Nutritional Products International (NPI), a leading global brand management and retail distribution company, announced that its executive team will participate in the 2026 ECRM Vitamin, Weight Management & Sports Nutrition Session, taking place September 14-17 at the PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. This year's event coincides with NPI's 20th anniversary of helping domestic and international brands enter and expand throughout the U.S. retail marketplace.
Led by founder and CEO Mitch Gould, NPI has built 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. "ECRM continues to be one of the most efficient ways to connect innovative brands with major retail buyers," said Gould. "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 Vitamin, Weight Management & Sports Nutrition Session brings together buyers representing 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 crucial for brands seeking retail distribution.
Gould's decades of experience in the consumer goods industry include working with brands across health, wellness, sports nutrition, personal care, and general merchandise. His career highlights include helping products secure placement with major retailers such as Walmart, Costco, CVS, Walgreens, GNC, Rite Aid, The Home Depot, Lowe's, and Amazon. Notably, Gould was among the early pioneers who helped establish Amazon's sports nutrition marketplace by introducing more than 100 brands to the platform during its formative years, contributing to the growth of one of today's largest online health and wellness retail categories.
His collaborations with athletes and celebrities, including Steven Seagal, Hulk Hogan, Chuck Liddell, Ronnie Coleman, and Roberto Clemente Jr., have helped transform emerging consumer products into nationally distributed brands. These experiences underscore NPI's ability to navigate complex retail landscapes and build successful partnerships.
NPI's proprietary Evolution of Distribution platform provides an integrated approach to U.S. market expansion, combining 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, ensuring they are prepared for the U.S. marketplace and supported for long-term growth.
"ECRM is an important part of that process," Gould said. "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 ECRM 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. This participation underscores NPI's commitment to fostering retail partnerships and driving brand success in a competitive market.
The significance of this milestone lies in NPI's two decades of expertise in navigating the complexities of U.S. retail. As the health and wellness industry continues to evolve, NPI's role in bridging brands and retailers becomes increasingly vital. The ECRM session serves as a platform for meaningful business conversations, enabling brands to gain shelf space in major retailers and ultimately reach more consumers. For the industry, NPI's continued presence at such events signals the importance of strategic retail distribution in achieving market success.
