50 MIW honoree: Erica Armstrong

Erica Armstrong. Courtesy 616 Media

Erica Armstrong

Founder, CEO

Root Functional Medicine

 

Dr. Erica Armstrong’s food-as-medicine business served up healthy, dietitian-approved foods for 4,500 customers in 2021, with an ambitious goal of improving personal and public health.

Armstrong left a high-paying, stable job as a medical doctor to start Root Functional Medicine in 2018. Root is a woman-focused health food business she describes as a “one-stop shop for functional medicine for PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), thyroid, gut health and fertility.”

The goal of her business is to reverse chronic health conditions naturally by addressing causes rooted in diet, through customized meal plans designed by doctors, dietitians and chefs that are distributed through the meal service Root Farmacy.

Root Functional Medicine also offers telehealth consultations to help design each person’s plan.

In under four years, Armstrong took the business from zero to $1.2 million in revenue without any startup investment funding. The business employs 12 people with full benefits.

Root was nominated as one of Michigan Celebrates Small Business’ 50 Companies to Watch in 2021 and won the West Michigan Woman Readers’ Choice Award for Nutrition Service in 2021, in addition to Armstrong’s many other awards over the years.

“My most significant career achievement is creating a business that changes people’s lives,” she said. “We reach over 1 million people annually across six continents through our online education platform and help people understand how they can achieve health and wellness through food and lifestyle changes. I believe this is my most significant career achievement because it directly influences the health of our community and has a worldwide reach.”