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If you walk through a fitness fair like Olympia's World FITness Expo, you can see many booths with nutritional supplements that are newly established and hope to become a big hit in the industry. Some companies make it, some don't. A decade of success is a testament to the quality and dedication of the company.
t only has BPI thrived for over a decade, it has grown from a disruptor in the nutritional supplement space to a leader in the industry. The Florida-based company is best known for its 1.MR (One More Rep) preworkout supplement, which it introduced a few years ago, but its entire line of sports nutrition products has proven itself to its customers around the world.
CEO Chris MacKenzie and Vice President Whitney Reid have been a tag team to maximize BPI's growth over the past decade. Despite being based in the United States, they have an international appeal that has grown by leaps and bounds, including the Middle East.
“Over the last few years we have built a fantastic business in the Middle East region. When I visited Dubai for the Muscle Classic a few weeks ago, I was blown away by the bodybuilding fan base,” said Reid.
Whitney Reid
As for their strategy here at home, one product at a time and one customer at a time, BPI has established itself as a top company. They found new levels of success after approaching Walmart to begin stocking their supplements on their shelves. Reid credited MacKenzie with this move in 2013.
“He went to Walmart (1MR Vortex) to introduce our first product and shortly after we added our amino acids we had no regrets. There is no risk when the largest retailer in the country carries your brand.”
w the line has been expanded even further with the products of the Titan series. Former M&F cover model Mike O'Hearn partnered with BPI to create his own line, and he was the first athlete to have his own line of products on Walmart's shelves.
BPI expanded its reach beyond bodybuilding into other industries such as the world of hip-hop. In 2022, BPI released a preworkout in honor of Method Man and released a special twist on their reinvented 1.MR after the one and only DJ superstar Jay. You also have other allies in this room including Ace Hood and Waka Flacka. Reid shared that these alliances were formed through a shared bond of love for exercise.
“Ace, Waka, DJ Superstar Jay and Method Man are all fitness enthusiasts and have an authentic story about their fitness journey. I feel like there is a huge consumer market where we can help them achieve their fitness goals.”
Whitney Reid
In the world of professional wrestling, BPI once teamed with the one and only Hulk Hogan. wadays, All Elite Wrestling can be considered an upstart since BPI was still in its infancy. They have a combination of veterans and rising stars that keep their fans interested. Two of those stars are the legendary Billy Gunn, who has been creating moments for fans since the 1990s, and Danhausen, a lightweight athlete known for his entertainment as much as he fights. Both men have their own pre-workouts that have been a huge hit with the AEW audience.
"I think it's a perfect fit that people who train and perform almost every day should be associated with a supplement brand," Reid said. "It amazes me that more brands aren't collaborating with wrestlers. These guys are shirtless on national TV every week lol. It's a great way to gain brand awareness.”
Another avenue that has helped them increase exposure is through social media. They found that working with influencers at both the macro and micro levels worked on multiple fronts. Thanks to the combination of people with 100,000 and 1,000 followers, the brand is growing one customer at a time, and BPI can play a role in introducing people to the fitness industry who can make a positive difference. Like these influencers, Reid believes the brand will grow and evolve over time, and they can help the people they work with do the same.
“I think that's the typical evolution of sports nutrition brands. We used to be the young cool niche brand, but we have matured both as a brand and personally.”
While the team at BPI is great at raising awareness in a variety of areas, their roots and most loyal customer base will always be the bodybuilding and fitness fans. Many of these fans will eagerly watch as Team BPI members Kamal Elgargni and India Paulino compete at the 2022 Olympic weekend.
“I've been going to Olympia for over 15 years, same goes for Chris. We keep up to date with all industry news/gossip and follow bodybuilding. We are real fans of the sport. We live it," Reid said proudly. “As far as India and Kamal. We are so proud of our two brand athletes that they are both back on stage. This is Kamal's fourth Olympia in 212 and India's eighth in bikini. It's amazing to work with two athletes who continue to win/compete at the highest level. "
As BPI's athletes compete on the Olympic stage, the company itself will continue to work to grow and help more people realize their fitness potential. 1.MR has been relaunched with an all new formula and will be launching more products and flavors in the coming weeks. As with all companies, the plan may change over time, but the mission remains the same.
“Despite this, we still maintain an amazing organic connection with our consumers. This is reflected in our reach on social media. It's evolutionary. brand can appeal to everyone on day one. We built and popularized the following, and most importantly, helped consumers achieve their goals. We've had success in every category, which has resulted in a broad following," Reid explained.
Follow BPI on Instagram @bpi_sports and go to www,bpisports.com for more information on the new and improved 1.MR, as well as its other additions.
This is sponsored content. M&F does not endorse the sites or products listed in this article.
