#LifeatNutrabolt: Celebrating Black History Month with Mark McLeod
As we celebrate Black History Month, hear from some of Nutrabolt’s incredible team members as they share how their personal and professional experiences have shaped who they are today.
What surprises people about you?
Mark McLeod: I was born in Kingston, Jamaica and after living in the U.S. for over 20 years, I’ve never lost my accent.
What was it like growing up in Jamaica?
MM: It was an awesome, culturally diverse setting. From the great food to the great beaches, you really can’t beat island life.
Jamaica is also a country steeped in history and national pride. We produced — in my opinion — the best musician of all time, Bob Marley, and the fastest man on Earth, Usain Bolt. It’s also a close-knit community, where growing up, you referred to most adults as aunt and uncle. You didn’t have a lot of room to misbehave because you could be reprimanded by anyone or your parents would find out what you did before you even made it home.
I wouldn’t trade it for a thing.
How did your career first begin?
MM: It may be genetics, but I’ve always loved manufacturing. My father ran a steel drum assembly plant in Jamaica and I was always fascinated by seeing the various steps throughout the process like the transformation of the circular sheet of steel into a painted cylindrical drum that could be used across various industries from petroleum to chemicals to fragrances or citrus.
I spent many summers working in various departments there and loved it… except the heat in the plant. Growing up in that environment and seeing how successful he was and the global reach of the product, its importance to the local manufacturing sectors, and its impact on the economy, I knew I wanted to do the same.
I went on to pursue a degree in Business Operations and my first job out of college was in procurement. At the company I worked for, we were tasked with putting together packaging operations for a simple liquid filler. At the time it was only 300 square ft. and at the end of my tenure, we were at just over 100,000 square ft. of manufacturing.
My next role was in Business Development.
It provided me the ability to level set sports nutrition brands with realistic expectations in the commercialization cycle from the onset of scratching a formula on paper, flavoring, packaging selection, and the cost to making it run on the line.
Through these experiences, I was fortunate to have an early opportunity to learn and gain insight into the world of nutraceuticals. Almost 20 years later, it’s been a hell of a journey.
What does Black History Month mean to you?
MM: Because I identify as a Jamaican or Jamaican American, my understanding is likely different. To me, Black History Month gives us the opportunity to highlight the monumental and remarkable contributions that Black Americans or African American individuals have contributed to paving the way for people of color.
When I think about my biggest role model, I think of my father and other Jamaicans, such as civil servants, educators, health care workers, musicians, those in business, or a laborer. Those who all chose a life of service to others to build a better society and put our country on the map.
How would you describe the impact you make at Nutrabolt?
MM: I believe I have the coolest job, simply because I am doing what I truly love. As Nutrabolt’s Senior Global Sourcing Manager, Co-Manufacturing, my role sits on the tail end of the product development life cycle. Every day I get to live in the future and bring a lot of innovative concepts to life whether it’s working with our existing network of manufacturers or going out and sourcing new ones. I really am passionate about what I get to do and enjoy being a part of launching our new products.
How would you describe a high performer?
MM: The Operations environment is so dynamic and is always evolving. Depending on the role, a high performer is someone who is able to interpret data and format it in such a way that it will be helpful in making decisions for the business. On the procurement side, it’s being able to negotiate with vendors and work within the systems we have and build on the fundamentals or help create new processes.
Why should someone join your team?
MM: Our mantra is #WINNING. It simply means being solution and execution-oriented, having a customer-centric focus, supporting each other, solving problems quickly, leading from behind-the-scenes, and just rocking it. We really rely on the expertise that each individual brings. We have a great team, all with a common purpose, and despite the physical distance, have not missed a beat.
A lot has changed in the past 12 months, including a shift to remote work. What does that look like for your team?
MM: Before COVID, our team was accustomed to being in one physical location. If I had a question, I could walk 10 feet and ask someone or stick my head in the doorway. Now that everyone is remote, we’ve had to learn a new way to effectively communicate.
Daily, it looks like making calls, scheduling meetings, and balancing the number of emails we send to one another.
It’s been a good learning curve, but what I’ve appreciated is how we’ve been given the personal choice to decide how we can best contribute to the business. Simple things like conference calling with kids or dogs in the background have lent themselves to the reality of our situation and how scrappy we can be. Despite the initial challenge, it really pushed our organization to redefine itself and come out even better, rocking Nutrabolt 2.0.
How else has Nutrabolt changed since you started?
MM: Nutrabolt has been unbelievable in terms of its nimbleness and ability to adapt.
Who we were two years ago is not who we are today. We are amazing in terms of how we treat each other and how collaborative everyone is. People say, “yeah, it’s just a work family,” but we truly embody that vibe. It’s been an incredible experience and it makes it that much easier to be Results Driven. I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else and wish more of my former colleagues could come and experience #lifeatnutrabolt.
