CEO of Airborne Health Elise Donahue knows a little something about selling over-the-counter remedies. In 1999, she co-founded Prestige Brands International (NYSE:PBH), a company that markets a hodgepodge of personal care products ranging from Chloraseptic lozenges to Murine ear drops.
Why the head of Airborne Health, one of the fastest-growing companies in America, just wants a little help getting dressed.
CEO of Airborne Health Elise Donahue knows a little something about selling over-the-counter remedies. In 1999, she co-founded Prestige Brands International (NYSE:PBH), a company that markets a hodgepodge of personal care products ranging from Chloraseptic lozenges to Murine ear drops. After selling the company in 2004, she was recruited as CEO of Airborne Health, a Bonita Springs, Florida, company that makes an herbal supplement that it says helps ward off illness. Airborne tablets had been recently hawked by a who's who of Hollywood B-listers and endorsed by Oprah Winfrey. That helped Airborne quickly mushroom into a $151 million-a-year business and land the No. 2 spot on this year's Inc. 500 list.
In her mission to transform Airborne into a global brand while maintaining its grass-roots buzz, Donahue has added new flavors and launched ad blitzes in germ-ridden areas such as New York City's Grand Central Station. A frequent traveler, she also talks up the brand wherever she goes. "When I pull it out at the airport," she says, "people say 'I've heard of that. Does it really work?' I always carry extra."
BlackBerry 7520, $450
"To feel at ease, I need to know what's going on at work every second. If I didn't have my BlackBerry, I'd be on pins and needles."
People magazine, $3.49
"Every weekend I like to lie on Barefoot Beach in Bonita Springs and read People magazine. That's how I unwind."
Tazo Awake tea, $1.50
"If a hit man needed to bump me off, it'd be easy to find me. By 7 every morning I'm at Starbucks getting a cup of Awake tea. I end up drinking about five cups a day."
Big salad, $12
"I truly do not know how to cook anything. I'm always getting takeout. My favorite dish is the big salad, just like Elaine on Seinfeld."
…and What I Covet
A personal stylist, up to $450 per hour
"I would love to have somebody be at my house to do my hair and get me dressed every morning. They'd pick out everything–and buy it for me–and get me looking stylish."
