* Location: 6201 Lee Highway, Chattanooga
* History: Ed Jones says he opened Nutrition World in the Four Squares Shopping Center on Mountain Creek Road in 1979. The store has changed locations twice, he says, first to Brainerd Village and then to its current location near the intersection of Highway 153 and Lee Highway, in 2009. Jones was an officer with the Chattanooga Police Department when he opened the store and worked both jobs for three years.
* Product Offerings: Jones, who now co-owns Nutrition World with his daughter, Cady Kuhlman, says the store originally dealt in vitamins and supplements.
Over the years, Kuhlman adds, the store morphed into much more -- "Food, skin care, laundry detergents, a huge pet section," she says. "We started really looking at total wellness for the consumer."
Jones recalls that in Nutrition World's early days, he was a kind of sole practitioner when it came to coaching or consulting -- he was the guy running the store, so he got the questions. Today, though, one-third of Nutrition World's payroll consists of 17 practitioners including massage therapists, chiropractors and lab technicians. Jones says most of them operate under Nutrition World's Wellness Corner brand -- the original store has spawned two more locations, one directly below and the other just steps away.
"We positioned ourselves as the experts in this area" when it comes to nutrition, health and wellness,” Kuhlman says.
* Online: nutritionw.com