Mr. Varner, founded Advanced Cholesterol Management to make Best Practices for Cholesterol Management available to everyone, everywhere. Prior to founding Advanced Cholesterol Management, he was the co-founder and Vice-President of Marketing at Atherotech, Inc. from 1999 to 2006. While working there, Mr. Varner commercialized the VAP Cholesterol Test, a single test that improves routine test risk assessment from about 40% to over 90%. During this time (1999-2006) he successfully branded the name VAP with industry thought leaders, established a national lab distribution network and educated physicians across the country on the benefits of comprehensive cholesterol information, leading to positive year-to-year sales growth and profitability. It was during this time that Mr. Varner also recognized the formidable gap in patient and physician access to best practices for cholesterol management. He began working with Dr. Ziajka, Frank Conaway, Dennis Sitar and unnamed friends on Advanced Cholesterol Management in 2007.

Prior to Atherotech, Inc. Mike’s work history includes both senior operations and sales & marketing experience with American Hospital Supply, Bristol-Myers; and start-up medical device companies, ICU Medical, Safety-Jet, and Venetec. Highlights include establishing the first maquiladora facility in orthodontic industry, introducing the first ceramic orthodontic bracket, Baxter agreement to market Click-lock, and restart of Venetec and the Stat-Lock product line.

Mr. Varner earned his Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Technology from LBSU, received his Master’s degree in Systems Management from USC, and his certificate for the 92nd Advanced Management Program from Harvard University.

Robert has over 10 years of internet marketing experience. Robert has developed innovative strategies for companies such as Gilead Sciences, Eli Lilly, Roche, Bausch & Lomb, AMO & Intralase, and Cephalon. Mr. Stuckey was directly responsible for the growth of Ignite Health’s interactive offerings, the leading West Coast healthcare marketing agency which grew from 5 employees in 2000, to over 90 employees in 2006. After 7 years with Ignite Health, Robert joined Mindshare Creative as VP of Interactive, to launch an Interactive department which billed over $1.5M in its first year. After two years, and the department firmly established, Robert decided to allow his entrepreneurial spirit to fully blossom by founding Awaken Interactive in May of 2008. Robert has pioneered interactive marketing efforts online using Web 2.0 technologies such as content syndication (online video, podcasts, and RSS), widgets, word-of-mouth, social communities, expert blog strategies, and other online viral marketing techniques.

Sitar was born in Indiana and at an early age moved to California. He is a very devoted husband and father of five.

Sitar’s experience spans a diverse set of sales, marketing and operational areas including engagements in the pharmaceutical, medical device, lighting industry, and cardiodiagnostics. After graduation from the California State University Fullerton with a degree in life sciences, Dennis joined McGaw Laboratory, a division of American Hospital Supply Corporation, a leading manufacturer of intravenous solutions and medical devices. After significant involvement in manufacturing management, plastics technology and division planning Sitar headed McGaw’s launch of its technologically advanced I.V. filter program. Baxter-Travenol’s acquisition of AHSC provided Dennis a path to expand his entrepreneurial spirit and was recruited as a founding member of the successful and innovative medical device manufacturer, ICU Medical Inc. His business management, planning and technical skills helped launch successful startup and early stage companies such as ICU Medical, ARS Enterprises, Lumenyte and Atherotech as a member of the executive management teams. He is a patent holder of thirteen US, Canadian and International patents in the medical devise and lighting industries.

Frank Conaway, a recognized strategic marketing expert, brings to Advanced Cholesterol Management, Inc. more than 30 years experience in developing innovative advertising and promotion tactics directly impact profitability. Most recently he was Director of Corporate Communications for Atherotech, Inc., a company that developed and is marketing one of the most prescribed advanced cholesterol tests, the Vertical Auto Profile. As Director of Marketing, Conaway developed the strategies and tactics for both consumer and physician marketing campaigns that took the company from a group of 10 to more than 200 employees nation-wide. Previous to his position at Atherotech, Conaway owned a successful full-service strategic marketing agency based in Southern California which provided services to healthcare companies such as CareCredit (a division of GE), Veterinary Centers of America, HealthNet, and Humana. Conaway also founded a unique boutique agency, Primelife, which specialized in companies with products or services for the mature market, those age 50 and older. Conaway is a noted lecturer, consultant and author and has been featured in publications such as USA Today, Prevention Magazine and the Wall Street Journal and has appeared on CNN. He is a graduate of Bowling Green University.

Dr. Paul Ziajka was born and raised in Upstate New York. He did his undergraduate, graduate and medical studies at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. He received both a Masters and Ph.D. in Physics and then received his M.D. in 1984. He did his internship and residency in internal medicine at Orlando Regional Medical Center. Currently, he is board certified by both the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Clinical Lipidology.

Dr. Ziajka entered private practice in Orlando in 1987 and established the Lipid Clinic of Orlando (precursor to the Florida Lipid Institute) the same year. Since 1997 his practice has been limited to the evaluation and treatment of cholesterol and triglyceride disorders. He has been an investigator in more than 50 clinical trials involving cardiovascular disease, has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed medical journals, has authored five books on lipid management and sits on the editorial board of the Journal of Clinical Lipidology.

Dr. Ziajka is the founder of the Florida Lipid Associates (now the Florida Lipid Foundation), served as its president for ten years and currently sits on its board of directors. He has served on the board of the South East Lipid Association and the steering committee of the National Lipid Association. He is a fellow in the American College of Physicians and a member of the Preventative Cardiology Nursing Association.

Additionally, he is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences at Florida State University School of Medicine, Courtesy Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Florida and Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing in the College of Health and Public Affairs at the University of Central Florida.