Dave Barshis is an international health care executive with broad general management experience in pharmaceuticals, medical devices and consumer health. He is recognized for his achievements in troubleshooting and refocusing businesses to dramatically increase profitability, running the gamut from Fortune 100 giants to entrepreneurial and often distressed startups and turnarounds. Last year, he was named CEO of Natural Immunogenics Corporation and the Sovereign Silver brand, founded by Stephen Quinto 20 years ago. Since 2009, the company has been lead by the Quinto family for five generations. Barshis was chosen to lead the company and brand into the next era of silver hydrosol technology, and will help Natural Immunogenics focus on developing a range of new silver hydrosol products while concentrating future efforts on the development of other mineral colloids.

Question: What are the opportunities and challenges of working with a second-generation family owned business?

Answer: As with any business that has been founded and managed by multiple generations of family members, the key to success for someone coming in from the “outside” is in gaining the trust and confidence of the owners. Bringing an accomplishment-laden background with companies such as P&G, Warner Lambert and Burroughs Wellcome (now GSK), as well as startup/small enterprise experience certainly helps, but ultimately the “proof is in the pudding” and it requires daily demonstration of leadership skills, strategic agility and subject matter knowledge and expertise.

Another key opportunity is finding new ways to support the founder’s vision to reestablish the medical stature of silver as a valuable therapeutic.

Question: What has Natural Immunogenics done to improve silver hydrosol technology in the past 20 years?

Answer: Our founder essentially “cracked the code” in identifying the technological advancements that allow us to produce the smallest, most consistent particles possible for our bio-active silver hydrosol products as well as other minerals. The key challenge is to bring regulators up to speed on the advancements and the vastly increased safety profile of silver hydrosol products. Aside from the fact that silver has been used therapeutically for more than 2,000 years, current products carry a significantly wider margin of safety due to the use of nanoscale-sized particles, which weren’t possible back in the days when practitioners such as Hippocrates were using silver powders to treat numerous conditions. The other aspect of this that amazes me is that the key risk of overdosing on less-refined forms of silver is the development of a bluish-gray cast to the skin (argyria), which is to my knowledge a predominantly cosmetic issue with no significant health risks attached. When I compare that to the severe health risks associated with taking too much acetaminophen (i.e. Tylenol, Dristan, Excedrin) I am perplexed by the level of concern that various regulatory bodies have levied against silver-containing products versus many widely available over-the-counter products.

Question: What do retailers need to know when it comes to ordering silver products?

Answer: In addition to the glass storage requirement for improved product stability and in order to prevent any leaching of potentially harmful chemicals, retailers should be aware that the glass should be a dark amber color to get maximum protection from the effects of exposure to light. The product inside should also be clear, not yellowed or brown, which indicates large particles that absorb light or the presence of other impurities. They should also be aware that “less is more” when it comes to the concentration of silver particles. Our Sovereign Silver line is 10 ppm (parts per million)—the smaller the particle size, the easier it is for the body to absorb and then eliminate the silver once used.

Many retailers likely don’t realize that the most recent SPINS data shows not only that Sovereign Silver has nearly two-thirds of the entire silver market, but also that silver is tied with Ester-C as the No. 3 ingredient among all key products in the broader immune support category, ahead of such categories as echinacea and medicinal mushrooms. The very different mechanism of action of silver makes it the perfect complement to any of the botanical products being recommended during colds/flu season, especially considering the similarities between the botanicals.

Question: As Natural Immunogenics celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, what innovations and developments can we expect to see in other mineral colloids?

Answer: One initiative that I’m particularly excited about is that we are very close to the launch of a new copper hydrosol product, and you should expect to see a great deal more innovation in this space moving forward. We plan to build out our product pipeline and maximize the advantages that our technology confers for the production of minerals that are challenging for the body to easily absorb and utilize, both for ingestible products and topical applications.

Website: www.sovereignsilver.com