Today we’d like to introduce you to Dru Riess.
Hi Dru, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I have been in North Dallas for 19 years. I started my first company in McKinney on August 1, 2007.
I graduated from the University of Cincinnati with my focus in Entrepreneurship.
At the time I was 24 years old and had all the odds stacked against me.
I had a 500 credit score, $500 in my bank account, no car, and a vision.
I continued building that company for 13 years before selling it to Morgan Stanley right before COVID hit.
Throughout 13 years we grew at a record pace in revenue, people, and profit. That success lead to personal recognition and rewarded me unique opportunities. In 2016 Dallas Business Journal recognized me as a Power Player in DFW. In 2016 and 2017 I was awarded two SMU100 awards for building one of the fastest growing business in the DFW area.
In 2016 and 2017 my company was awarded a gold and silver American Business Award in New York City and was recognized by INC5000 as one of the fastest growing businesses in America.
In 2017 I was featured on CNBC’s Blue Collar Millionaire reality tv show.
In 2019 I was featured in Cadillac’s Shaping DFW segment on local news channels.
In 2019 I was asked to do a TEDx talk and managed to publish a book.
After selling the business to Morgan Stanley I retired at 37 years old in June of 2020.
During Covid I stayed at home with my young family and focused on what my next chapter would look like.
In 2021 I spent time as the COO for a large nutraceutical manufacturer and consulted other businesses.
In 2022 I was recruited by Rosewood Private Investments (Dallas Based PE firm out of the Rosewood Tower).
Rosewood asked me to build and operate a new company. Thus, for the past 4 years I built Innovative Life Sciences in McKinney, TX.
Innovative Life Sciences is a custom manufacturer of nutrition and wellness supplements. The primary delivery system is gummies.
In 4 short years we have won an SMU100 Award and INC5000 with guarantees of winning them again in 2026!
ILS is currently 320 employees and operates out of a 140,000 sq ft facility in McKinney, TX. In 2026 we will grow to be 400+ people and the space will continue to grow to 220,000 sq ft.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Nothing in entrepreneurship is smooth.
Every day it is fires and fire drills, but it is managing priorities.
The people are always the most important piece to success. Thus, it is imperative I get the right people in the right seats sooner than later.
I consider myself a great team builder and I often times get credit for things because others make me look good.
Furthermore, yes I have made bad hires before which make the road to success rocky but recognizing the mistakes and fixing them swiftly is what gets you to success.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Innovative Life Sciences/ILS Gummies, LLC?
We manufacture nutraceutical gummies. Gummies loaded with actives and focused on wellness, nutrition, fitness, and better life sciences.
I am proud of our culture and people.
We are a disruptor in our space and focus on doing things others can’t or won’t. We innovate, we are flexible, and we are helping brands launch at a faster rate. Everything we do is custom and empowers brands to have differentiation and create growth for their brands.
ILS does not have a brand of their own but rather we are the manufacturers and formulator of your favorite nutraceutical vitamins.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
The industry is on a dominate pace of growth. We anticipate being a $1 billion dollar business by 2030.
The industry is lacking quality manufactures with our business model. We are centrally located and have a secret sauce that will push us to hit our goals.
We will continue adding new technologies and a couple more new pieces of automation to also grow a healthy bottomline.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.innovativegummies.com
