Nutritional Products International (NPI), a global brand management and retail distribution company, announced its participation in the 2026 ECRM Vitamin, Weight Management & Sports Nutrition Session, scheduled for September 14-17 at the PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The announcement coincides with NPI's 20th anniversary of assisting domestic and international brands in entering and expanding within the U.S. retail marketplace.
Under the leadership of founder and CEO Mitch Gould, NPI has developed a reputation for guiding brands through every stage of U.S. market entry, from regulatory readiness and logistics to retail placement and ongoing marketing support. Gould emphasized the value of ECRM events, stating, "ECRM continues to be one of the most efficient ways to connect innovative brands with major retail buyers. 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 session brings together buyers from major health, specialty, food, drug, mass, and eCommerce retailers for private, pre-scheduled meetings with established and emerging brands. This format allows for focused discussions and relationship building, which are critical in the competitive health and wellness sector.
Gould's decades of experience include working with consumer brands across health, wellness, sports nutrition, personal care, and general merchandise. His career highlights include helping secure product placement with major retailers such as Walmart, Costco, CVS, Walgreens, GNC, Rite Aid, The Home Depot, Lowe's, and Amazon. He was also among the early pioneers in establishing Amazon's sports nutrition marketplace, introducing more than 100 brands to the platform during its formative years, which helped shape one of today's largest online health and wellness retail categories.
In addition to his retail expertise, Gould has collaborated with well-known athletes and celebrities, including Steven Seagal, Hulk Hogan, Chuck Liddell, Ronnie Coleman, and Roberto Clemente Jr., transforming emerging consumer products into nationally distributed brands. This experience has provided him with unique insights into brand building and market penetration.
NPI's proprietary Evolution of Distribution platform offers an integrated approach to U.S. market expansion. It combines 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.
Gould highlighted the importance of preparation and follow-through: "ECRM is an important part of that process. 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 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. The company's long-standing presence in the industry and its strategic approach to retail distribution position it well to capitalize on emerging trends in the health and wellness market.
