It all started in a doctor's office. Early in the 1980's, Jim Lemkin N.D., C.N.S., was a young, inquisitive, naturopathic physician starting his own private practice in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts.

Dr. Lemkin specialized in preventive medicine and nutrition. To learn more about his patients' nutritional habits, he would routinely ask them to bring in the supplements they were using. Dr. Lemkin was astounded to find patient after patient returning with handfuls and even shopping bags full of supplements. Often, the combined levels of certain nutrients were actually detrimental to his patients' well-being.

Dr. Lemkin felt he could serve his patients' needs better. He listened to their confusion about safety and quality, and to their desire for supplements that matched their individual and varied needs. He then set to work on developing the best multiple vitamin and mineral formula possible, based on this guiding principle: to include therapeutically effective levels of the most highly absorbable forms of nutrients, from premium sources only.

The result was PIONEER's best-selling Vitamin Mineral Supplement. Response to this formula -- from local health food stores and doctors' offices as well as patients -- was immediately and overwhelmingly positive. As a result, Dr. Lemkin founded Pioneer Nutritional Formulas, Inc. in 1984.