Valencia-based Lief Labs, a premier formulation and product development innovator and manufacturer of dietary supplements, is pleased to announce the appointment of Yancy W. Riddle, Ph.D., in the firm’s newly established position of Chief Operating Officer (COO).

In this new COO role, Riddle will lead the integration and development of cross functional teams designed to improve the customer experience. Lief continues to achieve rapid growth, and its CEO sees this strategic hire as an opportunity to bring Industry 4.0 to the organization and Dietary Supplement Industry, in alignment with Lief’s plans to be a world-class, people plus technology-driven organization in the next few years.

Riddle brings over 30 years of manufacturing experience to Lief and has helped build and transform business operations globally, including the U.S., Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. Prior to Lief, he was most recently a co-founder and COO of Nearshore Technology; a software, engineering, and data analytics outsourcing company in the U.S. and Mexico. Riddle’s vast leadership experience also includes previous Interim Chief Executive Officer positions at Aramada Cloud, as well as SixthSense MedTech; and Chief Technology Officer roles at Diamond Materials Technology and UCT Coatings, Inc.

“I am very excited to welcome Yancy as he joins our incredible leadership team at this pivotal time of growth for Lief,” said Adel Villalobos, CEO & Chairman of the Board. “Yancy’s entrepreneurial spirit combined with his depth of experience in utilizing technology and data for business impact, make him the best fit for the direction in which Lief is going.” Villalobos added, “I will combine some apt quotes from mentors I’ve had over the years to say, ‘when it comes to finding a COO to get you to your vision, find someone that is applying those desired future skills now. That person will get you to where the hockey puck is going, not where it is today!’”

A highly regarded and published academic, Riddle was inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Engineering Alumni of Georgia Tech, where he received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering. He is a member of several Boards at Georgia Tech, including the College of Engineering. He earned his B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from Northeastern University. Riddle also completed Harvard Business School’s Program for Leadership Development.

“I’m beyond thrilled Lief is giving me the opportunity to leverage my experiences with hardware, software, data, analytics, and culture to transform Lief from a traditional contract manufacturer to the most advanced digital innovation leader of the nutraceutical industry,” said Riddle. “I’m an integrator and builder-of-dreams at heart. Lief is full of spirited people with high aptitude and ambition, led by Adel’s vision. I couldn’t ask for better raw materials than that. We’ve got a lot of wind in our sails. This is going to be an enormous amount of fun!”

About Lief Labs
Lief Labs is a premier formulation and product development innovator and manufacturer of dietary supplements. Our in-house Product Development and R&D team creates the best tasting and most cutting-edge formulations of supplements. Lief also houses a 200,000 square ft full-service, brand-new, state-of-the-art, Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) manufacturing facility, which offers custom solutions for a multitude of supplement categories. Lief collaborates with entrepreneurial firms to help them build premier brands. Our turnkey solutions allow us to engage in seamless partnerships that help brands with scalability and sustainable growth. Lief hosts the Beyond the Supps podcast which covers a wide range of topics such as entrepreneurship, social media, quality control, health & wellness, and the impact the dietary supplement industry has worldwide. The company is based in Valencia, CA. To learn more, please visit www.lieflabs.com.