ERIC WEIDER Chairman of Weider Global Nutrition and Schiff Nutrition International and President of the Weider History Group *Photograph by Laszlo

ERIC WEIDER
Compiled by Tony Blinn for IFBBPRO.com

Eric Weider was born in 1963 in Montréal, (Québec), Canada.

Eric graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree from the University of Western Ontario and a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degree from the University of Toronto.

Eric is married to Renée, his wife of 17 years.  Renée is a native of California with pioneer roots that date back to the earliest American immigrants to California in the early 1850s.

Eric has lived in Southern California since 1988 and works for Weider Health and Fitness.  "I have worked at every aspect of the Weider business from the ground up; from the warehouse to the boardroom and everything in between," comments Eric.

The fact that Eric is a history buff should not surprise anyone since his father, Ben Weider, is a world-renowned Napoleonic historian.  Recalls Eric, "When I was young, he had a special knack for making history come to life by focusing on the human stories and not just on the names, dates and places that we normally associate with high-school history."

Although he is interested in all history to some degree, Eric’s main focus is World War II, the American Revolution, and the periods immediately before and after.  He is also a big fan of the "Wild West" … especially the Earps and Tombstone, Arizona, as well as the American Civil War.  Says Eric, "I love reading about history and I enjoy visiting historical places, especially battlefields such as Gettysburg and the Normandy invasion beaches.  Every year, I make a point of trying to go on a 3-4 day archeological expedition."

Eric and his father have done a great deal of historic travel together.  Just one example among many lifetime experiences is their visit to Omaha Beach on the 60th anniversary of the D-Day invasion.

Eric and his father, Ben Weider, OC, CStJ, CQ, PhD Ben is Honorary Colonel of the 62nd Field Artillery Regiment based in Shawinigan, Quebec *Photograph by Rob Wilkins

When asked about his role models, Eric replies, "My role models are my father, Ben Weider, and my uncle, Joe Weider, from whom I have learned an enormous amount about business and how to live life in general. Both have an incredible work ethic, are creative problem solvers, and are positive ‘can-do’ people who treat everyone with respect. They taught me how important it is to communicate well and always follow through on promises made.  They also taught me that there are no short-cuts in life and that things worth doing are usually hard and take time to achieve. My father often reminds me that ‘if it was easy… anybody could do it.’"

Eric is a big believer in perseverance and is quite tenacious in the achievement of goals.  "I often think of a poem called ‘Perseverance’… the opening lines of which say, ‘Genius, that power which dazzles mortals’ eyes is often perseverance in disguise.’  If something is easy to do it probably would have been done already.  So the fact that it is difficult is why you have an opportunity.  On this same theme, Thomas Edison used to say ‘Opportunity is missed by many people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work.’"

Eric, Joe and Ben Weider “KEEPERS OF THE FITNESS FLAME” On the cover of the Montreal Business Magazine, March 2000 *Photograph by Laszlo

Eric’s "history" role model is George Washington who lived according to strongly held convictions and had tremendous perseverance in the pursuit of his goals. He was even-handed and an excellent leader.  "I admire him very much," says Eric.

Eric is Chairman of Weider Global Nutrition, which markets the Weider brand worldwide. Weider is the leading sports nutrition brand in Europe and is making tremendous progress, not only in Canada and the USA, but also in many countries throughout Asia, including Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, and China.

Eric is also Chairman of Schiff Nutrition International, a leading vitamin manufacturer based in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Says Eric proudly, "We have a very large and state of the art manufacturing plant with extensive R&D and Quality Assurance labs. Our largest customers include Costco, Wal-Mart, Sam’s Clubs, Walgreens, and all the major food and drug chains."

2007 OLYMPIA WEEKEND EXPO Eric Weider with Robin Chang, VP AMI Events, Ben Weider, President of the IFBB Professional League, Jim Manion, Chairman of the IFBB Professional League, and Dr. Rafael Santonja, IFBB President *Photograph by JM Manion

Additionally, Eric is President of the Weider History Group which is based in Virginia near Washington, D.C., and publishes 11 history magazines, including World War II, Military History, American History, Wild West, Vietnam, and Armchair General.  Eric comments, "I started Armchair General from scratch in 2003.  The magazine has a unique interactive editorial style that places the reader in the boots of the generals and soldiers as they are confronted with major decisions. Instead of just telling you what happened we try to let you experience it as if it was happening to you."

When asked about his life philosophy, Eric replies, "I follow a simple life philosophy which is that I appreciate every day. I try to be straight forward and pleasant to people while also making the tough decisions that are required for a business to survive and thrive in the most competitive economy in the world. I do not think that being a good businessman needs to be in conflict with being a decent human being and more than anything else this is the valuable lesson I learned from Joe and Ben Weider … not because they told me this … but because I just watched them and observed."

A little known fact about Eric is that he plays a pretty mean guitar and particularly likes the Rolling Stones.  "I started when I was sixteen and have played off and on since then. My guitar hero is Keith Richards which is surprising to many people. But I emulate his guitar techniques, not his lifestyle!"

Eric also enjoys regular exercise, weightlifting and hiking.  He used to play hockey and loves riding horses although admittedly, "time does not allow for that too much anymore."

Eric Weider Founder and Publisher Armchair General Magazine

From U.S. Army Col (ret) Jerry D. Morelock, Ph.D., Editor-in-Chief,
ARMCHAIR GENERAL MAGAZINE

Eric has nurtured a life-long interest and fascination with history, particularly military history as well as America’s Old West. In 2004, Eric manifested his love of military history by founding Armchair General Magazine, a bi-monthly publication devoted to all aspects of that wide-ranging subject. Yet, he set out from the very first issue to create something completely new in the field by using a unique, interactive and non-traditional approach to the subject.   Armchair General’s mission statement captures the essence of what Eric strives to achieve: "To bring history to life through an innovative and interactive experience.  A magazine for the 21st century, Armchair General’s unique editorial approach immerses readers in real military history that has shaped our world and continues to impact the course of current events. We put YOU in command!"

Front Cover, Armchair General, May 2008 Courtesy of www.armchairgeneral.com

Eric’s experiment to provide a publication that presents, in each issue, great history, strategy, leadership and games, has paid off by attracting a broad and varied readership. Armchair General’s reader base includes casual readers of history and strategy; educated professionals interested in the world around them, war gamers and video gamers, military collectors — basically, anyone interested in a good story that’s well-told.  His commitment to this innovative approach to military history paid off after the very first year of the magazine’s publication when it was selected by the Chicago Tribune as one of its "50 Best Magazines" in the world - the only military history magazine to make the list.

The Tribune’s "Best Magazine" selection not only validates Eric’s new approach to military history, it is a testament to his committed, personal involvement in all aspects of the magazine’s publication process.  From the initial selection of articles to be published right down to the detailed review and approval of each completed article, map and image, Eric remains personally involved in order to ensure each issue is the best it can be. Armchair General Editor in Chief, Colonel, U. S. Army ret. Jerry D. Morelock, explains, "Eric is much more than simply Armchair General Magazine’s publisher.  He truly is the captain of our team and his attention to detail is just phenomenal. The success we’ve achieved is the direct result of the high standards Eric has set for us and he unfailingly ensures that each issue meets those standards. During my 36-year military career, I worked for some great leaders — including two Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff - yet, I can honestly say that Eric Weider is the best boss I have ever worked for. The ‘command climate’ he’s created at Armchair General encourages initiative, creativity and innovation, and really brings out the best in every member of the team."

Front Cover, Wild West, May 2008 Courtesy of www.historynet.com

Eric’s enthusiasm for history hasn’t stopped with publishing Armchair General magazine.  In 2006, he created the Weider History Group by purchasing ten established history titles based in Leesburg, Virginia. These magazines (Military History, Military History Quarterly, Wild West, World War II, Vietnam, Civil War Times, America’s Civil War, American History, British Heritage, and Aviation History) represent a wide range of historical eras and cover just about any historical subject one could imagine. Again, however, as with Armchair General magazine, Eric is clearly putting the "Weider touch" on these magazines. The magazines’ formats and visual presentations are being adjusted to better convey the real drama of historical events, and the articles’ texts more clearly capture the excitement that really brings history to life for readers.

Eric Weider is a consummate businessman and experienced corporate executive; yet, his obvious enthusiasm for history shines through in Armchair General and the Weider History Group magazines. Eric puts his personal stamp on each of his history magazines, and this "value added" effort truly gives his magazines’ readership a totally new and exciting way of experiencing history.

OLD WEST HISTORY

Eric enjoys all aspects of history, but his "first love" has always been the history of America’s Old West.  In particular, he has become one of the most knowledgeable students of historic Tombstone, Arizona, the fabled "town too tough to die," where the legendary Wyatt Earp, two of his brothers and Doc Holliday faced the Clantons and McLaurys in the Old West’s most famous shootout - the October 26, 1881 gunfight at the O. K. Corral.  Eric has even "enlisted" himself as an author recently to put that knowledge to work for Weider History Group.  Eric’s article, "The Making of Wyatt Earp’s Legend" (with co-author, western historian John Rose) in the April 2008 issue of Wild West magazine, is the revealing story of how Earp’s biographer, Stuart Lake, created the iconic image of Wyatt that we know today.

Eric with his father Ben and uncle Joe with 8-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman *Photograph by Rob Wilkins

QUOTES FROM JOE WEIDER, A PROUD UNCLE

"Eric is a gem of a human being.  He is brilliant, honest, respectful and lovable."

"In my entire life I have yet to meet a man as good as Eric.  He is as good a man as his father, and that’s as good as it gets."

"Eric is hardworking and dedicated, imaginative, creative and his results are first-rate on every task he undertakes.  He is doing extraordinary work on the History magazines, the food and supplemental products, and has the capability to multi-task with efficiency, ease and confidence."

"Eric is not only honest, dependable and loyal, he is a perfect human being loved by all.  Not only do I know how much his family loves him, we all know that G-d loves him as well."

Eric with his father, Ben Weider, at the book signing of “Brothers of Iron” *Photograph by Rob Wilkins

QUOTES FROM BEN WEIDER, A PROUD FATHER

"On a personal level, Eric has always brought me joy and happiness, and I was always proud to be the father of such a fine person.

On a business level, he has lived up to my highest expectations.  He is honest, hardworking, generous, sympathetic and understanding, and knows how to work with people, in order to achieve the best results possible.

Eric, as Chairman of the Board of Weider Health & Fitness, operates and supervises the expansion and development of our Company.

On another level, he is the Chairman and Director of 11 historical and military magazines.  He is handling this project with the utmost professionalism.

The final words that I can say about Eric are that ‘I am proud to be his father’".

MY SON ERIC

"Eric is a constant joy to me and fills my life with much happiness.  As Eric’s mother, I am proud of my son beyond words; content with the fine man, loving husband and caring soul he has become.  I am comforted knowing that Eric’s kind, considerate and gentle character, coupled with an exceptionally positive outlook on life, enriches the lives of all those he touches." — Ms. Huguette Weider

 

This entry was posted on Monday, March 10th, 2008 at 2:38 pm and is filed under Features.