From Family Values to Business Success: The Story behind XS

The Secret Thoughts of CEO's Podcast

David Vanderveen has a successful 30-year track record in beverage and technology-leading disruptive change, at both private and public companies.

Since September 2022, he has been the CEO of Nirvana Water Sciences and has worked with a team of industry beverage, functional beverage, and supplement experts to transform the brand, product portfolio, go-to-market strategy, and execution of the business. During this time, Nirvana has launched a new brand, Nirvana SUPER™, and its wellness extension, Nirvana SUPER Pro™, winning the Best Functional Beverage awards from both Zenith and BevNet.

In February 2023, Nirvana completed its first acquisition, Alder Creek Beverages, a pristine spring water source and manufacturing partner for Nirvana. In June of the same year, Nirvana completed a joint venture with Inspire Health Alliance to develop wellness beverage shots as part of a new supplement protocol for customers undergoing orthopedic surgeries.

From 2002 until 2015, David served as the founder and Chief Executive Officer of XS World Wide, a company with a portfolio of energy drinks and sports nutrition products. The brand was a strategic partner with the Amway Corporation, and XS became the fastest-growing business segment and category for the world’s largest direct seller. XS reached annual sales of over $400 million dollars, with product distribution in more than 60 countries. XS was sold to Amway in 2015, where David served as Vice President and Global General Manager for the XS Brand, with maximum earn-out through 2018. The brand continues to grow.

After leading the transition of XS to an Amway-owned brand, he served as the Chief Operating Officer at NewAge Beverages Corporation, then one of the fastest-growing healthy beverage companies in the world, where he helped double shareholder value during the global pandemic.

Post-COVID, David brought his insight and leadership skills to It Works, a trendsetting affiliate-driven nutrition company with a suite of products designed to empower people to transform their bodies and lives. As the President of It Works International, he has helped to reorganize, rebuild, and inspire growth in the business in 23 global markets, while living and working from Paris.

In addition to his history of disruptive international business development, David serves as an advisor to RX3 Growth Partners, a private equity firm that partners with consumer brands and other leading investment firms, to maximize value by leveraging its unique influencer base of athletes, celebrities, and thought leaders.

What You’ll Learn

● The importance of integrity.

● How to apply core values to succeed in business.

● The value of taking risks.

● How to balance work and family life.

Timestamps

· [05:00] The importance of integrity.

· [07:15] David’s core values.

· [11:31] Finding his calling.

· [16:55] Starting at Amway.

· [22:03] The impact of family in business.

· [26:51] David’s mission at Amway.

· [31:10] Creating credibility.

· [33:31] David’s socks.

· [34:37] Balancing work and family.

· [42:36] Navigating risk.

Memorable Quotes

· “The one thing we take with us are our values.” – David Vanderveen [06:21]

· “Great companies prevail over time beyond a person or a product because they operate from core values.” – David Vanderveen [36:12]

· “what’s not negotiable is who you’re with and the values you operate around.” – David Vanderveen [38:14]

Websites

fambizforum.com.

www.chrisyonker.com.

www.davidvanderveen.com.

www.nirvanawater.com.

@daveed58.

David Vanderveen.