AIM International

The History of AIM International, Inc.  The AIM Companies™

In 1982, Dennis Itami, an accredited Idaho farmer (awarded the Outstanding Canyon County, Idaho "Farmer of the Year," two consecutive years) was introduced to a green barley product. He realised that this green barley product was a new concept in nutritional products — a whole food concentrate, which would provide people with all the nutritional benefits of whole foods. Dennis also realised that this green barley product could dramatically improve people’s health and lives.

Dennis not only wanted to provide people with the opportunity to discover great health, but, as a firm believer in the free enterprise system, he also wanted to give people the opportunity to achieve financial health. In short, Dennis believed that through network marketing, good health and economic opportunity would merge to create successful individual and family businesses.

These two important factors contributed to the establishment of American Image Marketing, now known as The AIM Companies™ (AIM).

Shortly after Dennis was introduced to the green barley product, he met Ron Wright. It was a very opportune time for both men. Ron had been forced to retire from the real estate business because of a recurrent heart condition—a condition that ran in his family. Ron began using the green barley product, and within a month, he noticed an improvement in his cardiovascular health. He became an enthusiastic Member of AIM and was determined to make sure as many people as possible would have this product and opportunity available to them. This enthusiasm eventually led to Dennis and Ron's partnership in AIM.

As people learned about and experienced the benefits of this green barley product and business opportunity, the small company grew. New customers came and new products were added. It appeared that others felt the same way Dennis and Ron did—people were discovering better health and couldn’t get enough of it!

Since the beginning of Dennis and Ron's partnership, AIM has helped improve the health and lives of millions of people. What began as one product is now a product line of nearly 20 products. What was once a small office and warehouse in Nampa, Idaho, is now AIM corporate headquarters for offices and distribution centres around the world (Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Africa and Taiwan).

Improving The Green Barley Product

Even with so much success, AIM refused to rest on its laurels. After two decades of marketing green barley powder, the company owners set out to improve the product by growing, harvesting, and processing BarleyLife®.

To accomplish that vision, however, would require total commitment by AIM to pick up the torch of research and development and to become an innovator in advanced food technology. Additionally, for the first time ever, AIM would be taking total control of its own destiny. For its Members, it would mean having the ability to offer something unique in the marketplace. As AIM's CEO of Marketing and Administration, Ron Wright put it, "Our Members would have exclusivity because we would be producing a unique product—grown, tested, packaged, and otherwise controlled by AIM at every stage of development."

Production Locations Are Important

In 1999, Dennis, Ron, and AIM’s Board of Directors agreed to select operations in New Zealand and Canada, both considered to be among the most clean, green, and pristine environments in the world. These two production locations are important because they have rich soil, pure water, and no surrounding smokestack industries. Living in New Zealand, Dennis hired consultants, leased land in the Canterbury Plains, secured a production facility, and began research and development. In the fall of 2001, several test plots were harvested and juiced, and the results were stupendous. Preliminary analyses showed that the new product had all the constituents of other barley products, but in substantially higher amounts. In Canada, AIM formed a joint venture with Sepallo Corporation, which had already spent many years researching and developing cereal grass juices for animal and human supplementation. Sepallo president Brad McNish secured a production site in Barrhead, Alberta, and commissioned a local organic farmer to begin growing barley. Before the season was over, he and his crew proved that full-scale production of a high-quality green barley powder would be possible there. The introduction of this miraculous product BarleyLife® which AIM grows and produces exclusively for its Members coincided with the commemoration of AIM’s 20th anniversary in July at the "The Celebration 2002!" convention in Hawaii.

Why BarleyLife®?

Every phase of researching and developing BarleyLife® was influenced by a single, but all-encompassing concept—Life. There’s life in the soil, in the seed, in the barley leaves, in the concentrated juice, and in the powder. BarleyLife® is the culmination of 20 years of experience, research, and development. BarleyLife® is a legacy for AIM Members. BarleyLife® is the answer to Ron and Dennis’ dreams. BarleyLife® is the best whole food answer to today’s quick-paced, nutritionally deficient lifestyle. The results people are experiencing are absolutely tremendous. Extend your life—drink BarleyLife®.

A Scientific Approach

BarleyLife® is a superior green barley powder due not only to ambitious research but also to a scientific approach to crop management. Our carefully selected crop rotations, field preparation, and cross-drill seeding are key factors in BarleyLife®'s overall quality. They help ensure that BarleyLife®'s soil retains optimal pH levels and trace elements that contribute substantially to the nutritional profile of the juice itself. The seed variety AIM uses was chosen only after thorough investigation and field trials showed that it would give the widest window of harvest, best juice yield and highest nutritional content. Because planting must be staggered for a consistent processing campaign, this wider window provides the ability to harvest each field at precisely the optimal stage when each plant is bursting with nutrition. Research has revealed that the antioxidant level within the barley leaves is higher during certain times of day, which factors in to determining when to harvest the plants.

Quality control plays a big role in scientific crop management and AIM's Commitment to Excellence. The soil in which the barley is grown is tested for mineral content before planting and after harvesting. The water used on the plants is also tested to make sure that it is not contaminated. And the barley leaves are tested before they are juiced to guarantee that they are free of chemical contamination.

Scientific crop management also requires the harvested plants to be juiced and chilled immediately, thus rendering the enzymes dormant and preserving precious nutrients. The juice is put through a cold filtration process and spray-dried. The minimal amount of heat used and the rapid drying process ensures that nutrients remain intact. These nutrients are then released and made available when the powder is reconstituted and consumed.

Technology

To further improve the quality of BarleyLife® AIM invested in a real-time antioxidant tester to ensure that BarleyLife® contains the highest possible antioxidant content. Every stage from the leaf through the finished barley powder is tested. Areas of antioxidant loss are focused on to ensure continual improvement. No other company has the capability for real-time antioxidant testing.

Commitment To Excellence

BarleyLife®'s second year production, which just finished in New Zealand, yielded an incredible product that increased the overall nutrient levels. BarleyLife® production in Canada also surpassed AIM's expectations and even received organic certification this year!

AIM will not stop there. It is AIM's ongoing promise to continue to improve on the quality of BarleyLife® for years to come. That is why Dennis and Kay have committed to live in New Zealand so Dennis can personally oversee the planting, growing, harvesting, and processing of BarleyLife®. This dedication and Commitment to Excellence is why AIM’s quality products and philosophy are known throughout the world.

Focus And The Future

Throughout its 20-year history, AIM has not wavered from the goal to help others discover good health and provide an opportunity for financial freedom. As Dennis says, “We have learned a lot since 1982 and continue to learn." BarleyLife® is proof of that. "But what will guarantee AIM’s future success is continuing to focus on our core strengths: the desire to share good health with others, the integrity to adhere to our core values, the willingness to share our financial opportunity, and most of all, our faith in our Members. Without them, everything else we do loses its meaning.”

In Partnership for Life with BarleyLife®!

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