Karl G. Schakel

Karl “KG” Schakel joined Heritage Health Products "in 1995 and has led its meteoric success from one country after another for many years. As President of Heritage Health Products has been driven to make a difference in people’s lives through good health naturally and economic opportunity. His many years of experience in the international marketplace and command of languages have prepared him well to carry out the corporation’s mission.

"In 1980, K.G. was General Manager of Western Agri-Management Company, overseeing domestic operations in four states, including development of 15,000 acres of irrigated land with automatic sprinkler systems for production of corn, wheat, alfalfa and livestock.

"He also organized agri-business projects in Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Paraguay, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Chile while living in those countries. These overseas projects included design and construction of large scale fruit packing plants, grain storage facilities, communities (houses) for expatriates, bridges over rivers in remote areas, initial seeding of over 10,000 acres in soybeans, cotton, wheat, fresh fruits and vegetables.

"One of these agri-business projects employed 600 people, contracted with 200 small farmers, and exported over $24 million per year of fruit from Chile to the US, and to Rotterdam for European distribution.

"In 1990, he organized Environtek, S.A., a Chilean environmental engineering company organized to assemble under its management team a wide variety of engineering and scientific skills necessary to evaluate and solve environmental and waste management problems. This company reduced heavy industrial pollution near Santiago, Chile."


 * Former Director, Pioneer Fund