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When you walk through a fitness expo such as the Olympia’s World FItness Expo, you could see many booths featuring supplement companies that are starting up and hoping to be a big hit in the industry. Some companies make it while others don’t. To be successful for a decade is a testament to the company’s quality and commitment.
BPI has not only been successful for over a decade, but they went from a disrupter in the supplement space to a leader in the industry. The Florida-based company is most famous for their 1.M.R. (One More Rep) preworkout supplement that they introduced several years ago, but their entire line of sports nutrition products has been proven to serve their customers around the world very well.
CEO Chris MacKenzie and Vice-President Whitney Reid have been a tag-team at maximizing BPI’s growth over the last decade plus. While they are based in the United States, they have an international appeal that has grown by leaps and bounds, including the Middle East.
“Over the last couple of years, we have built an amazing business in the Middle East Region. Just a few weeks ago when I visited Dubai for the Muscle Classic, I was blown away by the fandom surrounding bodybuilding,” Reid said.
Whitney Reid
As for their strategy here at home, BPI established themselves as a top company one product at a time and one customer at a time. They found new levels of success after they reached out to Walmart to begin stocking their supplements on their shelves. Reid credited MacKenzie for making that move in 2013.
“He went to pitch our first product to Walmart (1MR Vortex), and shortly after we added our aminos and haven’t looked back since. There is nothing risky about having the largest retailer in the country carry your brand.”
Now, the line has expanded even further to include the products from the Titan Series. Past M&F cover model Mike O’Hearn partnered with BPI to create his own line, and he became the first athlete to have his own line of products on Walmart’s shelves.
BPI continued to expand 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 flavor of their reinvented 1.M.R. after the only and only DJ Superstar Jay. They have other allies in that space as well, including Ace Hood and Waka Flacka. Reid shared that those alliances were formed by the common bond of the love for training.
“Ace, Waka, DJ Superstar Jay and Method Man are all gym enthusiasts and have an authentic story about their fitness journey. I feel that there is a massive market of consumers that we can them reach their fitness goals.”
Whitney Reid
In the world of professional wrestling, BPI at one time worked with the one and only Hulk Hogan. Nowadays, All Elite Wrestling can be considered the upstart promotion now that BPI was in their early days. 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 1990’s, and Danhausen, a lighter athlete who is known as much for his entertainment factor as he is his matches. Both of those men have preworkouts of their own that have been a huge hit for AEW’s audience.
“I think it’s perfectly fitting that guys who train and perform on almost daily basis are connected to a supplement brand,” said Reid. “It’s amazed me that more brands aren’t working with wresters. These guys are on national TV with their shirts off every week lol. It’s a great way to get brand exposure.”
Another avenue that has helped them increase exposure is through social media. They found that working with influencers on both a macro and micro level have worked on multiple fronts. Thanks to the combination of people that have 100,000 followers as well as those with 1,000, the brand is growing one customer at a time, and BPI gets to play a role in introducing people to the fitness industry that can make a positive difference. Like those influencers, Reid feels the brand is growing and evolving with the times, and they can help the people they work with do the same.
“I think this is the typical evolution of sports nutrition brands. At one point we were the young cool niche brand but we have matured both as a brand and personally.”
While the team at BPI are great at increasing awareness from a variety of fields, their roots and most loyal customer base will always be the bodybuilding and fitness fans. Many of those fans will be watching intently as team BPI members Kamal Elgargni and India Paulino will compete at the 2022 Olympia weekend.
“I’ve been going to the Olympia for 15+ years, same for Chris. We keep up with all the industry news/gossip and follow bodybuilding. We are truly fans of the sport. We live it,“ Reid said proudly. “As far as India and Kamal. We are so proud of our two marque athletes to both be stepping on stage again. This is the fourth Olympia for Kamal in the 212 and India’s eighth in Bikini. It’s amazing to work with two athletes that continue to win/compete at the highest level. “
While the athletes of BPI compete on the Olympia stage, the company itself will continue working to grow and help more people reach their fitness potential. 1.M.R. has been re=released with an all-new formula, and they’re rolling out more products and flavors in the weeks to come. As with all businesses, the plan may change over the course of time, but the mission remains the same.
“Through it all we still maintain an amazing organic connection with our consumers. This is evident from our social media reach. It’s evolutionary. No brand can appeal to everyone on day one. We built the following and got the word out there and most importantly helped consumers reach their goals. We have had success in every category which led to a broad fanbase,” Reid explained.
Follow BPI on Instagram @bpi_sports and go to www,bpisports.com for more information about the new and improved 1.M.R. as well as their other supplements.
This is sponsored content. M&F is not endorsing the websites or products listed in this article.
