Pat Sardell and her husband Glenn opened Country Vitamins in the fall of 1982 – in the middle of a deep recession. Pat described it as opening “on a wing and prayer” with limited inventory but a lot of hope! Using her passion, commitment and growing knowledge of natural vitamin and supplement products, 28 years later Pat has turned her business into a Corvallis Indie Mainstay and she’s become a leader at the local and national level. Country Vitamins features quality vitamin and mineral dietary supplements, herbal products, homeopathic remedies, natural skincare, cosmetics and more.

Pat and Glenn are committed to being local Corvallis business people. Pat says, “I love Corvallis. My husband and I choose to live here and have the privilege of selecting a place where we really want to live and ultimately retire in. Additionally, the community support of locally-owned business is inspiring and sustaining.” Pat enjoys and appreciates being part of the local Corvallis business community and its support organizations. She’s a firm believer in how valuable networking can be for local entrepreneurs – it provides opportunities to share business practices and marketing ideas, as well as issues and concerns.

Pat has contributed to the support for independent locally-owned businesses here in Corvallis. She was a long time CIBA Board member, and has served as President of the CIBA Board. Pat’s professional interests and passion have also lead her to lobby Congress and she is now serving as the President of the Natural Products Association, a national trade industry group.

When asked what she might have done differently in opening her store, Pat replies, “Nothing, because the experiences and challenges along the way have brought me to the spot where I am today.” Pat shared the following Keys to Success: 1) Have a passion for what you want to do; 2) Be totally committed to achieving your goals; 3) Focus on customer service – it involves relationship building; 4) Have a quality product – something that will make a difference in your customers’ lives; 5) Be knowledgeable – “To sustain your business’s credibility, you have to know your products and what they can do for your customer.”

Pat Sardell, Country Vitamins; 919E NW Circle Blvd; www.countryvitamins.com; 541-757-3170.