KEVIN LAWRENCE: BIO AND HISTORY OF BNRG
Kevin Lawrence, President & CEO of BioNutritional Research Group, is a former IFBB World Bodybuilding Champion and a renowned speaker and writer on exercise physiology and applied nutrition. He lives in Orange County, California, with his family where he has been a product formulator for over two decades and currently oversees day-to-day operations of BNRG. Over the years, Kevin has worked with hundreds of athletes and other individuals, developing individualized training and nutrition programs. Through this experience, Kevin has developed the following philosophy:
P=T+N+R
“ P erformance equals T raining plus N utrition plus R ecovery”
KEVIN'S LIFE BEFORE BNRG
Kevin’s interest in health, nutrition and fitness began when he was barely into his teens. “I was a sickly kid. I had chronic respiratory illnesses including multiple bouts with viral pneumonia, eczema and hypoglycemia. Despite this, I was an active athlete, but these conditions continually got in the way of my participation in sports as well as my performance.” At 13, Kevin bought a book on basic nutrition by Adell Davis and a copy of the Nutrition Almanac to learn more about nutrition and its impact on health and energy. He began taking vitamins and making better food choices when choices were left to him. “We had local orange, lemon and avocado groves right next to my house. Some of us regularly gathered all of these right off the trees and ate them for snacks during the day. I loved those foods and still do.” Kevin began to eat the vegetables already in his lunch and evening meals, and started switching to eggs and breads instead of sugar-laden cereals for breakfast.
“I started following this program, and I got better,” Kevin says. His athletic performance improved. The eczema and hypoglycemia went away. By the time he was in high school, he was an all-league tail back and defensive corner. He was offered football scholarships to over a dozen top schools but chronic knee injuries ended his football career. Kevin had three injuries, each requiring total knee reconstruction by his sophomore year in college: one while he was still a high school senior, one two weeks into his college freshman season, and the third four weeks into his sophomore season. The ultimate result of all these knee injuries (Kevin has had 12 knee surgeries to date) was that he turned more toward weight training and rehab training rather than sport-specific training. This helped develop his passion for bodybuilding.
In the mid ‘70s, Kevin met Mr. Olympias Franco Columbu and Frank Zane. They encouraged him to compete in bodybuilding. A few years later, Kevin competed in his first individual competition. He placed well in local competitions, but he didn’t carry enough mass to
win – Kevin has always been known for his aesthetics and posing rather than the jaw-dropping mass that tends to catch judges’ attention in individual men’s competitions. Kevin finished 3rd at the Cals and 6th in the Mr. Universe competition.
In the early ‘80s, Kevin met Diana Dennis and after winning the IFBB World Mixed Pairs Championships, the two became the most famous pair in competitive bodybuilding history. The pair did well in competition, racking up 2nd, 3rd and 4th place finishes in the IFBB Pairs Championship, the top competition in the sport. But Kevin and Diana were best known for their radical guest performances. They traveled internationally, bringing their show to venues in England, Spain, Japan, Canada, Columbia and Puerto Rico and to network television on ABC’s Wide World of Sports. Kevin and Diana traveled the world presenting their stage art to bodybuilding fans, performing and training with members of the Joffrey and San Francisco Ballets as well as the cast of the then hit musical Cats. In this way they were able to expose their Physique Performance Art to a much wider audience. During this time they shot with some of the most accomplished photographers, and their photos graced scores of magazines and set the bar for pairs competitions and performance world wide.
With a lifetime of interest in nutrition and having seen the inside of the bodybuilding world, Kevin became interested in researching and formulating his own 
supplements, and he founded Metaphysique, Inc. in 1984. At this time Kevin was also retained by the Great Earth Vitamin Company to formulate and endorse a new line of sports nutrients known as Great Body. Annual sales from this line of products grew to $18M within 4 years, over which time total Great Earth sales increased from $12M to $45M. While working with Great Earth, Kevin also conducted and managed field studies on product effectiveness, and he educated and trained the sales force and Great Earth customers in methods for combining new nutritional science and exercise physiology to enhance athletic performance, weight management and energy.
With his competitive bodybuilding days behind him and his growing interest in marketing, manufacturing and promoting, Kevin began focusing more on nutritional product development, introducing BioLean in 1991. This product was highly successful and quickly attained annual sales of over $18M. The research that went into formulating this product involved lengthy and complex discovery and field studies directed at combining amino acid technology (especially that involved in brain chemistry and mood enhancement) with Chinese herbal adaptogen and yin/yang components. Biolean is a self-adjusting daily supplement intended to increase longevity by reducing fat and rejuvenating the body from the inside out.
THE SEEDS OF BNRG AND PROTO WHEY ARE SOWN 
That same year, 1991, Kevin’s son Khalen was born by Cesarean section and developed a serious case of infantile colitis. Because of complications with antibiotic treatment, Khalen's mother, Karen, was not able to nurse him and so, as with an ever-increasing number of newborns, Khalen began life on infant formula. Within eight weeks, Khalen had been on four different formulas with no relief and continued to decline in health. Kevin and Karen became increasingly concerned that Khalen’s early development might become compromised.
Like many people, Kevin had been unconsciously following the accepted notion that medical doctors have all the answers and that Khalen’s situation would soon improve. "Khalen was my first experience with an infant, and I allowed my lack of experience to disengage my otherwise aggressive participation in family or friends health-related issues. But as Khalen’s condition dragged on I needed to get involved. That sparked the beginning of intense research involving protein chemists, PhDs and MDs to whom I am eternally grateful."
The first, and still most critical distinction to appear in Khalen’s diagnosis, was that it was not a lactose, dairy or soy intolerance that was affecting his digestive tract. Nor did his condition involve any allergenic responses or any of the other usual maladies to which the medical and nutritional communities generally attribute this type of problem. Even today, these infantile conditions are lumped together and accepted with resignation as a normal and almost inescapable infantile condition known as colic.
In individuals past infancy, colic is called indigestion or gas pain, and as anyone knows, it can be momentarily crippling in intensity and is often accompanied by diarrhea, which is especially dangerous for infants. Imagine an innocent newborn experiencing this trauma and suddenly it becomes unacceptable, and if not relieved, potentially life-threatening.
As Kevin researched the topic, it became clear that Khalen's condition could very likely be caused by the naturally large, hard-to-digest protein molecules (peptides) in the various formulas rather than the source or its accompanying ingredients. With the exception of only one brand, all the proteins in infant formulas at that time were whole proteins. When these large peptides are put in a new and extremely immature infantile intestinal tract problems occur.
The answer seemed obvious: feed Khalen a formula that has peptides that are already reduced in size – or hydrolyzed. Unfortunately, this was anything but easy to accomplish. The only available infant formula that claimed to contain hydrolyzed protein was six times the cost of any other product. Additionally, further research showed that it was hydrolyzed so poorly and incompletely that in reality it represented only a marginal change over other products.
But with only that slight improvement in protein quality, Khalen’s condition started to improve with the use of the formula. The periods of relief were brief and somewhat inconsistent, but the change was undeniable. It seemed that a formula with more highly hydrolyzed 
peptides was necessary. At this point in his research, Kevin turned to commercial suppliers of raw proteins. Eventually, Kevin was able to obtain extremely hydrolyzed whey protein powder samples that were not yet available to manufacturers. He mixed these powders with a variety of different off-the-shelf infant formulas and other special components to maintain the proper special caloric and nutritional needs of newborns, and he began feeding this new formula to his son.
With the second trial formula the battle was over. Khalen's situation completely reversed in just 48 hours without a trace of crying, pain or diarrhea. The painful condition he had lived with almost from birth was gone. He never suffered from it again. That formula became the basis for the development of Proto Whey®, BNRG’s proprietary di and tripeptide protein product. Khalen moved onto solid foods without a hitch and is now a vibrant, strong 15-year-old who has averaged less than one viral infection per year to date. Proto Whey continues to be a dietary staple and unlike his father, Khalen was always one of the tallest children in his grammar school classes. At 10 years, Khalen was 30% larger than his dad was at the same age and at age 15, is now 6 feet and growing. Kevin had entered high school at an unimpressive size of 5'-1" and 99 lbs.
THE CREATION OF BNRG AND ITS PRODUCTS
In 1994, Kevin founded BioNutritional Research Group, Inc. as a research affiliate to Metaphysique to develop protein substrates based on the same formula that had cured his son and to incorporate them into new bioengineered foods. Over the next three years he successfully formulated and tested the first commercial version of Proto Whey protein, the flagship of a new line of nutritional supplements introduced to the market in 1998.
Proto Whey was designed to serve the needs of a broad spectrum of consumer groups such as dieters, seniors, athletes, infants and people with serious illnesses such as obesity, cancer, diabetes and cardiac disease. Individuals who suffer from these diseases and other afflictions have difficulty digesting and absorbing naturally occurring large protein molecules. Proto Whey’s smaller hydrolyzed peptides dramatically improve digestion while eliminating gastric discomfort and improving quality of life for those who suffer from these conditions.
A few years later, Power Crunch® was developed with Kevin's recognition that there was a need for a better-tasting nutritional bar product that would please consumers of all ages. Power Crunch is a delicious crème-filled wafer cookie that's filled with Proto Whey protein. With a fraction of the sugar found in most bar products, Power Crunch began shipping to stores in April, 2002. Today, With seven different flavors, Power Crunch is widely recognized as the best tasting and most unique product in the nutritional bar category. It is sold health clubs and health food, grocery, club and convenience stores over the US and seven countries internationally. Sales are growing by well over 100% annually.
A few years later, Power Crunch® was developed with Kevin’s recognition that there was a need for a better-tasting nutritional bar product that would please consumers of all ages. Power Crunch is a delicious crème-filled wafer cookie that’s filled with Proto Whey protein. With a fraction of the sugar found in most bar products, Power Crunch began shipping to stores in April, 2002. Today, with seven different flavors, Power Crunch is widely recognized as the best tasting and most unique product in the nutritional bar category. It is sold in health clubs and health food, grocery, club and convenience stores in the US and seven countries internationally. Sales are growing by well over 100% annually.
Over the years, BNRG has developed other products that support the needs of these varied consumer groups. In addition to Proto Whey and Power Crunch, BNRG has expanded what is now a Power Crunch line to include Alpha Glutamine, Cell Charge, Choklat Crunch and their latest product, Protein Snax.
Kevin Lawrence and BNRG continue to be a success story. Over the last two years, BNRG has grown from $2 million in annual sales to $15 million. As consumers become more aware of the need for improved protein technology, and as they learn more about BNRG’s role in providing these important di and tripeptide products, BNRG’s growth will continue at this impressive pace.