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| Anita Finley | |
| It was so refreshing speaking to John and Susan Carlson.
The pride they shared in their business and their family came
across loud and clear. Susan and John were very enthusiastic
about how this "Mom and Pop" enterprise of formulating,
manufacturing and selling the finest supplements has grown to
enormous proportions over the last 35 years. How did it all begin? Unusual people often do unusual things. A history of entrepreneurs shows  similarities. One, that they are smart, talented,
dedicated and passionate about what their business is. Two, that they
have family and/or peer support. And three, that the business climate
is favorable. The Carlson's meet all three of these criteria. Just ask Susan Carlson about how she began Carlson Laboratories. When she was going to school, it was unusual for a woman to be educated as a pharmacist. In fact, Susan said, "When her father and his brother were going to school to become pharmacists, only 1% of women pursued the field. By the time I went to school to become a pharmacist, the number had risen to 10%. Today it has grown to 50%." After graduating, Susan began working as a pharmacist, while her husband, John, a civil engineer, continued his profession. Susan and her father, her mentor, began Carlson Laboratories because of an event that occurred in her family. As Carlson Laboratories grew, her husband, John, joined her. There is an interesting story about Susan's father, that is printed in their vitamin E brochure. It goes like this: "Dad's chest pains began when he was in his 50's, forcing him to limit the activities he loved so much, and to stop working. Several physicians were unable to significantly help him. Not feeling well made him an unhappy pharmacist." Susan continued, "While mother was visiting a local health store, the book, Vitamin E: Your Key to a Healthy Heart caught her interest. It talked about the extensive clinical work of the Shute Medical Clinic of Canada and the work of Doctors Evan and Wilfrid Shute with vitamin E and heart-related problems. Mother and Dad immediately went to see doctor Evan Shute who examined him, and suggested a specific type of vitamin E. But Dad returned with a long face because he didn't believe that the bottle of vitamin E was any different from any other vitamin E in his pharmacy. But, in less than 3 weeks, Dad was back to work. He looked and felt noticeably better. I remember him bouncing down the stairs proclaiming that he felt like he was 21 again." "But then something happened that astounded us: Dad's pains returned. Once again he was talking about his pains and was forced to stop working. He was still taking vitamin E; he had just opened a new bottle. After four days of not feeling well and the pain having returned, Dad telephoned Doctor Shute and was asked to read the vitamin E bottle label. Dr. Shute simply told Dad, 'Take the vitamin E that I recommended,' and explained some of the product differences to him." "That made us realize there was a difference in the forms of vitamin E. All vitamin E was not all the same. We became concerned because it was so im-portant to Dad that he could be sure of consistent results. It was then, with Dad's guidance, we began planning to make our own vitamin E for our family and friends," Susan said. The rest is history. After 35 years of hard and conscientious work, Carlson Laboratories has grown with the booming industry. It's especially satisfying when the founders of a company can bring their family into the business. The Carlsons have two married daughters; Carilyn is head of marketing, works in sales and their son-in-law, Michael Anderson has joined the company. The working environment has continued to feel like a family, even though Carlson Laboratories has expanded each year, now outgrowing their current headquarters building and other scattered buildings in Arlington Heights, IL. Susan explains how important it is for employees to have a safe and healthful environment in which to work. Their building has skylights and the windows face south and east to allow in sunlight. They have also installed OTT lights with a full spectrum that mimics sunlight, which is good for people and plants. It's those kinds of priorities that have put the Carlson's on top, being revered and appreciated by their family, employees and customers. Today, Carlson Laboratories manufacture over 250 nutritional supplements, specializing in a large assortment of vitamin E and new formulas for the heart. Susan says, "One thing hasn't changed in the past 35 years; we still provide only the finest products. Then we test and retest our products so that everyone will get consistent re-sults, without the setbacks that Dad experienced." When Susan Carlson started her company, the health food business was not then what it is today. The Baby Boomers have discovered that supplementing their diets will increase the quality of their lives and their families and business is booming. |
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