“Welcome to the GWI family!" These were the opening remarks from GWI CEO and founder Jim Schultz last week at the company's premier event in conjunction with the Supply Side West trade show.

 Schultz doesn't take this statement lightly. "I believe in family, friendship and partnership, both from a personal and professional standpoint," Schultz proclaimed as he set the tone with a warm welcome to the over 80 participants at the Wynn Hotel. The guests included C-level executives from top manufacturers such as Weisheng Kingdomway, InnoBio Limited, and Fufeng Group, as well as customers and distributors. This gathering was truly a supply chain combination rarely seen before.

The theme of GWI's conference was "Better Together," which stands for collaboration based on trust, shared values, transparency, and communication. The California-based ingredient supplier invited their leading manufacturing partners from China as well as customers to openly discuss quality control, supply chain management, and future partnerships. GWI CEO Jim Schultz took this opportunity to also introduce the new GWI company concept, vision, and mission. He was followed by keynote speakers Tony Xue, general manager from its Quality Control facility in Shanghai; and Sherry Wang, GWI president.

Also taking the podium to discuss the inspection and compliance issue of black specks was Dr. Emilie Wang, sales director of InnoBio. She stressed the importance of quality control and what precautions the industry has taken to remedy this potential problem. "We would like to show how manufacturers can control black specks and foreign materials in the future," Wang said.

Highlights of the night included first-time GWI Supplier of the Year and Customer of the Year awards. "These awards are not based solely on sales," Schultz declared. "They are based on integrity, communication, and keeping promises."

Accepting its Customer of the Year Award, Gene Pallardy, supply chain director of Century Foods International, exclaimed his excitement and overall dedication to his company's partnership with GWI. "It is my pleasure to represent Century Foods International and thank you for this evening. GWI and its amazing sales team are crucial to the success of our business. We truly believe we are part of their business family and look forward to a longstanding relationship built on trust and integrity."

The Supplier of the Year award was presented to Jinan Asia Pharmaceutical, which successfully worked with GWI on projects involving betaine and choline. Through this partnership, GWI is one of the top betaine and choline distributors nationwide. Accepting the award was Mr. Guoqiang Zhang, president of Jinan Asia. "GWI is a strong partner that strives to be innovative and accomplishes this through continuous progress in the field of raw ingredient supply. We appreciate their code of ethics and transparency throughout the supply chain," Zhang said.

The night was best summarized by Virgo Publishing Senior Editor Steven Myers. "It's quite impressive to see all three groups coming together to one table: suppliers, distributors, and customers. This represents the importance of transparent communication that GWI stands for, and, indeed, the atmosphere truly feels like family."