Valencia-based Lief Labs, a premier formulation and product development innovator and manufacturer of dietary supplements which was founded in February of 2008, marked the completion of its 15th year of business with a celebratory event at Lief’s Valencia headquarters on Friday, Feb. 16. The special event’s speaking program included U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and local business and education leaders with an overall focus on driving workforce development and the health & wellness of our nation.

Over 200 Lief employees, members of organizations including the Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation, The Los Angeles CEO Council, College of the Canyons, and Los Angeles Mission College, and other invited guests attended Lief’s 15th Anniversary celebration. The event featured formal remarks from the following speakers in order of appearance:

– Lief Labs Founder & CEO Adel Villalobos

– U.S. Senator Alex Padilla

– L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Maria Salinas

– College of the Canyons Chancellor Dr. Dianne Van Hook

– Los Angeles Mission College (LAMC) Biotech Program Director Dr. Chander Arora

Villalobos opened the celebration expressing gratitude for the support of his family in attendance, including his mother, wife and two children; as well as his extended family of nearly 200 Lief employees, all of whom he credited for their contributions to Lief’s continued success and reaching the company’s 15-year milestone.

Villalobos also noted his unique shared heritage and history with Senator Padilla as proud sons of Mexican immigrants who grew up together playing little league and high school baseball together in the San Fernando Valley. In his remarks on Senator Padilla’s inspiration as a leader, Villalobos said, “Early in his career, I asked him how he makes winning look so simple. He said it’s about finding out what people need and helping them achieve their needs. That was profound and something I try to live by to this day.”

As Padilla began his remarks, he spiritedly noted Lief’s 15-year milestone celebration as the company’s quinceañera, which is commonly celebrated in Mexican and other Latin American cultures as a “coming-of-age” 15th birthday.

“We take care of the business pretty quickly and then spend a lot more time on ‘how are you?’, ‘what are you doing to improve yourself today?’, ‘what are you doing to develop yourself as a person, as an employer, as a leader?,’” said Padilla. “It’s not too often you find true leaders with that kind of mindset and recognizing the importance of both professional and personal development. But if you know Adel, you’re not surprised. And you’re not surprised that we’re now celebrating 15 years of tremendous growth and success and contribution to the region. And, we expect a lot more over the next 15 years. So, congratulations.”

Several awards of recognition were also given at the event. Villalobos presented Senator Padilla with special awards recognizing his commitment to community leadership and an award on behalf of Lief, the Natural Products Association (NPA) and the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) for his support of the dietary supplement industry. Special certificates of recognition for Lief Labs were also presented to Villalobos from the following: U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, Stephanie English, Senior Field Deputy for L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger; Kris Hough, Field Representative for California State Senator Scott Wilk; Arturo Garcia-Mendoza, California State Assembly District Director for Assemblywoman Luz Rivas; and Suzette Valladares, Former Assemblywoman and current California State Senate Candidate.

“Lief was honored to bring Senator Padilla and our other distinguished leaders together to celebrate Lief’s 15 years of business in California and in our great Santa Clarita Valley region with an important focus on workforce development of our communities and supporting health and wellness, which Lief does every day through the products we create,” said Villalobos. “From working with the L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce’s CEO Council, to the development of a workforce development curriculum in partnership with College of the Canyons, and helping Los Angeles Mission College initiate its first ever Biomanufacturing four-year degree program, I believe that collaboratively advocating for our communities to ensure a supportive business climate and the necessary resources to enable a strong and capable workforce for the present and future is vital.”

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 over 220,000 sq ft of new and fully renovated, full-service, state-of-the-art, Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) manufacturing facility, which includes an in-house analytical testing lab and a microbiology lab, and 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.

Adel Villalobos, Founder & CEO of Lief Labs (left), receives a special recognition from the U.S. Senate from Senator Alex Padilla (right) at Lief’s 15th Anniversary celebration on Feb.
16 at Lief’s Valencia, CA headquarters.