Nutritional Products International Marks 20 Years of U.S. Retail Expansion at ECRM September Session

This year's event comes as NPI celebrates 20 years of helping domestic and international brands enter and expand throughout the U.S. retail marketplace. Led by founder and CEO Mitch Gould, the company has built a reputation for guiding brands through every stage of the U.S. market entry process, from regulatory readiness and logistics to retail placement and ongoing marketing support.

"ECRM continues to be one of the most efficient ways to connect innovative brands with major retail buyers," said Gould. "It creates an environment for meaningful business conversations and aligns perfectly with our Evolution of Distribution platform, which helps brands successfully enter and grow in the U.S. marketplace."

The ECRM Vitamin, Weight Management & Sports Nutrition Session brings together buyers representing major health, specialty, food, drug, mass, and eCommerce retailers for private, pre-scheduled meetings with established and emerging brands.

Decades of Retail Experience

For decades, Gould has worked with consumer brands across health, wellness, sports nutrition, personal care, and general merchandise. His career includes helping products secure placement with many of America's largest retailers, including Walmart, Costco, CVS, Walgreens, GNC, Rite Aid, The Home Depot, Lowe's, and Amazon.

Gould was also among the early pioneers who helped establish Amazon's sports nutrition marketplace by introducing more than 100 brands to the platform during its formative years, helping shape one of today's largest online health and wellness retail categories.

His career has also included collaborations with well-known athletes and celebrities including Steven Seagal, Hulk Hogan, Chuck Liddell, Ronnie Coleman, and Roberto Clemente Jr., helping transform emerging consumer products into nationally distributed brands.

The Evolution of Distribution

Today, NPI's proprietary Evolution of Distribution platform provides an integrated approach to U.S. market expansion by combining global logistics, product readiness and regulatory alignment, market positioning and brand strategy, retail and eCommerce placement, and post-placement marketing into a single turnkey solution.

Rather than simply introducing products to retailers, NPI works alongside brands throughout the commercialization process, helping prepare products for the U.S. marketplace while supporting long-term retail growth.

"ECRM is an important part of that process," Gould said. "The meetings create opportunities, but success comes from everything that happens before and after those conversations. We help brands prepare for retail, secure placement, and continue building momentum long after the meetings conclude."

During this year's ECRM session, NPI will meet with retail buyers while representing a growing portfolio of domestic and international health and wellness brands seeking to expand throughout the United States.

About Mitch Gould

Mitch Gould is a third-generation retail distribution and manufacturing expert with more than 25 years of experience launching and scaling consumer products across dietary supplements, sports nutrition, skincare, hardware, and beverages. He has worked with iconic consumer brands such as Igloo, Rubbermaid, Sunbeam, and Miracle-Gro, as well as high-profile celebrity brands including Steven Seagal, Hulk Hogan, Chuck Liddell, 8× Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman, and martial arts pioneer Bob Wall.

Over the course of his career, Gould has played a key role in helping shape the growth of the U.S. sports nutrition category-supporting the expansion of performance-focused products across major retail and e-commerce platforms, including Amazon, Walmart, GNC, CVS, and Walgreens. His work has centered on bringing muscle-building, recovery, and performance-oriented products to a broader consumer audience.

Gould is known for his hands-on, execution-driven approach to building consumer brands at scale and for his deep understanding of what drives success in highly competitive categories such as sports nutrition and dietary supplements. He continues to focus on the evolving intersection of performance, wellness, and consumer demand for effective, results-driven products.

About Nutritional Products International (NPI)

Nutritional Products International (NPI) is a U.S.-based retail consulting and distribution firm founded by retail distribution expert Mitch Gould. With more than three decades of experience, Gould has helped domestic and international brands successfully enter and expand within the U.S. market, representing high-profile brands and celebrities including Steven Seagal, Hulk Hogan, Ronnie Coleman, and Wayne Gretzky.

NPI works closely with manufacturers and major retailers to guide products from concept to shelf, providing strategic support across retail introductions, regulatory readiness, operations planning, and market visibility through its proprietary Evolution of Distribution® platform. The company is known for helping brands navigate the complexities of U.S. retail efficiently while building long-term, scalable growth.