Steve Demos
Steve Demos is the founder and former President of White Wave, Inc. Founded in 1977, White Wave, Inc., now WhiteWave Foods Company, is the largest producer and marketer of soymilk products in the U.S. WhiteWave products are sold in over 96% of the nation's supermarkets and the Silk brand is the top revenue-producing soymilk in America. From 1970 to 1974, Mr. Demos traveled extensively throughout Asia studying Eastern philosophy and returned to the U.S. with the specific goal of starting an environmentally focused company based on a clearly articulated value system. He was one of the early American entrepreneurs to further the concept of “Right Livelihood.” Mr. Demos is a founding member of the Soy Crafters Association of North America started in 1978 and its successor Soyfoods Association of North America (SANA). He has served on SANA’s Board of Directors and as President of that trade association. In addition, Mr. Demos has acted as a training consultant to the Soy Protein Utilization project between the United States and India, as well as having held Board seats on the Boulder Ballet Company and Community Food Share over the past several years. He has been honored as the Boulder Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneur to Watch in 1977 and Entrepreneur of Distinction in 1996. White Wave was named Small Business of the Year in 1992 and the 2001 Colorado recipient of the U.S. Small Business Administration Entrepreneurial Success Award. Also in 2001, Inc. Magazine named White Wave to its list of the “Top 500 Fastest -Growing Companies in America.” Mr. Demos was inducted into the Boulder, Colorado, Business Hall of Fame in 2003. He has been featured on the cover of the Wall Street Journal, Forbes Small Business, Fortune, USA Today, CNN Financial News and Success Magazine as a leading innovator reflecting the American entrepreneurial spirit. In September 2007, Mr. Demos unveiled his latest business venture, NextFoods, dedicated to developing and marketing products with scientifically proven nutritional benefits. In addition to its first product, Verb: GoodBelly, a fruit-juice-based proprietary pro-biotic digestive aid, future product plans include functional foods for the heart, brain and bones. Mr. Demos graduated from Bowling Green University in 1970 with a Liberal Arts degree.

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