AKEA's Developers

William King

The history of Akea is a most serendipitous one. The brain-child of William King, a native North Carolinian whose vision and experience in the areas of health and wellness formed the inspiration for the company Akea LLC, “Akea Essentials” was brought to market in the summer of 2010. It was to be the nutritional foundation of the company’s lifestyle wellness education program called “The Blueprint For Life”.

Mr. King was inspired by Longevity Hot Spots during his first visit to Nicoya, Costa Rica, in 2006 when a longtime friend and now-resident of Nicoya, pointed out the notably high local population of 80, 90, even 100 year olds, all living vibrantly in the community. Beginning to research the reasons behind the stark differences between the United States and this remote slice of paradise, he came to discover that Nicoya was one  of nine areas of the world known for the excellent health of its people, absence of chronic diseases, all topped off with their significantly longer lifespans.

Sally Beare :: Author of “50 Secrets of The World’s Longest Living People”

Along the way, British nutritionist and well-known author Sally Beare, became a phenomenal resource and contributor to the project. An accomplished author and expert in the areas of nutrition, health and wellness, Ms. Beare provided much of the research and insight on Longevity Hot Spots that fueled inspiration for the Akea concept, and the educational components of the Blueprint For Life.

Sally is a nutritional therapist who has traveled and lived around the world studying exceptionally healthy, long-lived populations. She has authored two books based on her findings: 50 Secrets of the World’s Longest-Living People (Avalon, USA, 2006) and The Live-Longer Diet (reprinted as The Anti-Aging Diet, Plaktus, UK, 2003). She studied nutritional therapy at one of the UK’s foremost nutrition colleges, the UK College of Nutrition and Health (BCNH), where she also lectures on Anti-Aging.

Dr. Maurice Werness :: Naturopathic Physician

As Mr. King also called upon his own personal doctor, Dr. Maurice Werness, a naturopathic physician who has dedicated his life to the research and prevention of chronic illnesses, it was clear that a revolutionary nutraceutical, second-to-none, was about to be born.

Dr. Werness received his undergraduate degree from George Washington University and his Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine from Bastyr University. He is a Board Member and former President of the Institute for Natural Medicine, has co-authored four books on natural healing and has long studied the effects of nutrition on wellness and longevity. He has developed an expertise in treating and preventing heart disease, high blood pressure and all forms of cardiovascular disease. Dr. Werness is the Lead Architect of Akea and was a Key Member of the Akea Science Advisory Board.

With Dr. Werness as the lead architect of the formula, Akea researched the global food market and nature’s gardens to discover which foods provide the healthiest benefits—the foods that are shared across tables in the world’s key Longevity Hot Spots.

No other product was composed of so many indisputably beneficial factors. Organic, fermented, whole food based, enhanced  probiotics, enzymes, cultured minerals, AND based on the diets of the healthiest, longest-lived people on the planet, Akea offered consumers a convenient, comprehensive way to supplement their Standard American Diet with the very next best thing to picking it from a tree, organically grown no less.

The company also enlisted the support and expertise of some of the highest regarded physicians in North Carolina as part of their Science Advisory Board.

Dr. Gordon Koltis, MD

Dr. Koltis is a highly educated medical doctor certified by the American Board of Radiology and Radiation Oncology, and by the National Board of Medical Examiners. He has a background in oncology, human anatomy, human pathology and zoology.

Dr. Koltis earned his undergraduate degree in Zoology from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He then worked as a graduate student with a combined appointment in the Departments of Human Pathology and Human Anatomy doing research on congenital malformations.

During that time he was also an instructor at the University of Wisconsin Medical School, teaching human anatomy. Subsequently, he attended the University of Wisconsin Medical School and received his Medical Degree in 1981. He completed four years of specialty training in Radiation Oncology at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics in 1985, and since then has been in practice full-time as a radiation oncologist.

In 1989 he moved to Greenville, North Carolina, and has been on the active medical staff at Pitt County Memorial Hospital and Lenoir Memorial Hospital. He continues to serve as the Chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Lenoir Memorial Hospital Cancer Center, and is the Medical Director at the Carolina Radiation Medicine Cancer Treatment Center since that facility opened in August 1998.

Dr. Koltis is certified by the American Board of Radiology and Radiation Oncology and by the National Board of Medical Examiners. He also has the distinction of being a Fellow of The American College of Radiation Oncology (FACRO) and was a Key Member of the Akea Science Advisory Board.

Dr. Michael C. Fajgenbaum, MD

Dr. Michael C. Fajgenbaum is a Board Certified Orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in Sports Medicine and Arthroscopic Surgery. He has been with the Bone and Joint Surgery Clinic since 1988 and was the team Orthopaedic Surgeon for North Carolina State University Football for 20 years.

He was born and raised in Trinidad in the West Indies. After graduating from Trinity College in Trinidad with a certificate from Cambridge University, he attended Tulane University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry in 1978. He was honored as a Tulane scholar and was a member of Phi Eta Sigma.

He went on to Tulane Medical School and graduated in 1982, earning a residency position at the University of Florida in Gainesville. He completed his Internship in General Surgery and then directly entered the Orthopaedic Department in 1983. During his residency, Dr. Fajgenbaum received additional Sports Medicine training with Dr. Fred Allman of the Sports Medicine Institute of America, at that time the team physician for Georgia Tech and a former Olympic team doctor. Dr. Fajgenbaum also served as Chief Resident, and then joined the faculty as a Clinical Instructor in 1987. During his residency, Dr. Fajgenbaum authored several publications and presented original research at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons annual meeting. Upon leaving the University of Florida, Dr. Fajgenbaum joined the Bone and Joint Surgery Clinic in Raleigh, North Carolina. He is Board Certified and has recertified with a subspecialty in Sports Medicine.

Shortly after arriving in Raleigh, he was approached by the head coach of the North Carolina State University Football team and asked to become the team Orthopaedic Surgeon. At 30 years old, that made him the youngest Orthopaedist ever to be in charge of an NCAA Division I football program. Over the years he has also served as team physician for Methodist College, the Carolina Mudcats, the Carolina Cobras and Ravenscroft School. Dr. Fajgenbaum was a Key Member of the Akea Science Advisory Board.

Dr. James Stevens, MD

Dr. Stevens earned a Bachelor of Arts in Zoology from UNC-Chapel Hill and a Doctor of Medicine from East Carolina University School of Medicine.  He completed a Family Practice Residency at the Fairfax Family Practice Program at the Medical College of Virginia and a Sports Medicine Fellowship at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He is board certified in both Family Practice and in Sports Medicine.  In 2003 he founded Carolina Family Practice & Sports Medicine with locations in Cary, Raleigh, and Holly Springs NC. He serves as Head Medical Team Physician for the National Hockey League’s 2006 Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes, a position he has held since 1997. In addition, he is Head Company Physician for the Carolina Ballet, and provides sports medicine services to many area high schools. Dr. Stevens was a Key Member of the Akea Science Advisory Board.

A new day dawns on AKEA

Akea LLC thrived as a direct sales company, marketing Akea Essentials through independent consultants and educating their customers on the five guiding principles of Hot Spot health.

In February 2014, Akea LLC merged with Asantae, a direct sales company with interests in health and wellness product development based out of Mesa, Arizona. Asantae’s leadership, marketing experience, and business growth is first rate. As with any company that wishes to see their product reach new heights and markets, Akea LLC has become part of something bigger, stronger, and is ready to build on the foundation its visionaries poured their time, talents, and hearts into. A new name, a new home, still the same soul: AKEA by Asantae.