Adel Villalobos

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.