By David Baker

Next to his desk, Kevin Guest has a picture frame he looks at throughout the day. It says, “Count your blessings,” and images of those blessings are clustered around the central message.

“Doing what we do is a means to an end,” says Kevin, USANA’s president. “For me, the end is quality of life, health, and all the things we talk about. That’s all summed up in my family.”

The family activities depicted are reminders of why he spends those days behind the desk. They bring back memories, like having his family at Lake Powell swimming, laughing, and enjoying life.

Family isn’t just happy moments, though. It’s imperfect. It’s sacrifice. It’s struggle. “I believe it’s not what happens in your life, but it’s how you deal with it,” Kevin says. “We’re the vision of striving—to learn and get better.”

And being reminded of his family at home helps him in his dealings with others. “If we’re treating others in the business as family members, we’ll treat them with more care, compassion, understanding, and protection as we go about our activities,” he says.

You can see it in his eyes anytime he talks about what the USANA family means to him. He cares about people’s feelings and how they’re doing more than the business. He worries. That’s family.

These are feelings cultivated over 20 years. He met Dr. Myron Wentz back at Gull Laboratories and helped USANA’s founder mold his core beliefs into the vision that still guides USANA. Kevin has been here for so long because he shares those beliefs and wants to help others improve their lives.

He has a kinship with Associates because he knows exactly what they’re going through. For a brief time, Kevin was a USANA Associate himself, and it taught him how hard it is.

He’s also a kindred entrepreneurial spirit. Kevin started a video production business in his home. His wife kept the books. He was the salesman. They struggled and eventually succeeded.

“It helps me in directing the company to have that perspective,” Kevin says. “Knowing what it feels like at the end of the month not to have any money in the checking account and having to go out and sell video production to feed my family and pay the mortgage.”

Kevin has come a long way since those days. There are a lot of dreams he’s achieved, and most revolve around family. The biggest is getting to watch his kids grow up, graduate from high school and college, get married, and develop into successful people. But there are more dreams to come. His first grandchild was born in July. There’s unfinished business at USANA. He has a daughter who graduated high school earlier this year. And he also wants to make the next 28 years with his wife even better than their first 28.

“I believe in the notion of living life in crescendo,” he says. “And I see every year being better than the prior year.”

Go to What’s Up USANA? to learn more about Kevin Guest.