Growing up as a son of immigrants, Adel learned the value of hard work first hand from his parents. In his early high school years, his interest, passion and success in baseball taught him discipline and hard work, where he credits his early achievements. Adel went to attend California State University Northridge (CSUN), and obtained his degree in Biochemistry with an emphasis in Nutritional Biochemistry in 2001.

Shortly after, Adel was hired as a part time employee with a company called Natrol. Adel’s dedication, eagerness to learn and willingness to try his hands in various departments, from Customer Service to QC Lab Tech to Marketing, Product Development and Regulatory, led him to venture out on his own. Adel has devoted his entire professional career to Nutraceuticals. “It was plain curiosity to see whether I could make it, paired with my ambition to lead and develop teams that believe in a shared mission,” Adel says about starting his first company, Avidia Nutrition Group, a supplement manufacturing firm in 2003. The truth is that the hard lessons he learned at Avidia, were the basis of Lief Labs’ success today!

In 2008, Adel started Lief Labs. At the time, an 8,000 sq. ft. facility but equipped with big dreams and humble beginnings, Lief has now grown into a 114,000 sq. ft. premier formulation and product development innovator and manufacturer of dietary supplements. Adel’s industry knowledge, bringing on strong staff of leaders and doers, and vision allows Lief to stay ahead of trends and recognize opportunities for collaborations with entrepreneurial firms and help them build premier brands that stay relevant well beyond product expiration dates.

Today, Adel is all about giving back and he is passionate about sponsoring non-profit organizations such as Vitamin Angels and Heart of the Brain that are dear to his heart. At Lief, he has created a great internship program that gives students the opportunity to start gaining professional experience from the beginning. Adel is also very committed in speaking to students, as a proud alumnus, of his high school (SFHS) and University (CSUN). He hosts open houses and tours at the company’s Valencia headquarters for students and faculty to give business insights and mentoring opportunities to inspire and share his experience as an entrepreneur.

Adel states, “I love what I do, and it’s helped me mature and grow personally and professionally.” He is proud to help young kids achieve that same love for something that can help them flourish in their careers. Adel states, “I love being a part of the professional and personal growth, whether it is students, staff or clients. I am committed to building great relationships and spreading quality supplements worldwide.”

Adel is also a graduate of the UCLA – Anderson School of Management Executive Program and Northwestern University – Kellogg School of Management.

Nathan’s passion for health and fitness started early in life while he was in the fire academy. It was there where he learned the importance of proper supplementation and how it can help maximize training results.

After completing his Bachelors in Communications Advertising from Cal State Fullerton, he started to build some industry experience working in sales for various pharma and manufacturing companies.  Nate quickly discovered that his interests went beyond just the sales side; he wanted to learn how to build and expand a company through sales, business development and innovation.

That is what ultimately lead him to Lief. “I became obsessed with the idea of creating. Seeing a product being sold on a shelf that I was a part of developing became addicting. I took pride in my work and quickly learned every aspect of the industry to accelerate my growth. And I knew that Lief would provide the support and resources to make some of my ideas come to fruition. Seeing products sold worldwide that I played a role in is very rewarding. I will continue my education in the industry so I can be the best asset to my loyal brands. At the end of the day, if our customers succeed then Lief does too.”

Mr. Fernandez is a Managing Director and Founder of Envisage Advisors and its predecessor firm, R2F Investment Bankers. He has 20 years of experience in corporate and investment banking, including acquisition finance, real estate finance, financial advisory and debt underwriting and distribution.

Prior to founding R2F Investment Bankers, Mr. Fernandez was a Managing Director for Columbia West Capital, LLC, a boutique investment banking firm focused on the Southwestern United States. He was responsible for sourcing and executing mergers and acquisition and capital raising assignments for middle market companies in California and Nevada. Before joining Columbia West Capital, Mr. Fernandez was the co-head of CIBC World Markets’ West Coast Leveraged Finance and Gaming, Lodging and Leisure practices. In Mr. Fernandez’ ten years at CIBC, he worked actively with numerous strategic companies and private equity firms to originate, structure and distribute high yield issues, bank financings and private placements in various industries. Prior to joining CIBC, he was a bond analyst for Trust Company of the West’s High Yield Bond Group as well as a generalist in the Specialized Finance group at Union Bank of California. Mr. Fernandez is on the Board of Directors of Latino Deal Makers.

Mr. Fernandez holds degrees in Economics and History from Claremont McKenna College. Mr. Fernandez is registered with the FINRA (formerly NASD) and has a series 7 and 63 securities license.