several countries and earn the kind of money a franchisor makes. I felt the name Distributor didn't give our people the recognition and status they deserved. Changing the name of Distributor to Independent Business Owner shows what our business is all about - helping people to improve their lifestyles and well-being by becoming successful business owners." In conjunction with changing "Distributor" to "Independent Business Owner," Sunrider is also changing the rank names as follows:

Discontinued Rank Name	New Rank Name
Assistant Director	Assistant Business Leader
Associate Director	Associate Business Leader
Director	Business Leader
Lead Director	Lead Business Leader
Group Director	Group Business Leader
Golden Group Director	Golden Group Business Leader
Master Director	Master Business Leader
Silver Master Director	Silver Master Business Leader
Golden Master Director	Golden Master Business Leader
Executive Director	Executive Business Leader
Silver Executive Director	Silver Executive Business Leader
Golden Executive Director	Golden Executive Business Leader

Mrs. Chen says, "Many times, people are confused when they hear that someone is a "Director" in Sunrider. They think that person is an employee or on our Board of Directors. Since we decided to change the name from Distributor to IBO, I wanted to also change the rank names as well so it's easier for people to understand. IBOs who build their business are Sunrider's "Business Leaders" and our business partners. We're very excited about the name changes and many of our IBOs have told me they love their new title."

Sunrider Corporate Office

Thank You!

To All Sunrider Staff & Employees:

Time is really flying by fast, it is hard to believe we are beginning a new year! As I sit here and reflect on past years I am reminded of all the people in my life who I'm grateful for and of course you all are included in that list.

I love Sunrider and have been a customer and distributor for over 22 years! During that period, I have had the privilege to get to know so many of you for this amount of time!

Throughout these past 22 years I have had such wonderful customer service from all of you. The majority of times your service was not simply just "good" or "adequate" but beyond the expected.

It didn't matter if it was issues with a lost order, needing help with the replicator site, planning events, problems with the website, distributor relationships or just putting in my 2 cents, EVERYONE WAS SO GRACIOUS AND HELPFUL. Wow!

What a blessing you all have been for me and our downline. We sincerely want to thank you all for your assistance, your friendship and for being part of what makes Sunrider so great and different than the rest of the business opportunities available today.

2007 marked the 25th Anniversary of Sunriders success, however with the new Starter Packs, neat packaging, new Newsletters, we will have a great 2008!

The Chens work hard providing us with the finest, most potent and life-changing products available anywhere in the industry and the best business opportunity. We are grateful for the Chens and all of us working together as a team will certainly see business growth and success!

We look forward to working with you in the years to come. We wish you the best always and all ways.

Julie & Phil Herring