A in the
DayBY KELLY HEITZ
NEAL KITCHEN , Ph . D . Chief Operating Officer , HydroPeptide ,
Issaquah , Washington
When you have a problem-solving mindset , sometimes it takes a huge problem to set off a spark . At least that ’ s how Dr . Neal Kitchen , chief operating officer at Hydropeptide , ignited his journey in the wellness industry . “ I had a pivotal point in college when my best friend developed Type I diabetes ,” he remembers . “ Trying to understand the how , what and why of that disease sparked my interest to switch career paths and pursue a doctorate degree in molecular biology and genetics to better understand how we respond to heredity , environments and diseases .” Kitchen initially focused on the biotechnology industry , but was drawn into skin care by his sister , Annette Rubin , who was managing partner at HydroPeptide . “ I teasingly asked her if she even knew what a peptide was and then told her , ‘ you do realize peptides and cell signaling is what I have been researching in the last eight years , right ?’ She got super excited to learn this and this led to an initial consulting opportunity with HydroPeptide .”
Life !
The life of a spa professional is a continuous cycle of daily responsibilities that help make the spa world go round . Pulse asks ISPA members to give us a sneak peek into their daily lives to help us understand the roles they play and the difference they make on a daily basis .
Kitchen joined the company full-time in 2014 and has quickly immersed himself in the spa and skin-care industries . “ It has been a blast to learn more about traditional skin-care techniques and products so that I can combine what we already do successfully with the relatively new science of epigenetics ,” he notes . “ Innovation is all about building on past success and I have been truly grateful for the team I have been with who had helped me understand .”
Kitchen says his colleagues and the amazing team he works with are among the reasons he loves his job . Being a naturally upbeat “ peopleperson ” has helped him get to know his team members on a personal level , which he feels makes his job more rewarding . “ I think there are a lot of rewarding parts to my job , but I most love to hear when someone feels successful from something I have been a part of , whether it ’ s a colleague and their projects or hearing testimonials from our customers who have seen a difference in their skin . I love to be part of that !”
On an average day , Kitchen sticks to a typical work schedule . See how he makes sure each day involves flexibility , movement , and creativity within his team :
★ 7 am Gets to work early and dedicates the first two hours of his work day addressing emails and trailing to-dos from the day before .
“ I typically have a wide range of communications that I manage , including accounts , customers , international teams , PR team , corporate team , education team , logistics and manufacturing , and key
advisors and doctors .”
★ 10 am Attends stand-up meetings . “ I think it ’ s important that meetings are efficient and quick , so I love using stand-up meetings to review things like inventory , new product development status , and marketing and PR activities .”
★ 1 pm Dives into projects .
“ Typically , I dedicate the afternoon time to making headway on projects . Depending on the day , this could be reviewing content for our digital education platform , preparing for an upcoming presentation , analyzing forecast and demand for our supply chain , or new product development .”
★ 3 pm Connects with the team .
“ Frequently , this time is set aside to continue with a project or switch to a different one . I often need to follow up with several colleagues and their daily activities to see if anything needs to get done .”
★ 5 pm Wraps up the day .
“ Depending on the day , I often will be zipping home to help with my kids ’ evening activities like taekwondo or will have some one-on-one with our CEO to review activities of the day and next steps .”
Kitchen , a big believer in “ moving ” throughout the day , says he keeps his energy level at work recharged by taking quick walk breaks each hour around the office . “ My team usually teases me for my extra energy around the office , but it ’ s contagious too !” n
WHAT ’ S Kitchen ’ s leadership advice to others ? Click here for more insights .
March / April 2017 ■ PULSE 61