Brendan O’Toole

Nutrabolt’s savvy Vice President of Procurement, Brendan O’Toole, has had a storied career in the world of procurement and supply thus far. Not only has he worked for some of the biggest ethical companies, including Jessica Alba’s The Honest Company, but O’Toole has been sought out and headhunted for a large proportion of his career moves over the years – which has seen him moving all over the US, from Michigan to Florida, to California and, finally, to Texas.

“I love what I do, who I do it for and who I do it with,” O’Toole enthuses. “Knowing the importance of what we do day-to-day, it’s very motivating. What I do really is act as a liaison back and forth, both internally and externally, to our partners and through our business. So I get to wear many hats. It's never a boring day, and I love that – it fits my personality.”

A gregarious character who swaps between many different hats throughout the working day, O’Toole is well-suited to a role in procurement, which is all about forging relationships and problem-solving with partners as a cohesive team. 

When asked if he thinks his personable nature has led to his success in the sourcing and procurement industry, O’Toole ponders for a moment: “I've been told that's a differentiating factor for me, that a lot of people in my profession perhaps aren't as gregarious. That I’d maybe be good in sales. But this is really what I enjoy, it's what I went to school for. 

“I kind of fell into procurement, as I'm a supply chain professional at heart. I've touched every bit of the supply chain: logistics, warehousing, planning, purchasing – everything. But the sourcing and procurement side is really what I've settled in and where I can make the most positive impact.”

But what is it about the procurement and supply chain world at Nutrabolt that fascinates O’Toole so much and keeps him returning each day? 

“It's very entrepreneurial here at Nutrabolt, very scrappy throughout and moving quickly, like a startup. But it's a 20-year-old company, so it also has some of those guardrails of establishment. All of my past roles and experiences have really led me here to be very successful.

“It feels new every day here. Nutrabolt is in hyper-growth mode. We strive to be innovative and on the leading edge of what we do in our industry here. That's important because we don't want to just be the best in our industry; we want to be one of the better CPG companies. We're already the global leader in pre-workout and post-workout, but we're expanding those out and into functional beverages now.”

Nutrabolt is in hyper-growth mode, and the world of supply and procurement is facing an endless list of ongoing problems, so much of O’Toole’s days are spent being pulled in different directions and resolving any potential issues. With such a hectic role, then, how does he switch off when he’s not at work?

“I look to exercise as many times a week as possible, my wife and I like to enjoy that together. And now that we're able to travel again, we do that to see friends and family in different states  – my wife’s from California and I've lived all over the place, so we try to connect and meet up with all those different folks there."

Outside of work, O’Toole has a varied list of hobbies and activities that he participates in – of which one or two are somewhat unexpected: “I also enjoy reading books that aren't work-related when I have time for that. Most of my ancestry is Irish, too, so I’m reading a book that has to do with Ireland’s history titled Say Nothing.

“And I used to DJ semi-professionally, believe it or not, though now I'm more of a bedroom DJ, if you will,” he says with a laugh. “But I’m still making mixes and things like that. Music puts my mind at ease, with different vibrations there that are not so work-centric.” 

Though his sector is experiencing a tumultuous time, O’Toole is excited for the future at Nutrabolt.

“Over the next 12-18 months, the aim is to continue to scale and grow our business with strategic partnerships – on both the nutrition and functional beverage side. The domestic part of our business has always been the key to our sustainability and growth, but we're really seeing opportunities globally, as well, in different markets. We’re continuing to robustly fortify and create strong relationships here in the US, but these are also starting to occur in other markets, so this is a huge focus of our business going forward.”

Read the full story HERE.