Architect of the MET-Rx brand joins PROGENEX as Interim-Chief Executive Officer

Nov. 17, 2010 - PRLog -- Progenex Dairy Bioactives today announced that Darren M. Meade, 43, has been named interim-chief executive officer. Meade succeeds Dr. Scott Connelly, Progenex’s founding chief executive officer who resigned amidst scandal of fraud and breach of contract for allegedly launching a competing brand and false scientific data. The new executive appointment is effective immediately.

As an internationally recognized corporate strategy and business leader, Meade brings more than 20 years of experience in a broad range of industry sectors - pharmaceutical, biotechnology, nutraceutical and sports nutrition - with business development and marketing experience to Progenex.

“Darren is exactly the right leader for Progenex,” said Ryan Page. “His extensive background and vision for the nutritional market complement the efforts that Progenex is making in defining a leadership position in Recovery for elite athletes in sports nutrition. His strong management experience will help shape Progenex as we continue our growth, line extension and global expansion. It was the selection committee’s opinion after reading an article that appeared in the Orange County Register that Darren was the True pioneer in MET-Rx."

The article in The Register, referenced by Page reads: “Dr. Scott Connelly, founder of MET-Rx brand of muscle enhancing powders and foods, must pay nearly $1.5 million to a former business partner, Darren Meade of Laguna Niguel, an arbitrator has ruled. The ruling, part of a 1996 lawsuit filed by Meade against Connelly and Irvine based Met-Rx USA, Inc., says Connelly and the company committed fraud by not paying Meade profit sharing due him in 1994…Connelly in 1992 hired Meade, then a 24-year-old bodybuilder, to start and manage Connelly’s Costa Mesa gym, Club Met-Rx. A year later Connelly brought Meade in as a partner in Met-Rx Marketplace, a company Connelly formed as a way to get his then unknown Met-Rx products into retail stores. The retail experiment, led by Meade, worked, during a 24-month stretch beginning in late 1992, Met-Rx sales through direct mail as well as retail jumped from less that $1 million to more than $40 million."

Page continues, "Darren took an unknown floundering product line from sales of less than $1 million to $40 million in 24 months, launching Met-Rx into the retail market. We are honored to have the person who created the sports nutrition category, meal replacement and baked bar market, leading Progenex."

"Ryan Page and Aaron Thomas have continued to grow the Progenex brand 10X during a very difficult time, and established the new RECOVERY formula as a breakthrough in gaining a metabolic advantage for the fittest human beings in the world, when they led the reformulation that became the Progenex brand which is respected by health care providers, top athletes, Hollywood celebrities, and fitness enthusiasts worldwide,” said Meade.

“I was researching how to improve the quality of life through superior nutrition for both the healthiest and sickest people. I began this quest after emerging from a coma and receiving the prognosis of being permanently disabled, incontinent and soon-to-be-dead. Just imagine waking up one day, and in the blink of an eye, you've gone from being one of the healthiest to one of the sickest individuals possible. I’d been an athlete my entire life and all of a sudden everything I knew was gone. I’d lost considerable muscle mass in my coma, was on dialysis and was told I would never walk again. I had an open wound of 10x4 inches on my lower right calf. I needed to end the muscle wasting, improve my immune functions and increase my strength and mobility, so I set out to investigate a high quality protein formulation. The same base protein and enzymatic formula which led to my own Recovery is in the new Recovery product of Progenex. The results of the product speak for itself and I stopped the loss of muscle mass, gained weight and increased my wound healing, additionally I went off dialysis and am back to walking without assistance."

"Under Ryan's and Aaron's leadership, Progenex has continued to set the pace for nutrition and recovery with elite athletes through ongoing reformulation of new product, and by consistently delivering the best protein formulations to improve the quality of life for both the healthiest and sickest people," Meade continued. "I have been enormously impressed with the business and market position that Ryan and Aaron have established with Progenex, and I am thrilled by the opportunity to work alongside them as we advance Progenex to its next phase of growth."

"In the short time that Darren has advised our board of directors, he has provided decisive leadership and has demonstrated a deep understanding of our technology and business," said Aaron Thomas. "We feel extremely fortunate to have someone of Darren's stature leading our management team, and to witness his personal success story with the new Progenex formulation has been truly remarkable."

Meade has served as Managing Director of Kairos-Meade since 1996, where he led the company's strategic planning, management, and business development. He recently helped bring a new technology from Commonwealth Scientific Research Organization (CSIRO) to the largest biotechnology company in the world.

Prior to his appointment at Kairos-Meade, Meade was director of sales & marketing at Sun Ten Pharmaceutical Company, and prior to that he was a Partner in MET-Rx, where he was credited with the personal development of the business model which created explosive growth - an increase of 3900% in 24 months.

About Progenex Dairy Bioactives, Inc.
http://progenexusa.com

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Because it delivers unprecedented gains in recovery and strength, PROGENEX products are used by an exhaustive array of professional and amateur athletes. PROGENEX can be found in NFL locker rooms, NBA All-Stars, UFC Champions, CROSSFIT champions.