Document:

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                              EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

         THIS AGREEMENT (the "Agreement"), made in Suffolk County, New York as
of the 1st day of January, 2000 ("Effective Date"), between Twin Laboratories
Inc., ("Company") a Utah corporation, having its executive offices and principal
place of business in Hauppauge, New York, and Steve Blechman, the undersigned
individual ("Executive"). As used herein, the term "Twinlab" shall refer,
individually and/or collectively, as applicable, to Twinlab Corporation, a
Delaware corporation and its existing and future direct and indirect
subsidiaries, including but not limited to the Company.

         NOW, THEREFORE, IN CONSIDERATION of the mutual covenants and agreements
hereinafter set forth, the Company and Executive agree as follows:

1.  Agreement Term.

         The term of this Agreement shall be the three-year period commencing on
January 1, 2000 and ending on December 31, 2002 (the "Agreement Term");
provided, however, that the Agreement Term shall be renewed automatically for
successive additional two-year periods (each a "Renewal Term") at the end of the
Agreement Term and at the end of each such two-year Renewal Term, unless, no
later than 180 days prior to the end of the Agreement Term or any applicable
Renewal Term, either the Company or the Executive gives written notice to the
other that the Agreement Term or any applicable Renewal Term shall not be so
renewed. This Agreement supercedes in all respects the Employment Agreement
between the parties dated May 7, 1996 and any amendments thereto (collectively,
"the 1996 Employment Agreement"), and the 1996 Employment Agreement is hereby
deemed to be of no further force or affect.

2.  Employment.

         (a) Employment by the Company. Executive agrees to be employed by the
Company for the Agreement Term and any applicable Renewal Term (collectively,
the "Term") upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this
Agreement.

         (b) Performance of Duties. Throughout the Term, Executive shall serve
as an Executive Vice President of the Company with powers and responsibilities
as are commensurate with the duties of an Executive Vice President and as may be
assigned from time to time by the Board of Directors ("Board") or the Chief
Executive Officer of the Company including serving as President and Chief
Executive Officer of Advanced Research Press, Inc. ("ARP") for so long as the
Company owns a majority of the shares of stock of ARP and substantially all of
ARP's assets. Executive agrees to faithfully and diligently perform Executive's
duties in conformity with the directions of the Chief Executive Officer and/or
President of the Company and will serve the Company to the best of Executive's
ability. Executive shall devote Executive's entire working time to the business
and affairs of the Company, subject to vacations and sick leave, each in
accordance with Company policy.

3.  Compensation and Benefits.

         (a) Base Salary. For the period commencing with the Effective Date and
ending December 31, 2000, the Company agrees to pay to Executive a base salary
("Base Salary") at the annual rate of $450,000, payable in accordance with the
Company's regular payroll practices. The Base Salary shall be reviewed annually
and may be increased at the discretion of the Compensation Committee of the
Board of Directors of Twinlab based upon the
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achievement of performance criteria by the Executive as may be established from
time to time by the Compensation Committee of the Twinlab Board of Directors.

         (b) Bonus. The Executive shall be eligible to receive a bonus with
respect to each year of the Term in accordance with performance criteria as may
be established from time to time by the Compensation Committee and/or the Board
of Directors of Twinlab.

         (c) Benefits and Perquisites. Executive shall be entitled to receive
such benefits and perquisites as established for executives at the Company of a
similar grade to Executive and such benefits and perquisites shall be at least
as favorable as those offered to any other employee of the Company at the same
grade.

         (d) Indemnification. The Executive shall be indemnified by the Company
against reasonable expenses, including attorney's fees, actually and necessarily
incurred by him in connection with the defense of any action, suit,
investigation or proceeding or similar legal activity, regardless of whether
criminal, civil, administrative or investigative in nature, to which he is made
a party by reason of his then being or having been an officer or director of
Twinlab on or subsequent to the date hereof to the full extent permitted by
applicable law. The Company shall (upon receipt by the Company of an undertaking
by or on behalf of the Executive to repay the expenses described in this
Paragraph 3(d), if it shall ultimately be determined that he is not entitled to
be indemnified by the Company against such expenses) pay reasonable expenses,
including attorney's fees, incurred by the Executive in defending any
threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, or appearing as a
witness at a time when he has not been named as a defendant or respondent with
respect thereto, in advance of the final disposition of any such action, suit or
proceeding. The foregoing right of indemnification will not be deemed exclusive
of any other rights to which the Executive may be entitled under Twinlab's or
any of its subsidiaries' respective Articles or Certificate of Incorporation or
By-laws, as in effect from time to time, any agreement or otherwise.

4.  Cessation of Employment.

         (a)  Termination For Cause, Resignation, Retirement or Death.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, in the event that
Executive's employment is terminated during the Term by the Company for Cause or
by reason of Executive's , resignation or retirement, then the Company shall pay
to Executive, within thirty (30) days of the date of such termination, only the
Base Salary through such date of termination. In the event of Executive's death,
Executive's estate shall receive, in a lump sum, one year of Executive's Base
Salary at the time of death, payable within thirty days of Executive's death.

         (b) For purposes of this Agreement, "Cause" shall mean (i) conviction
of, or plea of nolo contendere (no contest) to, any crime (whether or not
involving the Company) constituting a felony in the jurisdiction involved; (ii)
the Executive's engagement in conduct which is fraudulent or illegal with
respect to the Company ; (iii) gross neglect or misconduct in the performance of
Executive's duties hereunder; (iv) willful failure or refusal to perform such
duties as may be delegated to Executive commensurate with Executive's position;
(v) material violation of the Company's policies, including, without limitation,
those relating to sexual harassment, the disclosure or misuse of Confidential
Information (as hereinafter defined), or those set forth in Company's Code of
Ethics, manuals or statements of policy; (vi) conduct which is materially
injurious or materially damaging to the Company or the reputation of the
Company; or (vii) material breach of any provision of this Agreement by
Executive; in each case as determined by

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the Board of Directors of the Company which determination shall be final,
binding and conclusive.

         (c) Disability. If, as a result of Executive's incapacity due to
physical or mental illness, Executive shall have been absent from Executive's
duties for six (6) months, whether or not consecutive, out of any twelve (12)
month period, and within thirty (30) days after written notice of termination is
given shall not have returned to the performance of Executive's duties on a full
time basis, the Company may terminate Executive's employment hereunder for
"Disability." In that event, the Company shall pay to Executive (i) within
thirty (30) days of the date of such termination, only the Base Salary through
such date of termination and (ii) all benefits accrued by the Executive as of
the date of termination under all qualified and nonqualified retirement,
pension, profit sharing, and similar plans of the Company to such extent in such
manner and at such time as are provided under the terms of such plans and
arrangements. During any period that Executive fails to perform Executive's
duties hereunder as a result of incapacity due to physical or mental illness (a
"Disability Period"), Executive shall continue to receive the compensation and
benefits provided by Section 3 hereof unless and until Executive's employment
hereunder is terminated; provided, however, that the amount of compensation and
benefits received by Executive during the Disability Period shall be reduced by
the aggregate amounts, if any, payable to Executive under the Social Security or
state disability insurance programs.

         (d) Termination By The Company For Any Other Reason. In the event that
Executive's employment hereunder is terminated by the Company during the Term
for any reason other than as provided in Sections 4(a), (c), or 8 hereof, then
the Company shall pay to Executive, 1) commencing with the date of termination
of employment and continuing for the balance of the Term, severance pay equal to
the Base Salary rate being paid to Executive immediately preceding the
termination of employment, (which shall be paid at the times and in the amounts
such Base Salary would have been paid if Executive had not been terminated); and
2) promptly following any termination under this sub-paragraph, pay to Executive
his targeted bonus for the calendar year at issue (as such Target is established
by the Company's then current bonus program) on a pro-rated basis through his
last day of employment for such year. Executive shall receive no bonus in any
subsequent year of the Term following termination. During the balance of Term
following any termination under this sub-paragraph, Executive shall also
continue to participate in and receive the medical, Executive Medical, dental
and prescription drug insurance (or their substantial equivalents) benefits as
provided for in Section 3 hereof to the same extent as if Executive's employment
hereunder had not been terminated; provided, however, that notwithstanding
anything to the contrary herein, 1) Base Salary severance payments and benefits
and perquisites pursuant to this sub-paragraph shall not be made or provided by
the Company for a period exceeding twenty-four months following the termination
of employment; and 2) in the event that Executive shall breach any of the
provisions of Sections 4, 5, 6 or 7 hereof, in addition to any other remedies
the Company may have, the Company's obligation pursuant to this Section 4(d) to
pay severance, bonus, and to continue certain benefits and perquisites shall
cease and Executive's rights thereto shall terminate and shall be forfeited and
Executive shall promptly reimburse and repay to Company any severance and bonus
paid by the Company to Executive subsequent to the date of termination.

         (e) No Further Liability; Release. Payment made by the Company in
accordance with Section 4 of this Agreement shall operate to fully discharge and
release the Company and its directors, officers, employees, subsidiaries,
affiliates, stockholders, successors, assigns, agents and representatives from
any further obligation or liability (other than any obligations Company may have
pursuant to Company's Stock Incentive and Stock Option Plans) with respect to,
in

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connection with or arising out of Executive's employment and termination of
employment. Other than making payments and continuing any benefits under this
Section 4 , the Company and its directors, officers, employees, subsidiaries,
affiliates, stockholders, successors, assigns, agents and representatives shall
have no further obligation or liability under this Agreement to Executive or any
other person or entity arising out of or related to Executive's employment or
the termination thereof, and Executive waives any and all rights to pursue any
other remedy at law or in equity; provided, however, that this shall not
constitute a waiver or release of any rights provided under any federal, state,
or local laws or regulations relating to discrimination in employment. The
Company shall have the right to condition the payment of any severance or other
amounts pursuant to this Section 4 upon the delivery by Executive to the Company
of a release (in form and substance satisfactory to the Company) of any and all
claims Executive may have against the Company and its directors, officers,
employees, subsidiaries, affiliates, stockholders, successors, assigns, agents
and representatives arising out of or related to Executive's employment by the
Company and termination of such employment.

         (f) Survival. The provisions of Sections 4, 5, 6 and 7 herein shall
survive termination of this Agreement or termination of employment for any
reason whatsoever.

5. Non-Competition. In consideration of this Agreement, and the benefits granted
hereunder, as well as those stock options granted to Executive at or about the
time of the execution of this Agreement; during Executive's employment with the
Company under this Agreement , and for a period of two years thereafter (the
"Non-Compete Term"), Executive shall not, directly or indirectly, own, manage,
operate, join, control, participate in, invest in or otherwise be connected or
associated with, in any manner, including as an officer, director, employee,
distributor , independent contractor, independent representative, partner,
consultant, advisor, agent, proprietor, trustee or investor, any Competing
Business (defined below); provided, however, that ownership of less than 5% of
the stock or other securities of a corporation, the stock of which is listed on
a national securities exchange or is quoted on The Nasdaq Stock Market, shall
not constitute a breach of this Section 4, so long as Executive does not in fact
have the power to control, or direct the management of, or is not otherwise
associated with, such corporation.

         As additional consideration for the obligations of Executive set forth
in this paragraph, the Company shall pay Executive, commencing with Executive's
last day of Employment by the Company and continuing for a period of twenty-four
months thereafter, the Base Salary rate being paid to Executive immediately
preceding the termination of employment, such Base Salary to be paid in
accordance with the Company's standard payroll practices.

         For purposes hereof, the term "Competing Business" shall mean any
business or venture which is engaged, directly or indirectly, anywhere in the
world, in (i) the business of developing, manufacturing, marketing, selling
and/or distributing vitamins, minerals, nutritional supplements (including,
without limitation, amino acids and proteins), herbal products, phytonutrients,
nutraceuticals, herb teas or food bars, (ii) the publication of related health,
fitness or body-building publications, (iii) any other business engaged in or
being developed by the Company, or being actively considered by management of
the Company, at the time of Executive's termination of employment from the
Company or (iv) any other business which is substantially similar to the whole
or any significant part of the business conducted by the Company.
Notwithstanding the provisions of clause (iii) hereinabove, to the extent that
the Company ceases to develop any such other business which was

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being developed, or the management of the Company ceases to actively consider
any such other business which was being actively considered at the time of the
Executive's termination of employment, the prohibition set forth herein above
shall no longer be applicable to such other business. At the written request of
the Executive, the Company shall promptly inform the Executive of whether any
particular business or businesses that were being so developed or actively
considered at the time of the Executive's termination of employment have ceased
to be so developed or actively considered.

6.  No Solicitation.

         (a) During Executive's employment with the Company , and for a period
of two years thereafter, Executive shall not, directly or indirectly, including
on behalf of, for the benefit of, or in conjunction with, any other person or
entity, (i) solicit, assist, advise, influence, induce or otherwise encourage in
any way, any employee of the Company who is employed in an executive,
managerial, administrative or professional capacity or who possesses
Confidential Information (defined below) to leave the Company, nor assist any
person or entity in doing so, or employ, engage or otherwise contract with any
such employee or former employee of the Company in a Competing Business (defined
below) or any other business unless such former employee shall not have been
employed by the Company for a period of at least one year, (ii) interfere in any
manner with the relationship between any employee and the Company or (iii)
contact, service or solicit any existing clients, customers or accounts of the
Company on behalf of a Competing Business (defined below), either as an
individual on his own account, as an investor, or as an officer, director,
partner, joint venturer, consultant, employee, agent or salesman of any other
person or entity.

7.  Confidential Information.

         (a) Confidential Information. "Confidential Information" shall mean
confidential records and information of or related to Twinlab, its businesses,
employees or business practices, including, but not limited to, development,
marketing, purchasing, organizational, strategic, financial, managerial,
administrative, manufacturing, production, distribution and sales information,
distribution methods, data, specifications, formulations, recipes, product
development concepts, plans, collections of categorized materials, strategies
and processes (including the Transferred Property as hereinafter defined)
presently owned or at any time hereafter developed by Twinlab or its agents or
consultants or used presently or at any time hereafter in the course of the
business of Twinlab, that are not otherwise part of the public domain.

         (b) Transfer of Property by Executive. Executive hereby transfers and
assigns to the Company, or to any person or entity designated by the Company,
all of his entire right, title and interest in and to all inventions, ideas,
disclosures and improvements (the "Inventions"), whether patented or unpatented,
and copyrightable material and all trademarks, trade names, all goodwill
associated therewith and all federal and state registrations or applications
thereof, made, adopted or conceived by Executive solely or jointly, in whole or
in part (collectively, the "Transferred Property"), prior to or during the
Agreement Term which (i) relate to methods, apparatus, designs, products,
processes or devices sold, leased, used or under construction or development by
Twinlab or (ii) otherwise relate to or pertain to the business, products,
services, functions or operations of Twinlab. Executive shall make adequate
written records of all Inventions, which records shall be the Company's property
and shall communicate promptly and disclose to the Company, in such form as the
Company requests, all information, details and data pertaining to the
aforementioned Inventions. Whether during the Term or thereafter,

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Executive shall execute and deliver to the Company such formal transfers and
assignments and such other papers and documents as may be required of Executive
to permit the Company, or any person or entity designated by the Company, to
file and prosecute the patent applications and, as to copyrightable material, to
obtain copyrights thereon, and as to trademarks, to record the transfer of
ownership of any federal or state registrations or applications.

         (c) Protection of Confidential Information. All such Confidential
Information is considered secret and will be disclosed to the Executive in
confidence, and the Executive acknowledges that, as a consequence of his
employment and position with the Company, the Executive may have access to and
become acquainted with Confidential Information. Except in the performance of
his duties as an employee of the Company, the Executive shall not, during the
Term and at all times thereafter, directly or indirectly for any reason
whatsoever, disclose or use any such Confidential Information. All records,
files, drawings, documents, equipment, papers and other tangible items, wherever
located, relating in any way to or containing Confidential Information, which
the Executive has prepared, used, collected, stored or encountered or shall in
the future prepare, use or encounter, shall be and remain the Company's sole and
exclusive property and shall be included in the Confidential Information. Upon
termination of this Agreement, or whenever requested by the Company, the
Executive shall promptly deliver to the Company any and all of the Confidential
Information and copies thereof, not previously delivered to the Company, that
may be in the possession or under the control of the Executive. The foregoing
restrictions shall not apply to the use, divulgence, disclosure or grant of
access to Confidential Information to the extent, but only to the extent, (i)
expressly permitted or required pursuant to any other written agreement between
the Executive and the Company that expressly references this section of this
Employment Agreement, (ii) such Confidential Information has been publicly
disclosed (not due to a breach by the Executive of his obligations hereunder, or
by breach of any other person, of a fiduciary or confidential obligation to the
Company) or (iii) the Executive is required to disclose Confidential Information
by or to any court of competent jurisdiction or any governmental or
quasi-governmental agency, authority or instrumentality of competent
jurisdiction, provided, however, that the Executive shall, prior to any such
disclosure, immediately notify the Company of such requirement and provided
further, however, that the Company shall have the right, at its expense, to
object to such disclosures and to seek confidential treatment of any
Confidential Information to be so disclosed on such terms as it shall determine.

8. Change of Control Protection. If subsequent to the date hereof, there is an
Acquisition of Control of the Company, and any time within two (2) years
thereafter, (i) your employment with the Company is terminated without Cause or
(ii) you resign for Other Reasons as set forth in paragraph 8 (c), then in
either case you shall be entitled to receive a severance (the "Change of Control
Base Salary Severance") equal to three (3) times your then current Base Salary
as well as an amount equal to three (3) times your "Target Bonus" as defined, at
the time of termination or resignation, in the Company's Bonus Program (the
"Change of Control Bonus Payment") for the calendar year immediately preceding
your termination or resignation under this paragraph. The Company shall
reimburse you for your payments under COBRA for a period of one (1) year
following the date of termination or resignation, should you elect to continue
coverage pursuant to COBRA. The Change of Control Base Salary Severance together
with the Change of Control Bonus Payment (collectively, "the Change of Control
Severance Amount") shall be paid to Executive in equal installments over a
period of two years commencing with Executive's termination or resignation date
and at the times the Base Salary would have otherwise been paid had Executive's
employment not been terminated. The payments and benefits provided for in this
paragraph shall be in lieu of and not in addition to

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any other payments or benefits set forth in this Agreement, including but not
limited to those provided under paragraphs 4(c) and 5. The stock option
agreements covering the options granted to you in connection with your
employment (the "Options"), will be amended to provide for an acceleration of
the vesting of such options upon the circumstances described above.

         For the purposes of this paragraph 8 only, the following terms shall
have the meanings set forth below:

         (a)  "Acquisition of Control" shall mean:

                  (i)      any person, including a group or entity, becoming the
                           beneficial owner of, or acquiring the power to direct
                           the exercise of voting power with respect to,
                           directly or indirectly securities which represent
                           fifty percent (50%) or more of the combined voting
                           power of the Company's outstanding securities
                           thereafter (an "Acquiring Person"); or

                  (ii)     the Incumbent Directors cease at any time to
                           constitute a majority of the Board of Directors of
                           the Company; or

                  (iii)    the stockholders of Twinlab approve a merger or
                           consolidation of Twinlab with any other corporation,
                           other than a merger or consolidation which would
                           result in the voting securities of Twinlab
                           immediately prior to the merger or consolidation
                           continuing to represent (either by remaining
                           outstanding or by being converted into voting
                           securities of the surviving or parent entity) 50% or
                           more of the combined voting power of the voting
                           securities of any new company or surviving or parent
                           entity outstanding immediately after such merger or
                           consolidation; or

                  (iv)     the stockholders of the Company approve an agreement
                           for the sale or disposition by the Company of all or
                           substantially all of the Company's assets (or any
                           transaction having a similar effect).

         (b) "Incumbent Director" shall mean any director of the Company serving
at January 1, 2000, or one elected thereafter if nominated by at least
two-thirds of the then Incumbent Directors.

         (c) "Other Reasons" shall mean (a) reduction in your base salary; (b)
material diminution in your duties, which diminution continues after notice
thereof is given to the Company by you; (c) the Company's failure to maintain a
material benefit or compensation plan ( i.e., medical insurance or 401(k)) or
plans that are substantially similar to, or afford substantially similar
benefits as, such benefit or compensation plans; (d) relocation of your primary
work location more than fifty miles from your current location; or (e) failure
by the Company to obtain the agreement to assume and perform this Agreement by
an acquiring Person.

         (d) Gross-Up Only as to 20% Excise Tax. In the event that any payment
or distribution by the Company to or for the benefit of the Executive pursuant
to the terms of this Agreement or pursuant to the Stock Option Agreements
(including the value of accelerated vesting of the stock options granted
pursuant to such Stock Option Agreements) (a "Payment"), will be

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subject to the excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code
of 1986, as amended (or any successor provision thereto), then the Company will
reimburse the Executive for the tax imposed by such Section up to 20% of such
Payment. Such reimbursement shall be made by the Company no later than (i) the
date such excise tax is due or required to be withheld from the Executive's
compensation or (ii) within a reasonable time after submission by the Executive
of his tax returns to the Company. Such payment is not intended to be made on a
"grossed-up" basis, and any additional tax liability imposed on Executive due to
any Payment, including further taxes imposed on such reimbursement, shall be
borne by Executive.

9. Assignment and Transfer; No Third Party Beneficiary.

         (a) Company. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be
enforceable by, and may be assigned by the Company to, any existing or future
subsidiary or affiliate of the Company, any purchaser of all or substantially
all of the Company's business or assets, any successor to the Company or any
assignee thereof (each, a "Successor"), whether direct or indirect, by purchase,
merger, consolidation, operation of law or otherwise. The Company will require
any such Successor by agreement in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to
Executive, to expressly assume and agree to perform this Agreement in the same
manner and to the same extent that the Company would be required to perform it
if no such purchase, merger, consolidation, succession or assignment had taken
place. Regardless of whether such agreement is executed, this Agreement shall be
binding upon any Successor of the Company in accordance with the operation of
law, and such Successor shall be deemed to be the Company or Twinlab, as
appropriate, for purposes of this Agreement.

         (b) Executive. Executive's rights and obligations under this Agreement
shall not be transferable by Executive by assignment or otherwise, and any
purported assignment, transfer, alienation or delegation thereof shall be void;
provided, however, that if Executive shall die, all amounts then payable to
Executive hereunder shall be paid in accordance with the terms of this Agreement
to Executive's devisee, legatee or other designee or, if there be no such
designee, to Executive's estate.

10.  Miscellaneous.

         (a) Cooperation. Following notice of termination of employment with the
Company, Executive shall cooperate with the Company, as requested by the
Company, to affect a transition of Executive's responsibilities and to ensure
that the Company is aware of all matters being handled by Executive.

         (b) Protection of Reputation. During the Term and thereafter, Executive
agrees that he will not take action which is intended or would reasonably be
expected to harm the Company or its reputation or which would reasonably be
expected to lead to unwanted or unfavorable publicity to the Company.

         (c) General Release. In exchange for and in consideration of the
payments to be made pursuant to this Employment Agreement, Executive does hereby
release, absolve and discharge the Company and Twinlab, and each of them, as
well as their trustees, directors, officers, agents, servants, employees,
affiliates, stockholders, successors, assigns, and representatives, past and
present, and each of them (hereinafter collectively referred to as

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"Releasees") from any and all claims, demands, liens, agreements, contracts,
covenants, actions, suits, causes of action, wages, obligations, commissions,
overtime payments, debts, expenses, damages, judgments, orders and liabilities
of whatever kind or nature in law, equity or otherwise, whether known or
unknown, to Executive arising out of or related to Executive's employment by the
Company which Executive now owns or holds or has at any time before the date of
this Agreement owned or held as against Releasees, or any of them.

         (d) Governing Law/Jurisdiction/Process. This Agreement, including the
validity, interpretation, construction and performance of this Agreement, shall
be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State
of New York, without regard to principles of conflicts of law. All actions and
proceedings relating to or arising out of this Agreement shall be litigated
solely in any New York state court or United States federal court located in
Suffolk County, New York. The parties hereto expressly consent to the
jurisdiction of any such court and to venue therein and consent to the service
of process in any such action or proceeding by certified or registered mailing
of the summons and complaint therein directed to Executive or the Company at the
address as provided in Section 9(j) hereof.

         (e) Entire Agreement. This Agreement and the Exhibits attached hereto
contain the entire agreement and understanding between the parties hereto in
respect of the subject matter hereof and except as is specifically set forth
herein supersede, cancel and annul any prior or contemporaneous written
(including without limitation the Employment Agreement dated as of May 7, 1996
between Company and Executive) or oral agreements, understandings,
representations, commitments and practices between them respecting the subject
matter hereof. However, the provision of the Non-Competition Agreement between
Executive and Twin Laboratories Inc. dated May 6, 1996 is expressly reaffirmed
and shall remain in full force and effect until such agreement expires in
accordance with its terms.

         (f) Amendment. This Agreement may be amended only by a writing which
makes express reference to this Agreement as the subject of such amendment and
which is signed by Executive and, on behalf of the Company, by its duly
authorized officer.

         (g) Non-waiver. Neither any course of dealing nor any failure or
neglect of either party hereto in any instance to exercise any right, power or
privilege hereunder or under law shall constitute a waiver of any other right,
power or privilege or of the same right, power or privilege in any other
instance. All waivers by either party hereto must be contained in a written
instrument signed by the party to be charged and, in the case of the Company, by
its duly authorized officer.

         (h) Remedies for Breach. The parties hereto agree that Executive is
obligated under this Agreement to render personal services during the Term of a
special, unique, unusual, extraordinary and intellectual character, thereby
giving this Agreement special and extraordinary value, and, in the event of a
breach or threatened breach of any provision of this Agreement by Executive, the
injury or imminent injury to the value and the goodwill of the Company's
business could not be reasonably or adequately compensated in damages in an
action at law. Accordingly, Executive expressly acknowledges that the Company
shall be entitled to specific performance, injunctive relief and any other
applicable equitable remedy against Executive without the posting of a bond in
the event of any breach or threatened breach of any provision of this Agreement
by Executive. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, if Executive
breaches or threatens to breach any of the provisions of Sections 5, 6, or 7
hereof, such breach or threatened breach will entitle the Company to enjoin
Executive from

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engaging in any activities prohibited by such provisions, as is appropriate.
This provision shall not be construed as a waiver of any of the rights which the
Company may have for damages under this Agreement or otherwise, and all of the
Company's rights and remedies shall be unrestricted.

         (i) Reasonableness of Restrictions. Executive agrees and acknowledges
that (i) the provisions of Sections 5, 6, and 7 hereof may limit his ability to
earn a livelihood in a business similar to the business of the Company but
nevertheless agrees that such provisions are reasonable and necessary for the
protection of the Company and do not impose a greater restraint than is
necessary to protect the goodwill or other business interests of the Company;
(ii) such provisions contain reasonable limitations as to the time and the scope
of activity to be restrained; and (iii) the consideration provided under this
Agreement including the severance, bonus and other benefits and perquisites
pursuant to paragraphs 3 and 5 above, and stock options granted to Executive, is
sufficient to compensate Executive for the restrictions imposed in Sections 5,
6, and 7 hereof. In consideration of the foregoing and in light of Executive's
education, skills and abilities, Executive agrees that any defenses by Executive
to the strict enforcement of such provisions are hereby waived by Executive and
Executive agrees that he will not assert that such provisions are void, voidable
or unenforceable.

         (j) Notices. Any notice, request, consent or approval required or
permitted to be given under this Agreement or pursuant to law shall be
sufficient if in writing, and if and when sent by certified or registered mail,
return receipt requested, or by a nationally recognized overnight courier
service, with postage prepaid to Executive:

                                 Steve Blechman
                               11 White Pine Lane
                             Poquott, New York 11733

or to such other residence address of Executive as is reflected in the Company's
records or as otherwise designated by Executive by notice given pursuant to this
paragraph; and if to Company:

                             Twin Laboratories Inc.
                                150 Motor Parkway
                            Hauppauge, New York 11788
                     Attn: Ross Blechman, President and CEO

With a copy to:
                                 Philip M. Kazin
                                 General Counsel
                             Twin Laboratories Inc.
                                150 Motor Parkway
                            Hauppauge, New York 11788

All such notices, requests, consents and approvals shall be effective upon being
deposited in the United States mail or upon delivery to such overnight courier
service. Rejection or other refusal to accept, or the inability to deliver
because of changed address of which no notice was given as provided herein,
shall be deemed to be receipt of the notice, request, consent or approval sent.

10
<PAGE>   11
         (k) Assistance in Proceedings, etc. Executive shall, without additional
compensation, during and after expiration of the Agreement Term and any
applicable renewal period, upon reasonable notice, furnish such information and
proper assistance to the Company as may reasonably be required by the Company in
connection with any legal or quasi-legal proceeding, including any external or
internal investigation, involving the Company or any of its affiliates or in
which any of them is, or may become, a party. The Company shall reimburse
Executive for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Executive in
connection with services provided under this Section.

         (l) Survival. The respective obligations of Executive and rights and
benefits afforded to the Company as provided in this Agreement shall survive
cessation or termination of Executive's employment hereunder.

         (m) Costs and Expenses. Each party shall pay all of its own costs and
expenses, including reasonable legal fees, in connection with the execution,
delivery, performance and compliance with this Agreement by such party. If an
action or proceeding is commenced by a party to enforce or interpret any
provision of this Agreement, each party shall pay its own costs and expenses of
such action or proceeding, including attorneys' fees.

         (n) Execution In Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed by the
parties hereto in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be
an original, but all such counterparts shall constitute one and the same
instruments, and all signatures need not appear on any one counterpart.

         IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Agreement to be duly
executed on its behalf by an officer thereunto duly authorized and Executive has
duly executed this Agreement, all as of the date and year first written above.

TWIN LABORATORIES INC.                      EXECUTIVE

By:____________________________________     ____________________________________
Name:                                       Steve Blechman
Title:               Date:_____________                 Date:______________

Agreed to and Accepted:  TWINLAB CORPORATION

By:________________________________
Ross Blechman, President                    Date:______________

                                       11<PAGE>   1
                    EXECUTIVE'S CONFIDENTIALITY, NON COMPETE
                        AND EMPLOYMENT AT WILL AGREEMENT

                             TWIN LABORATORIES INC.

         AGREEMENT, entered into this   day of      , 2000 between TWIN
LABORATORIES INC., a Utah corporation, having its principal offices at 150 Motor
Parkway, Hauppauge, New York 11788, including without limitation all of its
current and future direct and indirect subsidiaries, divisions and businesses
such as Nature's Herbs, Alvita, Advanced Research Press, Inc., Bronson
Laboratories Inc., PR*Nutrition, Changes International Inc. and Health Factors
International (hereinafter collectively referred to as "Twin" or "Company") and
Brian Blechman residing at 6 Pine Point, Lloyd Harbor, New York 11743
hereinafter referred to as "Executive".

1.   CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION

         A. Executive acknowledges that Executive may come into contact with or
have access to confidential matters and proprietary information and "know-how"
pertaining to Twin's business including without limitation Twin's product
formulas and recipes; research and development programs and concepts for future
products or changes to existing products; analytical and microbiological test
results; supplier, distributor and customer lists and information; sales,
distribution, production, product, purchasing and marketing information and
strategies; financial information and projections; computer programs and
technical information; methods of doing business (all of which are collectively
referred to as "Confidential Information"). Executive acknowledges that
Confidential Information may be in any form including without limitation in
writing, on computer tapes, disks, and in computer programs.

         B. Executive acknowledges that the Confidential Information is not
under lock and key because of use by Twin and its employees and that because of
such access, Twin is relying upon the Executive's good faith to ensure that
Confidential Information is not used improperly or to the disadvantage of Twin.

         C. Executive shall not, during Executive's employment by Twin or at any
time thereafter, divulge, furnish or make accessible to any person or entity or
make use of (other than in the regular course of Twin's business) any knowledge
or information with respect to any Confidential Information.

         D. Executive will not disclose to Twin or induce Twin to use any
proprietary information, trade secrets, or confidential information of others.
Executive represents that Executive has returned all proprietary trade secrets
and confidential information belonging to any prior employer.

2.   EMPLOYMENT AT WILL

         The Employment provided for herein shall be deemed at will and the
Executive's employment With Twin may be terminated without cause at any time by
written notice given by the Executive to Twin or by Twin to the Executive. The
Executive acknowledges and agrees that the termination of his employment for any
reason whatsoever shall not release him from any of Executive's obligations,
agreements and understandings as set forth in this Agreement.
<PAGE>   2
Executive's Confidentiality and Employment at Will Agreement
Page 2

3.       OTHER OBLIGATIONS

         Executive represents that neither Executive's employment with Twin nor
Executive's obligations hereunder conflict with or violate or are otherwise
inconsistent with any other obligations, legal or otherwise, which Executive may
have.

4.   TRANSFER OF PROPERTY BY EXECUTIVE

         Executive hereby sells, transfer and assigns to Twin all of his right,
title and interest in and to all inventions, ideas, disclosures and improvements
(the "Inventions"), whether patented or unpatented, and copyrightable material
and all trademarks, trade names, all goodwill associated therewith and all
federal and state registrations or applications thereof, made, adopted or
conceived by Executive, in whole or in part (collectively, the "Transferred
Property"), prior to or during his employment with Twin which (i) relate to
methods, apparatus, designs, products, processes or devices sold, leased, used
or under development by Twin or (ii) otherwise relate to or pertain to the
business, products, services, functions or operations of Twin. Executive shall
make adequate written records of all inventions, which records shall be Twin's
property and shall disclose to Twin, in such form as Twin requests, all
information and data pertaining to the aforementioned Inventions. Whether during
his employment or thereafter, Executive shall execute and deliver to Twin such
formal transfer and assignments and such other papers and documents as may be
required of Executive to permit Twin, or any person or entity designated by
Twin, to file and prosecute the patent applications and, as to copyrightable
material, to obtain copyrights thereon, and as to trademarks, to record the
transfer of ownership of any federal or state registrations or applications.

5.   NON-COMPETITION

         During your employment by Twin, and for a period of two years
thereafter, Executive shall not, directly or indirectly, own, manage, operate,
join, control, participate in, invest in or otherwise be connected or associated
with, in any manner, including as a officer, director, employee, distributor,
independent contractor, independent representative, partner, consultant,
advisor, agent, proprietor, trustee or investor, any Competing Business located
in the United States of America or in any foreign nation or region where Twin
conducts business or is considering doing business; provided, however, that
ownership of 1% or less of the stock or other securities of a corporation, the
stock of which is listed on a national securities exchange or is quoted on The
Nasdaq Stock Market, shall not constitute a breach of this Section 5 so long as
Executive does not in fact have the power to control, or direct the management,
of, or is not
<PAGE>   3
Executive's Confidentiality and Employment at Will Agreement
Page 3

otherwise associated with, such corporation.

         For the purpose hereof, the term, "Competing Business" shall mean any
business or venture which is engaged, directly or indirectly, in (i) the
business of developing, manufacturing, marketing (including catalogue and mail
order marketing), selling and/or distributing (including wholesale distributing)
of vitamins, minerals, nutritional supplements (including, without limitation,
amino acids and proteins), herbal products, phytonutrients, herb teas or food
bars, (ii) the publication of related health, fitness or body-building
publications, (iii) any other business engaged in or being developed by Twin, or
being actively considered by management of Twin, or (iv) any other business
which is substantially similar to the whole or any significant part of the
business conducted by Twin.

         As additional consideration for the obligations of Executive set forth
in paragraphs 5 and 6 hereof, the Company shall pay Executive, commencing with
the day following Executive's last day of employment by the Company and
continuing for a period of twelve months thereafter, the Base Salary rate being
paid to Executive immediately preceding the termination of employment, such Base
Salary to be paid to Executive in accordance with the Company's standard payroll
practices.

6.   NO SOLICITATION

         During Executive's employment by Twin, and for a period of two years
thereafter, Executive shall not, directly or indirectly, including on behalf of,
for the benefit of, or in conjunction with, any other person or entity, (i)
solicit, assist, advise, influence, induce, or otherwise encourage in any way,
any employee of the Company to terminate its relationship with the Company for
any reason, nor assist any person or entity in doing so, or employ, engage or
otherwise contract with any employee or former employee of the Company in a
Competing Business or any other business unless such former employee shall not
have been employed by the Company for a period of at least one year, (ii)
interfere in any manner with the relationship between any employee and the
Company or (iii) contact, service or solicit any existing clients, customers, or
account of the Company on behalf of a Competing Business, either as an
individual on his own account, or as an investor, or as an officer, director,
partner, joint venture, consultant, employee, agent or salesperson, of any other
person or entity.

         During the Executive's employment with the Company and for a period of
two years thereafter, Executive shall not, directly or indirectly, including on
behalf of, for the benefit of, or in conjunction with, any other person or
entity, (i) solicit, assist, influence, induce or otherwise encourage in any
way, any Distributor to terminate its relationship with the Company for any
reason, not assist any person or entity in doing so, or employ, engage or
otherwise contract with any Distributor in a Competing Business or any other
business; or (ii) interfere in any manner with the relationship between any
Distributor and the Company. The term "Distributor" shall mean (i) distributor,
independent contractor, independent representative or other person or entity
which sells and/or distributes the Company's products, and (iii) any former
distributor, independent contractor, independent representative or other person
or entity which sold and/or distributed the Company's products, unless such
person or entity shall not have sold and/or distributed the Company's products
or been employed
<PAGE>   4
Executive's Confidentiality and Employment at Will Agreement
Page 4

or engaged by, or otherwise been under contract with, the Company for a period
of at least one year.

7.   REASONABLENESS OF RESTRICTIONS

         Executive agrees and acknowledges that (i) the provisions of Sections 5
and 6 hereof may limit his ability to earn a livelihood in a business similar to
the business of Twin's but nevertheless agrees that such provisions are
reasonable and necessary for the protection of Twin and do not impose a greater
restraint than is necessary to protect the goodwill or other important business
interests of Twin; (ii) such provisions contain reasonable limitations as to the
time and scope of activity to be restrained; and (iii) the consideration
provided to Executive concurrently with this Agreement in connection with his
employment relationship with Twin including the compensation and other benefits
and perquisites is sufficient to compensate Executive for the restrictions
imposed in Sections 5 and 6 hereof. In consideration of the foregoing and in
light of Executive's education, skills and abilities, Executive agrees that any
defense by Executive to the strict enforcement of such provisions are hereby
waived by Executive and Executive agrees that he will not assert that such
provisions are void, voidable, or unenforceable.

8.   ENFORCEMENT

         Executive expressly agrees, that in addition to any other remedies
which may be available to Twin, Twin shall be entitled to injunctive and/or
other equitable relief to prevent or remedy a breach or threatened breach of any
of the provisions this Agreement and to secure their enforcement. For such
purposes, and for the purpose of resolving any dispute or conflict arising from
or out of this Agreement, the parties agree to submit exclusively to the
jurisdiction and venue of either 1) the Supreme Court of the State of New York,
County of Suffolk and/or Nassau, or 2) the United States District Court for the
Eastern District of New York located in the County of Suffolk or Nassau, and the
parties agree to abide by and comply with the terms and provisions of any order
or judgement which may be entered by said court in connection with the
enforcement of the rights of the parties hereto. The parties consent to the
service of process in any such action or proceeding in a manner pursuant to that
set forth in paragraph 14 "Miscellaneous" hereinafter for the giving of notices.

9.   REMEDIES CUMULATIVE

         The remedies provided for herein are cumulative and not exclusive. Twin
may exercise the remedies set forth in paragraph 8 hereof, as well as any other
remedies which it may have at any time. No failure or delay by Twin in
exercising any right or remedy hereunder shall operate as a waiver of such right
or remedy, nor shall any single or partial exercise thereof preclude any other
or further exercise thereof.

10.  SEVERABILITY

         If any term, provision or covenant of the Agreement or part thereof, or
the application thereof to any person, place or circumstances, shall be held to
be invalid, unenforceable or void by a court of competent jurisdiction, the
remainder of this Agreement and such term, provision or covenant shall remain in
full force and effect, and any such invalid, unenforceable or void term,
provision or covenant shall be deemed, without further action on the part of the
parties hereto, modified, amended and limited, and the court shall have the
power to modify, amend and limit any such term, provision or covenant, to the
extent necessary to render the same and the remainder of this Agreement valid,
enforceable and lawful.
<PAGE>   5
Executive's Confidentiality and Employment at Will Agreement
Page 5

11.  ENTIRE AGREEMENT

         This Agreement contains the entire agreement and understanding between
the parties hereto in respect of the subject matter hereof and except as is
specifically set forth herein supersedes, cancels and annuls any prior or
contemporaneous written (including without limitation the Employment Agreement
dated as of May 7, 1996 between Company and Executive) or oral agreements,
understandings, representations, commitments and practices between them
respecting the subject matter hereof. However, the provision of the
Non-Competition Agreement between the Executive and Twin Laboratories Inc. dated
May 6, 1996 is expressly reaffirmed and shall remain in full force and effect
until such agreement expires in accordance with its term.

12.      AMENDMENT

         This Agreement may be amended only by a writing which makes express
reference to this Agreement as the subject of such amendment and which is signed
by Executive and, on behalf of the company, by its duly authorized officer.

13.      NON-WAIVER

         Neither any course of dealing nor any failure or neglect of either
party hereto in any instance to exercise any right, power or privilege hereunder
or under law shall constitute a waiver of any other right, power or privilege or
of the same right, power or privilege in any other instance. All waivers by
either party hereto must be contained in a written instrument signed by the
party to be charged and, in the case of the Company, by its duly authorized
officer.

14.  MISCELLANEOUS

         This Agreement shall be deemed to be executed in New York State and
shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of
New York without regard to principles of choice law. Any notices hereunder by
either party shall be in writing and delivered in person by hand or sent by
nationally recognized express carrier or by certified or registered mail,
postage prepaid addressed to the parties at the addresses set forth in this
Agreement or to such other address as may be furnished to a party in like manner
or if to Executive, to the last address of Executive as listed in the records of
the Company. All notices to Twin shall be addressed to the attention of Mr. Ross
Blechman, President. In case any one or more of the provisions of this Agreement
should be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, the validity,
legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be
affected or impaired thereby.

IN WITNESS HEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement as of the day first
hereinabove set forth.

                                             TWIN LABORATORIES, INC.
__________________________________
Executive Signature
                                             By:________________________________
Brian Blechman
_________________________________

Type or Print Name
                                             Title:   President and CEO
Date:_____________________________                    __________________________
<PAGE>   6
Executive's Confidentiality and Employment at Will Agreement
Page 6

I have received a countersigned copy of this Agreement:

______________________________
Executive Signature
<PAGE>   7
                              EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

                  THIS AGREEMENT (the "Agreement"), made in New York, New York
as of the 7th day of May 1999, between Twin Laboratories Inc. ("Company"),
having its executive offices and principal place of business in Hauppauge, New
York, and Stephen L. Welling, the undersigned individual ("Executive").

                  NOW, THEREFORE, IN CONSIDERATION of the mutual covenants and
agreements hereinafter set forth, the Company and Executive agree as follows:

                  1.       Agreement Term.

                           The term of this Agreement shall be the approximate
three-year period commencing as of May 7, 1999 and ending on May 6, 2002 (the
"Agreement Term"); provided, however, that the Agreement Term shall be renewed
automatically for successive additional two-year periods ("Renewal Period") at
the end of such three-year period and at the end of each such two-year Renewal
Period, unless, no later than 180 days prior to any such renewal date, either
the President of the Company or the Executive gives written notice to the other
that the Agreement shall not be so renewed.

                  2.       Employment.

                           (a) Employment by the Company. Executive agrees to be
employed by the Company for the Agreement Term upon the terms and subject to the
conditions set forth in this Agreement.

                           (b) Performance of Duties. Throughout the Agreement
Term, Executive shall serve as President of the Health and Natural Food Store
Division of the Company and shall have such duties, powers and responsibilities
that are commensurate with his position or as may be assigned by the Board of
Directors ("Board") of Company or the President of Company from time to time
provided such assigned duties are commensurate with his position. In addition,
Executive agrees that he will serve in any similar capacity on behalf of any
existing or future subsidiary or division as is reasonably requested by the
Company. Executive shall faithfully and diligently perform Executive's duties in
conformity with the directions of the Company and serve the Company to the best
of Executive's ability. Executive shall devote Executive's entire working time
to the business and affairs of the Company, subject to vacations and sick leave
in accordance with Company policy.

                           (c) Place of Performance. During the Agreement Term,
Executive shall be based at American Fork, Utah. Executive understands and
acknowledges that his duties will require reasonable business travel from time
to time. Executive shall report to Ross Blechman, President of the Company or
such other executive as may be designated by the Company from time to time.

                  3.       Compensation and Benefits.

                           (a) Base Salary. For the period of May 6, 1999
through May 6, 2002 the Company agrees to pay to Executive for employment
hereunder a base salary ("Base
<PAGE>   8
Salary") at the annual rate of $ 265,000. Beginning January 1, 2000 and on
January 1 of each successive year of this Agreement, the Base Salary shall be
increased by a percentage equal to the percentage increase, if any, in the
Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, All Items ("CPI") for the most
recent twelve month period for which such figures are then available as
promulgated by the Department of Labor Bureau of Statistics; provided however
that the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors ("Board") of the
Company may, in its sole discretion, increase the Base Salary from time to time
by a sum greater than the CPI proportional increase.

                           (b) Benefits and Perquisites. Executive shall be
entitled to receive such benefits and perquisites as the Company and the
Executive shall mutually agree from time to time. Nothing in this Agreement
shall preclude the Company from terminating or amending from time to time any
employee benefit plan or program.

                           (c) Bonus. The Executive shall be entitled to receive
a cash bonus with respect to each calendar year of the Agreement of up to 100%
of Base Salary based on the Bonus Plan attached hereto as Exhibit A.

                           (d) Stock Options. Company shall cause Executive to
be granted options for 50,000 shares in the Company's common stock. The terms
and conditions of the stock option grant are set forth in the Company stock
option plan, a copy of which has been provided to Executive.

                           (e) Vacation. Executive shall be entitled to paid
vacation in accordance with the vacation policy of the Company.

                           (f) Automobile. The Company shall reimburse the
Executive for all reasonable expenses (including lease payment, liability
insurance, maintenance, repair and fuel costs) up to One Thousand Two Hundred
dollars ($1,200) per month incurred in operating an automobile for the
Executive's use in the performance of his duties hereunder and in the conduct of
the affairs of the Company, which automobile shall also be available to the
Executive for personal use.

                           (g) Standard Benefits. Medical Insurance; Dental
Insurance; Life Insurance; and Long Term Disability Insurance shall be provided
in accordance with the standard policies in effect for full time Company
employees, including all applicable eligibility and contribution requirements.
Company will reimburse Executive for any COBRA payment incurred prior to
eligibility in the Company Medical Insurance or Dental Insurance program.

                           (h) 401k Program. Executive shall be eligible for
participation in the Company's 401k plan, including the employer contribution
thereto, subject to the terms and conditions of the plan including the waiting
periods contained in the plan.

                           (i) Travel and Business Expenses. Upon submission of
itemized expense statements consistent with Company procedure, Executive shall
be entitled to reimbursement for reasonable travel and other reasonable business
expenses incurred by Executive in the performance of Executive's duties under
this Agreement in accordance with the policies and procedures established by the
Company from time to time for executives of a substantially similar level as
Executive.

                                     - 2 -
<PAGE>   9
                           (j) Payment. Payment of all compensation and benefits
to Executive hereunder shall be made in accordance with Company policies in
effect from time to time, including normal payroll practices, and shall be
subject to all applicable employment and withholding taxes.

                           (k) Cessation of Employment. In the event Executive
shall cease to be employed by the Company for any reason, then Executive's
compensation and benefits shall cease on the date of such event, except as
otherwise provided herein or in any applicable employee benefit plan or program.

                  4. Indemnification. The Executive shall be indemnified by
Company against reasonable expenses, including attorney's fees, actually and
necessarily incurred by him in connection with the defense of any action, suit,
investigation or proceeding or similar legal activity, regardless of whether
criminal, civil, administrative or investigative in nature, to which he is made
a party by reason of his then being or having been an officer or director of the
Company on or subsequent to the date hereof, to the full extent permitted by
applicable law. Company shall (upon receipt by Company of an undertaking by or
on behalf of the Executive to repay the expenses described in this Section 4, if
it shall ultimately be determined that he is not entitled to be indemnified by
Company against such expenses) pay reasonable expenses, including attorney's
fees, incurred by the Executive in defending any threatened, pending or
completed action, suit or proceeding, or appearing as a witness at a time when
he has not been named as a defendant or respondent with respect thereto, in
advance of the final deposition of any such action, suit or proceeding. The
foregoing right of indemnification will not be deemed exclusive of any other
rights to which the Executive may be entitled under Company's or any of its
subsidiaries' respective Articles or Certificate of Incorporation or By-laws, as
in effect from time to time, or any agreement or otherwise.

                  5. Non-competition. During the Agreement Term, including any
unexpired portion thereof and any applicable Renewal Period, and, for a period
of twelve months, thereafter (provided, however, that if Executive is terminated
by the Company for any reason other than "Cause" as defined in paragraph 7(b)
hereinafter or if Executive resigns for Good Reason as defined in paragraph 7(d)
hereafter, than the provisions of this non-competition paragraph shall be for a
period of twelve months commencing with the date of termination or resignation,
whichever is applicable.) Executive shall not, directly or indirectly, own,
manage, operate, join, control, participate in, invest in or otherwise be
connected or associated with, in any manner, including as an officer, director,
employee, distribution, independent contractor, independent representative,
partner, consultant, advisor, agent, proprietor, trustee or investor, any
Competing Business located in any state or region (including foreign
jurisdictions) where the Company conducts business or is considering doing
business; provided, however, that ownership of 1% or less of the stock or other
securities of a corporation, the stock of which is listed on a national
securities exchange or is quoted on The Nasdaq Stock Market, shall not
constitute a breach of this Section 5, so long as Executive does not in fact
have the power to control, or direct the management of, or is not otherwise
associated with, such corporation.

                  For purposes hereof, the term "Competing Business" shall mean
any business or venture which is engaged, directly or indirectly, in (i) the
business of developing, manufacturing, marketing (including multi-level
marketing), selling and/or distributing (including wholesale distributing) of
vitamins, minerals, nutritional supplements (including, without limitation,
amino

                                     - 3 -
<PAGE>   10
acids and proteins), herbal products, phytonutrients, herb teas or food bars,
(ii) the publication of related health, fitness or body-building publications,
(iii) any other business engaged in or being developed by the Company, or being
actively considered by management of the Company, or (iv) any other business
which is substantially similar to the whole or any significant part of the
business conducted by the Company.

         6.       No Solicitation.

                           (a) During the Agreement Term, including any
unexpired portion thereof and any applicable Renewal Period, and for a period of
one year thereafter, Executive shall not, directly or indirectly, including on
behalf of, for the benefit of, or in conjunction with, any other person or
entity, (i) solicit, assist, advise, influence, induce or otherwise encourage in
any way, any employee of the Company to terminate its relationship with the
Company for any reason, nor assist any person or entity in doing so, or employ,
engage or otherwise contract with any employee or former employee of the Company
in a Competing Business or any other business unless such former employee shall
not have been employed by the Company for a period of at least one year, (ii)
interfere in any manner with the relationship between any employee and the
Company or (iii) contact, service or solicit any existing clients, customers or
accounts of the Company on behalf of a Competing Business, either as an
individual on his own account, as an investor, or as an officer, director,
partner, joint venturer, consultant, employee, agent or salesman of any other
person or entity.

         7.       Termination of Employment.

                           (a) Termination or Resignation. The Company may
terminate Executive's employment for Cause (as hereinafter defined), in which
case the provisions of Section 7(b) shall apply. The Company may also terminate
Executive's employment in the event of Executive's Disability (as hereinafter
defined), in which case the provisions of Section 7(c) shall apply. The Company
may also terminate the Executive's employment for any other reason by written
notice to Executive, in which case the provisions of Section 7(e) shall apply.
If Executive's employment is terminated by reason of Executive's death or
retirement, the provisions of Section 7(b) shall apply. Executive may resign for
Good Reason (as hereinafter defined) in which case the provisions of Section
7(e) shall apply. No termination of this Agreement or resignation shall relieve
any party from liability for any breach of this Agreement or defeat or impair
the right of any party to pursue such relief as may otherwise be available to it
as a result of any breach of this Agreement or any term, provision or covenant
contained herein.

                           (b) Termination for Cause; Termination by Reason of
Death or Retirement. The Executive may be terminated for Cause, upon at least
thirty (30) days' prior written notice from the Board to the Executive for a
termination for Cause pursuant to clause (iv), (v) or (vii) of this paragraph,
and upon at least ten (10) days' prior written notice from the Board to the
Executive for a termination for Cause pursuant to Clause (i), (ii), (iii), (vi),
or (viii), by a vote of the Board, (provided that Executive shall have had the
opportunity (together with Executive's legal counsel) during such period to be
heard at a meeting of the Board with respect to such determination).
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, in the event that
Executive's employment hereunder is terminated during the Agreement Term (x) by
the Company for Cause or (y) by reason of Executive's death or retirement, then
the Company shall pay to Executive, within thirty (30) days of the date of such
termination, only the

                                     - 4 -
<PAGE>   11
Base Salary through such date of termination. For purposes of this Agreement,
"Cause" shall mean (i) conviction of, or plea of nolo contendere (no contest)
to, any crime (whether or not involving the Company) constituting a felony in
the jurisdiction involved; (ii) conduct involving moral turpitude; (iii) conduct
related to Executive's employment for which either criminal or civil penalties
against Executive or the Company may be sought; (iv) gross neglect or misconduct
in the performance of Executive's duties hereunder; (v) willful failure or
refusal to perform such duties as may be delegated to Executive commensurate
with Executive's position; (vi) material violation of the Company's policies,
including, without limitation, those relating to sexual harassment, the
disclosure or misuse of Confidential Information (as hereinafter defined), or
those set forth in Company manuals or statements of policy; (vii) conduct which
is materially injurious or materially damaging to the Company or the reputation
of the Company; or (viii) material breach of any provision of this Agreement by
Executive.

                           (c) Disability. If, as a result of Executive's
incapacity due to physical or mental illness, Executive shall have been absent
from Executive's duties hereunder for either (i) one hundred twenty (120) days
within any three hundred sixty-five (365) day period, or (ii) ninety (90)
consecutive days, and within thirty (30) days after written notice of
termination is given shall not have returned to the performance of Executive's
duties hereunder on a full time basis, the Company may terminate Executive's
employment hereunder for "Disability." In that event, the Company shall pay to
Executive, within thirty (30) days, of the date of such termination, only the
Base Salary through such date of termination. During any period that Executive
fails to perform Executive's duties hereunder as a result of incapacity due to
physical or mental illness (a "Disability Period"), Executive shall continue to
receive the compensation and benefits provided by Section 3 hereof (other than
Section 3(c) hereof) until Executive's employment hereunder is terminated;
provided, however, that the amount of compensation and benefits received by
Executive during the Disability Period shall be reduced by the aggregate
amounts, if any, payable to Executive pursuant to Section 3(b) hereof or under
the Social Security or state disability insurance programs.

                           (d) Resignation For Good Reason. The Executive may
resign for Good Reason, upon at least thirty (30) days' prior written notice
from the Executive to the Board of his intent to resign for Good Reason pursuant
to Clause (iii) of this subparagraph, and upon at least 10 days' prior written
notice from the Executive to the Board of his intent to resign for Good Reason
pursuant to Clause (i), (ii), (iv) or (v) of this subparagraph, provided that
the Executive (together with Executive's legal counsel) shall meet with the
Board, if requested by the Board during such period with respect to his intent
to resign. " Good Reason" shall mean any (i) reduction in the Executive's Base
Salary or opportunity to participate in the Bonus Plan, as set forth herein,
(ii) relocation of the Executive's principal place of business to a location
which is more than 10 miles from its current location in American Fork, Utah
(without the Executive's consent), (iii) material diminution in the Executive's
duties, responsibilities or reporting position with the Company, which
diminution continues after written notice thereof is given to the Board by the
Executive, (iv) failure by the Company to continue in effect any material
benefit or compensation plan, life insurance plan, health and accident plan,
disability plan (or plan providing the Executive with substantially similar
benefits) in which the Executive is participating or the material reduction of
the Executive's benefits under any such plans or (v) failure by Company to
obtain the agreement to assume and perform this Agreement by any successor of
Company.

                           (e) Termination By The Company For Any Other Reason
or

                                     - 5 -
<PAGE>   12
Resignation For Good Reason. In the event that Executive's employment hereunder
is terminated by the Company during the Agreement Term for any reason other than
as provided in Sections 7(b) or 7(c) hereof or in the event that Executive
resigns for Good Reason, then the Company shall pay to Executive, within thirty
(30) days of the date of such termination or resignation, only the Base Salary
through such date of termination and, in lieu of any further compensation and
benefits for the balance of the Agreement Term, severance pay equal only to the
Base Salary that Executive would have otherwise received during the period
beginning on such date of termination or resignation and ending on the last day
of the twelfth month following such date of termination or resignation, which
severance pay shall be paid commencing with such date of termination or
resignation at the times and in the amounts such Base Salary would have been
paid if Executive had not been terminated or resigned. Executive shall also
receive his bonus on a pro-rated basis through his last day of employment.
Except as set forth below, during such] twelve month period, Executive shall
also continue to participate in and receive the benefits and perquisites
provided for in Section 3(g) hereof to the same extent as if Executive's
employment hereunder had not been terminated or resigned; provided, however,
that in the event that Executive shall breach Sections 5, 6 or 9 hereof, in
addition to any other remedies the Company may have, the Company' obligation
pursuant to this Section 7(e) to pay severance, bonus, and to continue benefits
and perquisites shall cease and Executive's rights thereto shall terminate and
shall be forfeited and Executive shall reimburse and repay to Company any
severance or bonus paid by Company to Executive between the date of termination
and the date such payments by the Company ceased.

                           (f) No Further Liability; Release. Payment made and
performance by the Company in accordance with this Section 7 shall operate to
fully discharge and release the Company and its directors, officers, employees,
subsidiaries, affiliates, stockholders, successors, assigns, agents and
representatives from any further obligation or liability with respect to
Executive's employment and termination of employment. Other than paying
Executive's Base Salary through the date of termination of Executive's
employment and making any severance payment and continuing benefits and
perquisites pursuant to and in accordance with this Section 7 (as applicable),
the Company and its directors, officers, employees, subsidiaries, affiliates,
stockholders, successors, assigns, agents and representatives shall have no
further obligation or liability to Executive or any other person or entity under
this Agreement. The Company shall have the right to condition the payment of any
severance or other amounts pursuant to this Section 7 upon the delivery by
Executive to the Company of a release (in form and substance satisfactory to the
Company) of any and all claims Executive may have against the Company and its
directors, officers, employees, subsidiaries, affiliates, stockholders,
successors, assigns, agents and representatives arising out of or related to
Executive's employment by the Company and termination of such employment.

         8.       Change of Control.

                  If subsequent to the date hereof, there is an Acquisition of
Control, as defined hereafter, of the Company, and any time within one year
thereafter, (i) Executive's employment with the Company is terminated by the
Company without Cause or (ii) Executive resigns for Good Reason, as defined
hereinabove, then in either case Executive shall be entitled to receive a
severance equal to one year base salary at the time of termination, which
severance pay shall be paid commencing with such date of termination or
resignation at the time and in the amounts such Base Salary would have been paid
if Executive had not been terminated or resigned and

                                     - 6 -
<PAGE>   13
the Company shall continue all benefits coverage of you and your dependents
under the Company's medical and other benefits plans or policies (or under other
benefits plans or policies that provide substantially equivalent coverage) for a
period of one year. Subject to the immediately following sentences, the stock
option agreements (the "Stock Option Agreement"), covering the options granted
to you in connection with your employment (the "Options"), will be amended to
provide for an acceleration of the vesting of such options upon the
circumstances described above. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary
contained in this Agreement or the Stock Option Agreements, there shall be no
acceleration of the vesting of any Options to the extent that the Board of
Directors determines that either the amendment of the Stock Option agreements or
the acceleration of the vesting of any of the Options as contemplated in the
immediately preceding sentence could adversely affect the Company or any of its
affiliates' ability to account for any transaction or contemplated transaction
as a pooling of interests.

"Acquisition of Control" shall mean:

                  (i) a person, including a group, becoming the beneficial owner
         of, or acquiring the power to direct the exercise of voting power with
         respect to, directly or indirectly securities which represent fifty
         percent (50%) or more of the combined voting power of the Company's
         outstanding securities thereafter (and "Acquiring Person"); or (ii) the
         Incumbent Directors cease at any time to constitute a majority of the
         Board of Directors of the Company.

"Cause" shall mean as defined in paragraph 7(b) hereinabove.

         "Incumbent Director" shall mean:

                  any director of the Company serving at May 6, 1999, or one
         elected thereafter if nominated by at least two-thirds of the then
         Incumbent Directors.

         9.       Confidential Information.

                           (a) Confidential Information. "Confidential
Information" shall mean confidential records and information, including, but not
limited to, development, marketing, purchasing, organizational, strategic,
financial, managerial, administrative, manufacturing, production, distribution
and sales information, distribution methods, data, specifications and processes
(including the Transferred Property as hereinafter defined) presently owned or
at any time hereafter developed by the Company or its agents or consultants or
used presently or at any time hereafter in the course of the business of the
Company, that are not otherwise part of the public domain.

                           (b) Transfer of Property by Executive. Executive
hereby sells, transfers and assigns to the Company, or to any person or entity
designated by the Company, all of his entire right, title and interest in and to
all inventions, ideas, disclosures and improvements (the "Inventions"), whether
patented or unpatented, and copyrightable material and all trademarks, trade
names, all goodwill associated therewith and all federal and state registrations
or applications thereof, made, adopted or conceived by Executive solely or
jointly, in whole or in part (collectively, the "Transferred Property"), prior
to or during the Agreement Term which (i) relate to methods, apparatus, designs,
products, processes or devices sold,

                                     - 7 -
<PAGE>   14
leased, used or under construction or development by the Company or (ii)
otherwise relate to or pertain to the business, products, services, functions or
operations of the Company. Executive shall make adequate written records of all
Inventions, which records shall be the Company's property and shall communicate
promptly and disclose to the Company, in such form as the Company requests, all
information, details and data pertaining to the aforementioned Inventions.
Whether during the Agreement Term or thereafter, Executive shall execute and
deliver to the Company such formal transfers and assignments and such other
papers and documents as may be required of Executive to permit the Company, or
any person or entity designated by the Company, to file and prosecute the patent
applications and, as to copyrightable material, to obtain copyrights thereon,
and as to trademarks, to record the transfer of ownership of any federal or
state registrations or applications.

                           (c) Protection of Confidential Information. All such
Confidential Information is considered secret and will be disclosed to the
Executive in confidence, and the Executive acknowledges that, as a consequence
of his employment and position with the Company, the Executive may have access
to and become acquainted with Confidential Information. Except in the
performance of his duties as an employee of the Company, the Executive shall
not, during the Agreement Term and at all times thereafter, directly or
indirectly for any reason whatsoever, disclose or use any such Confidential
Information. All records, files, drawings, documents, equipment and other
tangible items, wherever located, relating in any way to or containing
Confidential Information, which the Executive has prepared, used or encountered
or shall in the future prepare, use or encounter, shall be and remain the
Company's sole and exclusive property and shall be included in the Confidential
Information. Upon termination of this Agreement, or whenever requested by the
Company, the Executive shall promptly deliver to the Company any and all of the
Confidential Information and copies thereof, not previously delivered to the
Company, that may be in the possession or under the control of the Executive.
The foregoing restrictions shall not apply to the use, divulgence, disclosure or
grant of access to Confidential Information to the extent, but only to the
extent, (i) expressly permitted or required pursuant to any other written
agreement between the Executive and the Company, (ii) such Confidential
Information has been publicly disclosed (not due to a breach by the Executive of
his obligations hereunder, or by breach of any other person, of a fiduciary or
confidential obligation to the Company) or (iii) the Executive is required to
disclose Confidential Information by or to any court of competent jurisdiction
or any governmental or quasi-governmental agency, authority or instrumentality
of competent jurisdiction, provided, however, that the Executive shall, prior to
any such disclosure, immediately notify the Company of such requirement and
provided further, however, that the Company shall have the right, at its
expense, to object to such disclosures and to seek confidential treatment of any
Confidential Information to be so disclosed on such terms as it shall determine.

                  10.      Assignment and Transfer.

                           (a) Binding Effect. This Agreement shall be binding
upon and inure to the benefit of the heirs and representatives of the Executive
and the successors and assigns of Company. Company shall require any successor
(whether direct or indirect, by purchase, merger, reorganization, consolidation,
acquisition of assets or stock, liquidation, or otherwise), by agreement in form
and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Executive, expressly to assume and
agree to perform this Agreement in the same manner and to the same extent that
Company would be required to perform this Agreement if no such succession had
taken place. Regardless of whether such agreement is executed, this Agreement
shall be binding upon any

                                     - 8 -
<PAGE>   15
successor of Company in accordance with the operation of law, and such successor
shall be deemed to be the "Company", as appropriate, for purposes of this
Agreement.

                  (b) Executive. Executive's rights and obligations under this
Agreement shall not be transferable by Executive by assignment, by operation of
law or otherwise, and any purported assignment, transfer or delegation thereof
shall be void; provided, however, that if Executive shall die, all amounts then
payable to Executive hereunder shall be paid in accordance with the terms of
this Agreement to Executive's devisee, legatee or other designee or, if there be
no such designee, to Executive's estate.

                  11.      Miscellaneous.

                           (a) Other Obligations. Executive represents and
warrants that neither Executive's employment with the Company nor Executive's
performance of Executive's obligations hereunder will conflict with or violate
or otherwise be inconsistent with any other obligations, legal or otherwise,
which Executive may have.

                           (b) Nondisclosure; Other Employers. Executive will
not disclose to the Company, or use or induce the Company to use, any
proprietary information, trade secrets or confidential business information of
others. Executive represents and warrants that Executive has returned all
property, proprietary information, trade secrets and confidential business
information belonging to all prior employers.

                           (c) Cooperation. Following notice of termination of
employment with the Company, Executive shall cooperate with the Company, as
requested by the Company, to affect a transition of Executive's responsibilities
and to ensure that the Company is aware of all matters being handled by
Executive.

                           (d) Protection of Reputation. During the Agreement
Term and thereafter, Executive agrees that he will not take action which is
intended or would reasonably be expected to harm the Company or its reputation
or which would reasonably be expected to lead to unwanted or unfavorable
publicity to the Company.

                           (e) Governing Law/Jurisdiction/Process. This
Agreement, including the validity, interpretation, construction and performance
of this Agreement, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the
internal laws of the State of New York, without regard to principles of
conflicts of law. All actions and proceedings relating to or arising out of this
Agreement shall be litigated solely in any New York state court or United States
federal court located in Suffolk County, New York. The parties hereto expressly
consent to the jurisdiction of any such court and to venue therein and consent
to the service of process in any such action or proceeding in a manner pursuant
to that set forth in paragraph (m) hereafter for the giving of notices.

                           (f) Entire Agreement. This Agreement, contains the
entire agreement and understanding between the parties hereto in respect of the
subject matter hereof and supersedes, cancels and annuls any prior or
contemporaneous written or oral agreements, understandings, commitments and
practices between them respecting the subject matter hereof.

                                     - 9 -
<PAGE>   16
                           (g) Amendment. This Agreement may be amended only by
a writing which makes express reference to this Agreement as the subject of such
amendment and which is signed by Executive and, on behalf of the Company, by its
duly authorized officer.

                           (h) Severability. If any of the provisions of this
Agreement shall otherwise contravene or be invalid under the laws of any state
or other jurisdiction where it is applicable but for such contravention or
invalidity, such contravention or invalidity shall not invalidate all of the
provisions of this Agreement, but rather the Agreement shall be reformed and
construed, insofar as the laws of that state or jurisdiction are concerned, as
not containing the provisions or provisions but only to the extent that they are
contravening or are invalid under the laws of that state or jurisdiction, and
the rights and obligations created hereby shall be reformed and construed and
enforced accordingly. In particular, if any of the covenants or provisions set
forth in paragraphs 5, 6, or 9 hereunder or any part hereof is held to be
unenforceable because of the duration of such provision or the areas covered
thereby, or otherwise, the parties hereby expressly agree that the court making
such determination shall have the power to reduce the duration and/or the areas
of such provision or otherwise limit any such provision, and, in its reduced
form, such provision shall then be enforceable.

                           (i) Construction. The headings and captions of this
Agreement are provided for convenience only and shall have no effect in
construing or interpreting this Agreement. The use herein of the word
"including," when following any general provision, sentence, clause, statement,
term or matter, shall be deemed to mean "including, without limitation". As used
herein, the words "day" or "days" shall mean a calendar day or days.

                           (j) Non-waiver. Neither any course of dealing nor any
failure or neglect of either party hereto in any instance to exercise any right,
power or privilege hereunder or under law shall constitute a waiver of any other
right, power or privilege or of the same right, power or privilege in any other
instance. All waivers by either party hereto must be contained in a written
instrument signed by the party to be charged and, in the case of the Company, by
its duly authorized officer.

                           (k) Remedies for Breach. The parties hereto agree
that Executive is obligated under this Agreement to render personal services
during the Agreement Term of a special, unique, unusual, extraordinary and
intellectual character, thereby giving this Agreement peculiar value, and, in
the event of a breach or threatened breach of any provision of this Agreement by
Executive, the injury or imminent injury to the value and the goodwill of the
Company's business could not be reasonably or adequately compensated in damages
in an action at law. Accordingly, Executive expressly acknowledges that the
Company shall be entitled to specific performance, injunctive relief or any
other equitable remedy against Executive, without the posting of a bond, in the
event of any breach or threatened breach of any provision of this Agreement by
Executive (including Sections 5, 6 and 9 hereof). Without limiting the
generality of the foregoing, if Executive breaches or threatens to breach
Sections 5, 6 or 9 hereof, such breach or threatened breach will entitle the
Company to an Order of the Court enjoining Executive from breaching any of the
provisions of Section 5, 6 or 9, as is appropriate. The rights and remedies of
the parties hereto are cumulative and shall not be exclusive, and each such
party shall be entitled to pursue all legal and equitable rights and remedies
and to secure performance of the obligations and duties of the other under this
Agreement, and the enforcement of one or more of such rights and remedies by a
party shall in no way preclude such party from pursuing, at the same time or
subsequently, any and all other

                                     - 10 -

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