Sam the Man

Samuel L. Caster, Mannatech’s Chairman of the Board, CEO and co-founder, began his professional career as an entertainer and restaurateur. Prior to attending the University of North Texas, he was selected to tour with the internationally known Up with People musical group. The experience with this group prompted the formation of a band, periodic tours and the eventual founding of a small chain of restaurants.

Fascinated by renewable energy products, Sam became part of a direct sales business that achieved annual sales in excess of $50 million. When federal renewable energy credits expired in 1985, Sam used his experience with energy products to create a network marketing company that sold a NASA-developed technology called Radiant Barrier. This company, Eagle Shield, exceeded annual sales of $100 million by its third year.

In 1990, Sam was invited to consult with a company that had evolved out of cancer research. Sam recognized the potential of nutrition in the expanding health industry and set out on a quest to find new, proprietary technology in this field.

In 1994, his search was rewarded with the securing of a license to distribute Manapol® with its patented process that preserves the healing properties of Aloe Vera. This was the key technology that Sam used to open Mannatech. During its third year, Mannatech applied for worldwide patents on Ambrotose®, an exciting and revolutionary nutritional product focused on the discovery of glyconutrients. By the end of the company’s ninth year, total cumulative sales worldwide were in excess of one billion dollars with distribution expanding from the U.S. and Canada to the U.K., Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. The company has since expanded into Korea, Taiwan, Denmark, and Germany as well.

Sam has held various positions since co-founding Mannatech: President, Co-Chairman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Regardless of the position, Sam’s emphasis throughout his career has been in the area of sales and marketing. In this capacity, he created a new compensation plan and successfully managed the transition from a binary system to Mannatech’s global Compensation System.