Meet the Founders

To be properly introduced to XANGO is to learn of the six men who had the unique vision to start it rolling in the first place. Together, their industry experience, business acumen and relentless drive led them to creating one of the fastest-growing global brands in the marketplace.

Add to that, then, the several others who have grabbed the reins and been passed the figurative baton since Aaron, Gordon, Kent, Gary, Brian and Joe initially built XANGO from the ground up. Grouped together, this collection of the minds builds together what the founders had the courage to begin.

So, while the biographies attached to them may allow for some of what led them down this XANGO road, to know the following individuals on a personal level is to understand the success of XANGO.

Gary Hollister, Founder/Board Member

Gary got good at golf by combining natural ability with years of practice. The same formula rocketed him to the top of every company of which he’s been a part.

Chairman of the board and CEO from XANGO’s launch in 2002 through 2006, Gary Hollister is the senior member of XANGO’s founding team. Under his leadership the company achieved more than $28 million in first-year sales and has since achieved more than two billion dollars in cumulative sales. Gary’s strategic insight, honed over decades of experience in all aspects of business, continues to contribute to the executive team.

After graduating from Drake University, Gary worked at Merle Norman Cosmetics in California and eventually became president and COO. In a span of five years, he oversaw the doubling of the number of stores and helped engineer annual sales growth from $60 million to $250 million. Gary next became president and CEO of MEI Salons, Inc., in Minneapolis. After three years, he started the Hollister Group, a marketing organization to serve the beauty and fashion industry, where he played a central role in launching the Michael Jordan fragrance.

In 1997 Gary was recruited to be president and CEO of a major nutritional company. It was there that he first worked with Aaron, Joe and Gordon and formed his passion for the life-changing benefits of network marketing. His remarkable wife, Beverly, now serves as senior vice president at this company they founded, and between four children, 11 grandchildren, work demands, and keeping up his golf game (5 handicap!), he keeps himself plenty busy.

Aaron Garrity, Founder/Chairman

If you called him “the man,” you might not be wrong.

Having spent more than a decade in the health and nutrition industry, founding and leading XANGO came naturally to Aaron. He supervised seven worldwide divisions of a natural products company and trained thousands of independent distributors in direct selling, so it’s no surprise he stands as chairman of one of the fastest-growing network marketing companies in history.

A 2006 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year National Finalist with Gary Hollister, Aaron simultaneously earned an MBA and law degree from Brigham Young University, at the same time working as the marketing director for a major health and nutrition company. His unflagging energy and commitment to organizational excellence keep him working to reach his stratospheric goals.

At previous companies Aaron implemented hundreds of product launches, including one line that resulted in $80 million in annual sales after two years. The 2008 Utah Business magazine CEO of the Year, Aaron has laid the foundation for XANGO's operations and international expansion into more than 35 markets.

Aaron takes greatest pride in his wife, Tiffany, and three kids. After family and all of his business endeavors, he still finds time to pursue his passions of singing and cycling.

Joe Morton, Founder/Board Member

Resist the temptation to see Joe Morton’s multiple Ironman competitions as a metaphor for his business approach—you know, beginning with the end in mind, fighting through the hard times, etc. Don’t pass over the obvious implications: Joe is tough. Joe is disciplined.

Lots of people come across good opportunities, but Joe made his a reality. His critical discovery of the mangosteen fruit was the beginning of XANGO. He was responsible for forming the independent research team that studied the fruit’s potential range of health benefits and for guiding the team’s development of the proprietary formula that came to be known as XANGO® Juice.

As Founder and board member, Joe retains an active role in guiding the strategic direction of the company. His experience as XANGO’s president of international and Distributor relations gives him valuable perspective for developing new and emerging markets, and for enhancing the legendary service that XANGO provides its global network of independent Distributors. A 2007 Utah Business magazine “Top Forty Under 40” honoree, Joe has been credited for helping grow the XANGO network to well over 1 million Distributors around the world.

A lifetime athlete, Joe has long held a passion for health and wellness. And along with a bachelor’s degree in international business, Joe has racked up years of global experience that have served him well in XANGO’s international expansion. Despite heading a multi-national company with more than $2 billion in sales, Joe’s wife, Caryn, and their four kids take up the bulk of his attention.

Gordon Morton, Founder/Board Member

Vibrant and magnanimous, Gordon Morton’s greatest strength is lifting those around him to new heights.

Seeing the unique opportunity that the mangosteen presented, Gordon Morton joined his brother Joe in founding XANGO. An experienced, one-time direct sales distributor, Gordon created XANGO’s compensation plan—as generous as it is ingenious—along with the XANGO Goodness philanthropic program. Like the name “XANGO”? That came from Gordon, too.

Growing up in a family dedicated to natural products, Gordon studied the industry’s marketing evolution from an early age. Following in his father’s footsteps, Gordon decided to turn his natural interest into a profession. He does what he does so well because wellness is his passion first, his job second.

His earliest experiences in marketing and direct sales date back to his graduation from Brigham Young University-Hawaii. Gordon went on to lead marketing efforts for three organizations before entering direct sales as a distributor, where he ranked as that company’s No. 1 distributor for several years. He then moved on to executive management for a natural health supplements company as the director of global sales, retention and recruiting.

Gordon has guided XANGO to its current state as a thriving, giving, category-creating company that spans the globe. An avid skier and member of the community counsel for Major League Soccer’s Real Salt Lake team, Gordon and his wife, Rachel, are devoted parents of three.

Kent Wood, Founder/Board Member

Kent Wood is a man of few words because his work speaks for itself.

A licensed CPA, Kent joined XANGO as one of its founders and its first chief financial officer. He was responsible for raising the startup capital for the company, and his leadership was instrumental in paying back the initial corporate investors—and doing it more than two and a half years ahead of schedule.

Since then Kent has served as XANGO’s chief operations officer, president of operations and company president, and no matter what role he’s executing, he spurs the company in a steady uphill direction. His current task is overseeing the finance, accounting, quality assurance and information technology divisions, and his performance in this capacity garnered him a “Top Forty Under 40” honor from Utah Business in 2008.

Earlier in his career, Kent helped manage more than a billion dollars in annual sales before becoming the international controller, overseeing $500 million in annual business for a large natural products corporation.

Kent has an undergraduate and a post-graduate degree in accounting from Brigham Young University. After graduation, Kent worked for the accounting firm Grant Thornton, where he spent two years as an auditor.

Kent and his wife, Melanie, are the proud parents of five daughters. He enjoys running and is working his way to participation in the Boston Marathon.

Bryan Davis, Founder/Board Member

Bryan Davis is taking XANGO to the world, one nation at a time.

Representing the company as an ambassador to existing and emerging international markets, Bryan strategically builds productive relationships with key government, industry and trade representatives around the globe. Constantly traveling, he pushes forward an aggressive agenda to facilitate XANGO’s rapid expansion.

A seasoned attorney, Bryan has held a crucial role in XANGO’s growth, guiding the company through global legal regulations, trademarks and compliance in its early years. He was also instrumental in hiring the company’s general legal counsel and staff that carries out this work today.

Before founding XANGO, Bryan first owned a private law practice and then became the director of legal services for a large international firm negotiating billion-dollar transactions. Bryan attended Brigham Young University and graduated with a Juris Doctorate from the University of Puget Sound School of Law.

As much as Bryan and his wife, Darlene, enjoy spending time in the outdoors with their five kids, their favorite pastime is spoiling their grandchildren.