Health First Network AGM: a celebration of 25 years
By Bruce W. Cole
The Health First Network (HFN) annual general meeting (AGM) in Toronto this year was special as it marked the 25th anniversary of the founding of this retailer organization.
HFN formally took shape as United Health Merchants in 1999, following a number of years as an informal buying group.
The three-day AGM kicked off Thursday May 30 with a member and vendor-supplier welcome reception, a perfect occasion to network and renew acquaintances.
Friday morning began with an address to vendors by HFN CEO Davide Viola, followed by a busy day of member-vendor presentations, a “speed dating” session, and an afternoon tradeshow.
Vendor partners were acknowledged Friday evening during the Vendor Award Night reception and dinner. As part of the celebrations around the 25th anniversary, the vendor awards were presented differently this year. Founding vendor awards were given to the four vendor partners that have been with HFN since 1999: Genuine Health, Purity Life, Progressive, and Natural Factors.
“The 25th anniversary vendor awards reflected our intention to use this special milestone to celebrate the outstanding teamwork that has defined a quarter century of being better together,” said Tawnya Ritco, director of marketing and vendor relations for HFN.
“The special edition paid tribute all those vendor partners that support HFN and Canadian natural health food and supplements retailers from coast to coast, including those who have been with Health First since its inception 25 years ago.”
Saturday was an intense day of member-only meetings. HFN honoured its member stores for excellence on Saturday evening during the Member Awards dinner. Sofia Constantinou, associate director of business and member development for HFN, presented the 2024 winners.
The Academy Award
“The Academy Award goes out to the member who demonstrates a commitment to education and training through various systems, webinars, in-person, and especially through our Learning Management System – Health First Academy. This year’s winner is Amaranth Whole Foods Market, Calgary and St. Albert, Alberta. Amaranth supports and encourages their team members to stay current with all Health First and vendor trainings. As a result, their staff is very engaged in our online learning platform, webinars, and store training sessions.”
The Fueling Growth Awards
“This award goes to members who have the most growth in the purchases of our brand partners, both directly and through our warehouse. These awards are broken down into categories based on store size and number of locations. It is important to note that while several members have shown growth, the members who have won are the leaders in their relative categories.”
Fueling Growth (Small) – Panier Santé La Prairie, La Prairie, Quebec
Fueling Growth (Medium) – The Healthy Bug, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Fueling Growth (Large) – Hedley's Health Hut, Brandon, Manitoba
Fueling Growth (Multi) – Health Service Centre, Toronto, Ontario
The Oliver Award [SUBHEAD]
“The Oliver Award is named after the Oliver family of Oliver Health Foods in Lethbridge, Alberta. The recipient of this award has shown a commitment to the Health First brand, showing a high level of sales, engagement, and strong store performance as it relates to the Health First product, sales growth, and most importantly, the OLIVER attitude: putting Health First FIRST with PASSION! The winner is Le Chrysanthème, Sorel-Tracy, Quebec. Owner Victor-Alexandre Laprade has worked hard in the past year to grow their engagement in the industry and to show tremendous growth in all categories including the Health First brand.”
The Spirit of HFN Award
“This award is given to the member who truly embodies the values of our network. This is demonstrated through continuous engagement and involvement as well as supporting our programs, brand partners, and the network overall. They offer peer support and value the interests of the group over the individual. This year’s winner is Charlene's Nutrition Centre, Sydney, Nova Scotia. Owner Charlene Anderson attends all training sessions and is engaged in our member forums, AGMs, and contests. She is in all of our programs and is an active cheerleader of HFN, always supporting other members. She truly embodies the spirit of HFN in her business, with her staff and our membership.”
The Brock Elliott Solid as a Rock Award
Sophia explains that special award is only bestowed upon one winner every two years. The winner of this award can be anyone from this industry who has contributed to the industry and to HFN. It is named in honour of the late Brock Elliott, a founding member of United Health Merchants in 1999, now known as Health First Network (HFN).
“The recipient of this award in 2024 is very special to HFN,” said Sophia. “This is the first time a winner has been chosen outside of our members. Bruce Cole started CNHR magazine 27 years ago and was at the very first meeting of our founding members 25 years ago. Bruce has been a friend of the HFN family ever since.
“He has attended all of our conferences and AGMs; has featured countless numbers of our members on the covers and inside the pages of the magazine; has built relationships with our team and our members over the years; and has been a constant presence at CHFA shows and events all across the country. He has and continues to truly support this industry and HFN for the good of the group and the good of the industry.”