The International SPA Association (ISPA) announces Horst Rechelbacher will receive the ISPA Visionary Leader Award, to be given at the 23rd annual ISPA Conference & Expo to be held at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada from Oct. 21-23, 2013.

“Horst truly embodies the word visionary. As he continues to lead as an industry leader, ISPA is honored to recognize the impact he has made,” said ISPA President Lynne McNees.

In 1978 Rechelbacher founded Aveda Corporation, a plant-based cosmetic company that ushered a new consciousness into the world of beauty. Two decades later, Rechelbacher sold Aveda to Estee Lauder and shifted his focus to Intelligent Nutrients, a health and beauty company that sets and lives up to the highest standards of food-based, safe, non-toxic, and USDA certified-organic ingredients.

In his continuing study of plant-based medicine, Rechelbacher collaborates with noted physicians, chemists, pharmacologists, as well as with experts and traditional healers throughout the world. He is on the Board of Directors at the Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital in Detriot, Michigan and supports the Mayo Clinic’s Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program in Rochester, Minnesota.

The ISPA Visionary Award is presented each year to someone in the spa industry who has made significant contributions to both the definition and positive movement of health and wellness over the lifetime of their career.

The ISPA Conference & Expo will kick off with Blake Mycoskie, founder and chief shoe giver of TOMS, as the Monday, Oct. 21 keynote speaker. Bill Rancic, noted entrepreneur and winner of the first season of NBC’s “The Apprentice”, will close out the ISPA Conference & Expo as the Wednesday, Oct. 23 keynote speaker.

The ISPA Conference & Expo theme for the annual event is grow: limitless possibilities, with educational offerings at the Conference reflecting the theme. Attendees can register for the ISPA Conference & Expo by visiting ispa2013.com.