Houston Entrepreneurs Launch Healthy Vending Business
Houston, TX (PRWEB) July 18, 2013 -- Obesity, especially in children, is taking a huge toll on the United States, both physically and economically. Teaching adults and children the importance of healthy eating is critical. Rather than leaving the solution to the government or business sectors, Corban Bates and Shelley Levine, managing partners of Houston Healthy Vending, LLC (http://healthyvendinghouston.com/) chose to be part of the solution by working to find and solve the problem. “By showing our community that there is a healthier option for snacking, hopefully, we will change the way our community views healthy snacks and persuade them to embrace a healthier lifestyle. One location at a time.”
Looking around, Levine and Bates noticed that it wasn’t just children who had limited options. Despite the fact that America suffers from an obesity epidemic which threatens lives and costs billions of dollars each year, very few vending companies were willing to offer healthy choices in their machines.
Obesity-related illness treatments cost an estimated $190.2 billion annually or 21% of annual medical spending in the United States. If people continue on this path, obesity-related costs will rise to nearly $550 billion by 2030, according to a report in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Businesses also suffer, facing approximately $4.3 billion in losses due to obesity-related absenteeism.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/daniellegould/2012/05/11/a-systems-approach-to-solving-americas-obesity-problem/
Corban Bates, first became passionate about nutrition while he was in the army. “I watched my Soldiers fill their bodies with tons of junk food. In an effort to find ways to improve their overall health, I searched for ways to improve their nutrition without much effort on their part. I realized that health food was nowhere to be found in any convenient places. As soon as I found out about HUMAN Healthy Vending Machines, I knew I wanted to get on board.”
Shelley Levine is a wife, mother, grandmother and fitness enthusiast. Watching friends and family members struggle with high cholesterol, weight and weight related illnesses combined with her passion for living a healthy, active lifestyle led her to launch Houston Healthy Vending. As a fitness and nutrition educator she understands the need to make the right choices in order to maintain a healthy balanced diet. It is important that her children and grandchildren understand the importance of healthy eating.
“I wanted to provide children and adults the option of eating healthier, while still maintaining convenience. Human Healthy Vending machines were a perfect choice. The machines and products have been a hit among children in schools and YMCA's throughout Houston.”
Corban and Shelley are hopeful that providing access to healthy snacks can help fight the obesity problem in children and adults. “By placing healthy vending machines where we spend most of our time, we can be more proactive and deliberate about making better choices. The result over time, a healthier nation.”
Houston Healthy Vending, LLC is a partner with HUMAN (Helping Unite Mankind and Nutrition) Healthy Vending. HUMAN’s mission is to make healthy food more convenient than junk food. HUMAN Healthy Vending has been ranked by Entrepreneur as one of its “Top 100 Brilliant Companies” and by Forbes as one of “America’s Most Promising Companies” (two years in a row).
HUMAN donates 10% of profits to charities that fight the causes of childhood obesity and malnutrition, with a predominate recipient of those funds being HUMAN’s non-profit arm, HUMAN Everywhere.
For more information please contact Shelley Levine at 713-817-0876 or visit our website. http://www.healthyvendinghouston.com
Shelley Levine, Houston Healthy Vending LLC, http://www.healthyvendinghouston.com, 713-817-0876, [email protected]
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