Metabolic Maintenance has sold

One of Sisters' largest employers, founded in 1984 in San Diego and operating locally since 1993 under the ownership of Ed Fitzjarrell, has been acquired by WM Partners, LP, of Aventura, Florida, a suburb of Miami Beach.

Metabolic Maintenance produces pure, preservative-free nutraceuticals without added excipients, fillers, or binders. Their products, created, formulated, and packaged in Sisters, are sold nationwide. The company with sales of around $10 million, according to industry estimates, has a workforce of approximately 48 and has been trending up.

Photo by Bill Bartlett

Metabolic Maintenance has been acquired by a Florida company. Operations in Sisters will be wound up over the next six months to a year.

They have one of the largest building footprints in Sisters occupying a 29,000-square-foot office and production facility at 601 N. Larch St., opposite the Post Office. The building is principally owned by Fitzjarrell, and is not included in the sale.

WM Partners lists eight brands in its current portfolio, all in the health and wellness field. They have spun off another six brands in the same sectors.

The brand building enterprise's fund has $1.1 billion invested in companies like Metabolic Maintenance. They grew one of their acquisitions, Nutranext, and sold it to The Clorox Company for $700 million.

Fitzjarrell, 76, told The Nugget that the sale developed quickly after word filtered through the industry that he was ready to retire.

"It happened pretty fast," he said.

Employees were notified last week that the company had sold. Operations in Sisters will continue for a while, but will ultimately be wound up and production moved to a facility in California.

"Unfortunately, they're going to move the production," Fitzjarrell said. "They said minimum six months, maximum, 12 months."

Fitzjarrell said that 10 employees will go with the company, including the chief operations officer and people who work in research and development, IT, sales and marketing, and customer service. Other employees have been offered retention packages to encourage them to stay on as the company transitions.

Fitzjarrell was a pioneer in developing quality nutraceuticals that did not include excipients (coloring agents, preservatives, fillers) and in the development of nutraceuticals that support cognitive function.

"I designed 90 percent of the products and all of a sudden I have to buy 'em!" he joked.

"Been a helluva ride," he said. "The good news is, we're hitting on more cylinders than we ever had. Last couple of years have been the best we've had."

Fitzjarrell said the future of the building on Larch Street isn't clear yet.

"There's been some chatter about people wanting to continue using it as a contract manufacturing facility," he said. "If that doesn't work out, I'll sell the equipment, sell the building."

Fitzjarrell, who lives in the San Diego, California, area, said he plans to golf a little more, travel, and focus on writing music. He expressed appreciation for all those who helped build the company over the past four decades.

"I've got great employees," he said. "Couldn't have done it without them, that's for sure."