SPRINGVILLE — The world of global business is familiar territory for Eric Larsen, the new chief executive officer of Neways International, the Springville firm that sells cosmetics, health supplements and other personal care products in the United States and around the world.
Since going to work for Provo-based Nu Skin Enterprises after graduating from Brigham Young University 17 years ago with a political science degree, Larsen has lived in five countries and done business in nearly every region of the world.
"My wife and I were newly married and we decided to go up to Canada and open up our office up there for Nu Skin," Larsen said. "Then one thing led to another — and 45 countries later — I'm where I am now."
Three years after joining Nu Skin competitor Neways as the vice president of international operations and development, Larsen was tapped as the company's new top executive following the retirement last November of former CEO Michael Cunningham.
Now, Larsen said, he plans to help the company grow from the 23 countries in which it now operates into ripe markets in Europe and Asia. The goal, he said, is to increase annual sales from $750 million to the $1 billion mark.
"Some of the goals that we have is making sure the infrastructure works to support that type of growth, making sure that we have a good management team in place to do that," Larsen said.
"Everything from manufacturing to human resources, every bit and piece of our company, needs to be properly prepared and structured to be able to support future growth."
Neways, a multilevel marketing firm, is evaluating several possible markets, Larsen said, and should start opening them in the next three to five years.
Given his international-business experience, Larsen was seen by many in the company as the natural choice to guide the expansion, but others say the decision was just as much based on Larsen's personality as his experience.
"His interpersonal communication skills are incredible," Neways spokesman Ben Jolley said. "He's very talented at making everybody feel comfortable . . . you don't feel like you're a (subordinate) in this company. You feel like you're a strong force in a company that's moving forward, thanks to the way he treats the employees and everyone around him."
Neways management was shaken last year with the conviction of company founders Thomas E. Mower Sr. and Leslie DeAnn Mower on tax-related charges.
They were convicted in March of cheating the Internal Revenue Service out of more than $1 million by failing to report millions of dollars in commissions they received from their company's overseas divisions.
Larsen said it was a difficult time for the Mower family, but it did not harm the company.
"The tax trial was really a personal issue for the Mowers," he said. "It really had very little effect on our overall business. People that know the Mowers were always questioning and had concerns on how they were doing and making sure they were taken care of. But as far as our business . . . it has grown substantially in that time."
Larsen praised the Mowers for creating a strong management team to take over day-to-day operations of the company and said he plans to emphasize the value of every employee as the company moves forward.
"You look at all of our roles, and whether it's the guy pushing the broom, or the guy making the products, or the person answering the phones or the CEO, all of us have our role that we play," he said. "It's to improve the value of the company and to make sure we're reaching consumers and distributors and serving them the best we can. We're all pieces in the puzzle."
E-mail: jtwitchell@desnews.com