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

Sunrider Supplements are Superior: Study Finds Banned Substances in Various U.S. Retailers

Many people ask why Sunrider® products are Simply the Best™. They may assume that Sunrider's products are just the same as supplements that can be purchased at a store in their local mall. In addition to our many unique Sunrider® products (which can be purchased directly from Sunrider Independent Business Owners), we offer a number of products that are superior to similar competing products found in regular retail stores.

A recent article in USA Today, entitled Study: Steroids found in supplements, highlights the potential hidden hazards of supplements sold in the U.S. The article cites a study which found that "13 of the 52 supplements (25%) purchased at various U.S. retailers contained small amounts of steroids and six (11.5%) had banned stimulants." A study conducted by the International Olympic Committee showed that 18.8% of the 240 supplements purchased in the U.S. contained steroids. The studies cited in this article include some of the best-selling brands (randomly selected), and most came from mall-based stores.

The study cited two main reasons for the contamination. One reason is contaminated raw materials. With Sunrider products, you can rest assured that there are no artificial or added hormones, steroids, or stimulants in our products. We use the finest herbs and raw materials, checking and cleaning them by hand and machine. We reject whole batches of herbs that do not meet our high standards. Many of the suppliers of our raw materials have worked with Sunrider for a long time, and know the high-quality raw ingredients we demand.

The second reason for contamination is the failure of manufacturers to properly clean their equipment. Sunrider manufactures all of its products in our state-of-the-art facilities, and does not outsource the production to third parties. We monitor all steps of the production process, so you know we do not use tricks to cut corners or save time. Also, our manufacturing facilities are regularly cleaned (using our own SuperClean™). Because our manufacturing process is kept to such high standards, many of our products are recognized as Kosher and Halal.

Because Sunrider products do not contain any added or artificial steroids, hormones, or stimulants, you know that our products contain only the fine ingredients listed on the labels. A number of Sunrider® products are certified by the Banned Substances Control Group, and are used by the Israeli Olympic team as they train for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The Sunrider website has more information about Sunrider’s Anti-Doping Certification.

Owen Smigelski
Senior Counsel
Sunrider International

Sunrider Holiday Party

Over the past 25 years, Sunrider's corporate employee Holiday Party has evolved into a “can’t-miss” party. John and I had a wonderful time at the party. We enjoyed a gourmet meal (I had filet mignon), fun employee performances, dancing, and saw 60 employees win exceptional raffle prizes such as cameras, iPods, cash prizes, gift certificates, HDTVs, and a $1,000 grand prize. Employees also received generous year-end bonus checks. Even if you didn’t win a raffle prize, you still earned a bonus check!

My parents not only treat their Distributors like family, they also cultivate a teamwork atmosphere in the corporate office. One of the ways they do this is with the employee performances. When my mom first asked the employees to perform, most grumbled about how she just wanted to embarrass them. Now, it’s a full-fledged competition with bragging rights. Departments will spend several hours rehearsing for their performances. The Information Systems department usually gives the performance to beat. This year, though, several departments were contenders for most entertaining performance. Next year, we’ll hopefully have better lighting so I can You Tube the performances.
My parents appreciate the hard work and talent of loyal employees. Throughout the party, they recognize loyal employees and our 12 “Employees of the Month.” Many employees have worked at Sunrider 5, 10, and 15 years. Several of them reached the 20-year mark this year and Sunrider is paying for their trip to Hawaii!

The employees also gave my parents a special gift: dinner at their favorite restaurant, Matsuhisa, and 2 front row seats to Wicked! Thanks to the employees, my parents will get to enjoy a long

overdue dream date.

Our “Employee of the Year” is Joe Chiang. He manages the programming for the website so many of you may not know him. Before the China convention, he worked around the clock to finish many last-minute projects. We had a few programmers move away, so he was also strapped for manpower. But, he told Mrs. Chen and me that he was the manager for the projects so he was responsible for completing them. He never complained or made excuses and he got the job done! We’re all very fortunate to have a great team-player like Joe working on our website.

One of the highlights of the party is the raffle prizes. This year, Distributors donated over $20,000 in raffle prizes for Sunrider’s corporate office employees. I used to think that winning cameras, iPods, $1,000 etc. was common practice. However, after going to a few parties at other companies, I realize that each prize given away at a Sunrider party is usually a “grand” prize elsewhere. So on behalf of the corporate office, I thank all who donated! We greatly appreciate your support and generosity!

My family and I will be in Hawaii over the holidays. My father, Dr. Chen, will be holding a meeting in Honolulu on December 27th. If you’ll be in town, please join us!

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!

Wendy

SR Party Sponsors

Platinum Sponsor - $2,000: Antonio Marquette

Gold Sponsors - $1,000 & above: Janet & Mack Atkinson, Nhuhao Le, David & Kay Heap, Ky Tran, Dick Richards, Robert Henrie

Silver Sponsors - $500 & above: Ari Moon, Bob & Kay Goshen, Don & Paulette Caster, Kyung & Whan Park, Paul Harrington & Rita Costanzi, Samson & Jarling Huang

Bronze Sponsors - $200 & above: Choy Keng Chan, Kim Chau Phan, Angella Pinkhasov, Mersedes Ramos & Juan Flores, Michelle Thibodeaux & Terrence Young, Jin Hee Ha, Joan & Gil Benjamin, Martha Garcia & Victor Menses, May & Lamar Mortensen, Michael Pham, Nancy Donahue, Pauline Ton Vo, Sue & Steve Yee, Jalaine & John Hamann

Sponsors - Helene & George Barfuss, Phil & Julie Herring, Sharyn Wynters, Asya Lukach, Barbara & Matthew Moore, Carolyn Sheets, Carrie Goelitz, Debbie & Patrick Bubela, Elaine & Jeff Smith, Karen Spencer & Jeffrey Dees, Kay & Bill Hughes, Kyung Pun Oh, Lois & J.W. Emerson, Margie & John Mettnet, Paul & Cheryl Jensen, Robin & Myron Frame, Selina & Sai Yeung, Sunae Hyun, Eneyda Hawkins, Inja Whang, Marv & Geneva Peterson, Jeanne & Fred Guenzler, Catherine Bunn, Juanita Figueroa, Judi Padgett-Creed & Robert Creed, Lynn Arthur, Randy & Marsha Turner, Sharon Farnsworth Ekins, Sharon Samuelsen, Sunhee Lim, Therese Cheney, Jaqueline Mellyn, Janet Diane Palmer, Shirley Just, Kathie & Fred Christiansen, Betty Rowe, Bob & Gloria Englund, Diane Royall, Natalie Johnson, Donna Ehrlich, Doris Jackson, Lorene & Leonard Haertling, Katharine Kennedy

Sunrider Supports Fundraisers

Sunrider was honored to be involved with three wonderful fundraising events held in November:

Sunrider is Sole Corporate Sponsor for Enterprise Mentors International

On Friday, November 2, Sunrider was the sole corporate sponsor of the annual gala fundraiser for Enterprise Mentors International (EMI) in Salt Lake City, Utah. EMI is a non-profit organization that provides micro-finance loans, mentoring, and support for people in developing countries in South America and the Philippines. With almost 1,000 people in attendance, Sunrider was proud to have the honor of donating $15,000 to EMI to help more people gain self-reliance and independence in countries where jobs are very scarce. The average EMI loan is about US$160. Along with each loan, EMI provides counseling, teaches bookkeeping and other necessary skills to maintain the growth of businesses. Please see http://www.enterprise-mentors.org/index.asp.

Attending the EMI annual gala, representing Sunrider were Sharon Farnsworth Ekins & Shirl Ekins, Carol Call, Chris Williams, Dick & Annette Richards, Kristen Smith and her downline, and Sunny & Jonathan Beutler.

Special Awards were given to the First Lady of Guatemala for her tremendous work in helping families in poverty by helping women start businesses. EMI also awarded the First General Relief Society Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for their extensive work in social work and aid to the less fortunate.

The special guest performer for that evening was Michael Ballam, a renowned opera singer and pianist, who told his story of visiting the people who had been helped by EMI in South America.
It was a great privilege to help others gain independence and financial freedom through EMI.


Sunrider is the Platinum Sponsor of the LA Consular Ball

On Friday, November 16, Sunrider was the Platinum Sponsor of the Los Angeles Consular Ball held in Los Angeles at the Intercontinental Hotel. The LA Consular Ball is the annual fundraising event for the Los Angeles Consular Corps, which provides networking and other beneficial international help to all its consular members in the Los Angeles area.

A wonderful event, with a local mariachi band, and Consul Generals from New Zealand, Brazil, Ireland, and Kenya, to name just a few, the crowd was lively, and everyone danced.
Recognized as one of the two Platinum Sponsors of the event, Drs. Chen, John Teng, Sunny & Jonathan Beutler, and some of our great Sunrider attorneys enjoyed the food and the wide array of people in attendance from all over the world. Everyone in attendance received a gift bag with a beautiful, new Sunrider advertisement and a box of Fortune Delight.

During the ball, there was a lottery, which had the grand prizes of free roundtrip airline tickets to anywhere in the world in first class, business class, and economy class. Although none of the Sunriders won these grand prizes, our very own Paul McCabe won 2 tickets for an 8-day, first-class train tour of Switzerland. He and his wife will definitely go on a long vacation very soon.
It was definitely an evening to remember.


Torrance Chinese School Gala

On Saturday, November 10, Sunrider participated in the second annual Torrance Chinese School fundraiser dinner as one of its main corporate sponsors. In attendance were the California State Controller, John Chiang, the Torrance Unified School District Superintendent, Dr. George Mannon, and other school officials. The event was catered at a Chinese restaurant in Torrance, and we all ate our fill. It was a great event for Sunrider to sponsor to help maintain the Chinese language and culture among second-generation immigrants who may not otherwise have a chance to learn their heritage. Thanks to the dedication of both the Taiwanese and Chinese teachers, the volunteer teacher’s aids, and the fundraising efforts of many there, Torrance Chinese School is the largest in the South Bay.

At the lottery held after the dinner, many hand-crafted and donated gifts were given away. Sunny & Jonathan Beutler even won a digital camera, which they plan on giving to a friend in Brazil.

As always, Sunrider was happy that it could give back to the community in some small way.

Sunrider Corporate Office

Turkey Trot Fun Run

I volunteered to get up at the crack of dawn on Thanksgiving morning to set up a Sunrider convention booth in support of the 28th annual City of Torrance Turkey Trot. Sunrider was one of the proud sponsors of this meaningful local event and I really wanted to personally be there to participate and to introduce Sunrider to the neighboring communities that surround the corporate headquarters. One of the Sunrider attorneys graciously agreed to join me in the morning to unload boxes, set up the booth, and to help me socialize with interested visitors.

The run also featured a food drive that collected thousands of canned food items from the participants to distribute to people in need throughout the South Bay. The proceeds from the Turkey Trot were then used to offset the costs of running "After School Club Programs" at fourteen local schools. These programs provide quality activities and care for Torrance youth. Several other Sunrider staff members specifically at the event to run in the race also dropped by afterwards to offer a helping hand as needed.

Curious visitors came by the Sunrider booth before and after the run and received a Simply the Best™ Brochure along with a beautiful Sunrider logo bag. Everyone interested in learning more about Sunrider’s “franchise-like” business opportunity and the vast array of “Simply the Best™” products were given the contact information to Sunrider’s corporate headquarters to drop by for an eye-opening and awe-inspiring visit!

John Teng
North America Sales Manager