Management

Jim Rex | President and CEO

Jim brings a unique combination of business expertise to the GHT Leadership Team, which includes over 15 years as CFO, over 20 years as President/CEO, and the ability to draw on the experience of consulting with over 100 companies in the areas of strategy, finance and focused problem-solving. more

He has taught undergraduate/graduate coursework in finance, accounting, strategy and leadership; and, has been retained by organizations throughout North America to teach specific programs on problem-solving and effective communication techniques.

Brian Taus | Vice President of Sales

Brian brings over 25 years of marketing and sales experience to the GHT Team, which includes holding senior level positions in the food, functional beverage and wellness industries. more

This background also includes a substantial and successful track record in the launching of new consumer products, as well as influencing industry trends by representing and implementing leading edge strategic marketing/sales plans. Furthermore, Brian’s global experience in the consumer product industry will be an asset to the GHT Team as he leads the market expansion for the company and drives a sustainable presence in targeted geographic regions.

Shanna Denfeld | Vice President of Customer Service

Shanna’s 15+ years of progressive experience in the nutraceutical industry adds an extraordinarily refined and applicable business skill set to the GHT Team. Her experiential background includes leading Customer Service Teams for global markets, which has garnered her awards for the outstanding results delivered. more

Additionally, she has extensive knowledge in manufacturing and product formulation processes, as well as oversight of corporate logistics and compliancy functions. Shanna’s selection as VP will ensure that GHT will generate the industry’s best deliverable results for its customers.

Steve Arman | CFO

Since beginning his career at the Los Angeles office of Arthur Andersen, Steve has worked entirely in the Southern California market for over 25 years. He has extensive experience providing services in numerous industries, including technology, financial, real estate, life sciences, entertainment and manufacturing. more

His client profiles have included closely-held and publicly traded corporations, individual entrepreneurs and investor/developer joint ventures. He also has a great deal of experience working with high net worth individuals.

Steve spent many years with Arthur Andersen, Ernst & Young, and Grant Thornton along with a number of years in private industry. While at Time Warner, Inc., he worked in international finance and operations in addition to maintaining corporate tax responsibilities. He has a BS in accounting from California State University at Long Beach, and a Masters of Business with an emphasis in Taxation from the University of Southern California. And he recently served on the Board of the San Diego Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth.

Ernesto Mejia | Director of QC/QA and R&D

Ernesto’s education, including an undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering and an MBA, coupled with his over 30 years experience brings a wealth of dynamic strength as lead scientist to the HSM Team. more

His broad range of experience includes working in key positions for the Nutrilite division of Amway Corporation. Ernesto has been a part of many successful teams charged with implementing all aspects of biotechnology production facilities. He also was a part of the team for ten years at Natureceutical International, Inc., where he was involved with the Research and Development of food supplement formulas.

Kathy Prager | Controller

Kathy brings an extensive amount of accounting experience to GHT, which includes having obtained her CPA designation from the State of California. Her background in all facets of business accounting has proven invaluable for ensuring accurate and reliable reporting for the company and its Leadership Team. more

Her experiential background includes assuming the Controller role in a number of industries such as manufacturing, venture capital and real estate. Kathy’s responsibilities for GHT also involve oversight of the risk management and human resource sectors, which again is strengthened by her extensive background in the same.

Thomas Monroe | Vice President of Sales

As Vice President of Sales, Thomas is responsible for driving global sales for The GHT Companies. Thomas has more than 19 years of industry experience as a customer-focused problem solver, which includes technical services, quality control, marketing, business development, and sales in the nutritional supplement and functional beverage industries.

Ellyn Hendricks | Operations Manager

In her position as Operations Manager for Health Specialties Manufacturing, Inc., Ellyn Hendricks oversees the production, purchasing, supply chain, and logistics responsibilities for the contract manufacturing division. In addition to supporting domestic and international customers, her responsibilities include handling production of private label orders and branded products for The GHT Companies and raw ingredient distribution, all handled locally in the Vista, CA, facility. more

Ellyn brings over 25 years of experience in managing customer service and sales support organizations within various manufacturing industries and a solid commitment towards quality and service excellence.