Meet the Nutrition Business Advisors Team

San Diego, CA

Thomas Aarts is Managing Director of Nutrition Business Advisors (NBA), a company which provides advanced consulting, strategic advising, capital raising and full-service business development focused on the $194 billion Global Nutrition Industry.

Tom sits on several boards, including Vitamin Angels, a non-profit whose mission is to provide vital nutrients to children and women in need. Tom is a graduate of Colgate University and completed his MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Aarts is a high-level management consultant with 22 years of experience working with C-suite executives across the nutrition industry. His experience lies in management consulting, M&A transactions, capital raising and strategic market research.

Bethesda, MD

Edward Hauck has held senior leadership roles in the natural products industry for over twenty years. He is currently a Principal at Nutrition Capital Network and a business consultant. Over his career, Ed has been a senior executive at multiple industry-leading organizations, including President of Healthy Directions, Chief Executive Officer of ProThera/Complementary Prescriptions, Chief Operating Officer at Stop Aging Now, and Executive Vice President at Great HealthWorks. Edward has led the successful sale process for three companies in the Natural Health industry that generated above-market multiples. He was the Co-Founder and Managing Director of a business incubator for Internet companies, Vector Development. Edward has an MBA from the JL Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University and BA in Business and Economics from Wittenberg University.

Chicago, IL

Beth is currently a Consultant at Nutrition Business Advisors LLC. She has had a solid background in the nutrition and supplement industry as Director of Marketing at Mercola Health Resources and as the Director of Corporate Strategy and Marketing at NOW Foods. While at NOW, she was responsible for leading the marketing team, developing the corporate strategy as well as managing the food category and practitioner brand.

Before her time at NOW, Beth was a VP of Equity Research at EVEREN Securities, making stock recommendations within the nutritional supplement manufacturing sector as well as specialty retailing. Beth serves on the Board of Healthy & Natural Chicagoland and was previously on the Board of Hephzibah Children’s Association and The Association for Strategic Planning. Beth received an MBA from DePaul University and her BA from SUNY Buffalo in Economics and German.

Salt Lake City, UT

Molly Elkington is a highly accomplished professional with experience in the legal field, healthcare industry, and nutraceutical space, all while succeeding as a full-time student. She holds a B.S. in Medical Anthropology with a minor in Integrated Human Biology from the University of Utah. Molly has worked at the Huntsman Cancer Institute as a Customer Service Representative and Administrative Health Unit Coordinator, and as a medical and legal assistant for the Assistant District Attorney of Utah. She interned at Nutrition Business Advisors in 2022, leading to her current position as a research data analyst after earning her degree in 2023. Molly's diverse background and multidisciplinary approach make her a valuable asset in analyzing and interpreting science-based research to assist clients with strategic decision-making.

Milton Keynes, UK

Jade Gilroy serves as the Executive Assistant to Thomas Aarts, bringing a wealth of experience in supporting CEOs and Directors, as well as expertise in Business Development. With a strong passion for the Nutrition and Wellness sector, Jade is also a qualified Personal Trainer and Deep Tissue Massage Therapist.

Before stepping into this dynamic role, Jade dedicated a decade to Mechanical Engineering, where she provided valuable services across various industry segments. This diverse background equips her with a unique perspective and a problem-solving mindset, enhancing her contributions to the team and our clients.

Genebyl Gicalde has spent 10 years supporting senior managerial and directorial teams, offering indispensable administrative assistance and optimizing their time management. She excels in collecting and breaking down data about consumers and competitors, turning them into informative reports and slides. Through rigorous online research, she keeps databases updated with the latest market findings delivering in-depth competitive analyses. Her strength lies in data analysis and designing efficient spreadsheets that streamline business processes.

Ooyen Research, Montana

Carla Ooyen is an independent market research consultant focusing on the natural products industry, including natural and organic food and personal care, supplements, functional food, and pet products. She has also conducted research in the cannabis and hemp industries. Prior to founding Ooyen Research, LLC in 2014, Carla spent six years honing her market research skills with Nutrition Business Journal and New Hope Natural Media. Carla has worked with suppliers, manufacturers, retailers, investors, and everyone else involved in the value chain to determine market potential and future strategy based on quantitative and qualitative inputs.

Carla holds an MBA from the University of Colorado’s Leeds School of Business. Before becoming a market researcher, she still analyzed data and trends as an architectural engineer.

Los Angeles, CA

Noah has been personally and professionally involved in the probiotic/prebiotic, microbiome, genomic and personalized health space for the past seven years. Recently, leading strategic, product development, regulatory and R&D engagements with established category leading companies to emerging growth start-ups. In the microbiome space, projects have ranged from advising private-equity, VC, biotechs on microbiome investment/pipeline/industry trends in support of recent acquisitions, developing R&D strategy for emerging microbiome CPG beverages to collaborating with one of the leading global probiotic brands on brand strategy initiatives. Genomic and personalized health sector engagements have focused on industry intelligence, sales channel positioning, product development and scientific due diligence for DTC genetic or microbiome-based tests with clients ranging from leading companies to emerging growth start-ups.

San Francisco, CA

Tim has 30 years of experience in bioactive ingredient discovery, validation, and marketing of consumer packaged nutrition products. He provides expertise in dietary supplements, natural and organic foods, and consumer products to global Fortune 500 companies like Cargill, Nestle, and Proctor & Gamble. In 2005, Tim founded Zero Worries Food Inc. and pioneered ZSWEET®, an all-natural, USDA Certified Organic zero-calorie tabletop sweetener that replaced caloric sweeteners and artificial substitutes. As a founding member of the screening committee at Nutrition Capital Network, Tim actively participates in nurturing and guiding emerging brands and companies. He is also a dedicated sponsor and board member of Naturally Los Angeles, Naturally San Diego, and the Naturally Network, a non-profit association fostering community support and access for participants in the natural products industry.

San Diego, CA

Angelina is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s in Psychology with a minor in Business at the University of California, San Diego. With a passion for understanding the psychological aspects of business, she brings a unique perspective to her role. Her coursework and experience in accounting and finance make her a detail-oriented asset to our team. In her role, Angelina supports our Managing Director by handling essential tasks such as data entry, document management, and running errands. Her previous experience as a Residential Assistant has equipped her with strong communication skills and familiarity with various platforms. As Director of Special Events on her student council, she excelled at budget analysis and event planning, showcasing her organizational talents and ability to collaborate effectively. Passionate about the health and wellness industry, Angelina is eager to contribute to our podcast production and conduct in-depth online research, resonating deeply with our mission at Nutrition Business Advisors.