Mitch Gould, founder and CEO of Nutritional Products International, has built a career spanning more than 30 years at the crossroads of retail and brand development. His work has taken him into the boardrooms of virtually every major retailer in the United States and has included collaborations with some of the biggest names in consumer products, beverages, sports nutrition, and health and wellness. From Walmart to CVS, Costco to Home Depot, Walgreens to Target, I've sat across the table at nearly every retail headquarters in America, said Gould. I've represented brands of all sizes, helping them navigate the complexities of U.S. retail and get products into the hands of American consumers.
Gould's career résumé includes partnerships with a long list of national chains: Walmart, Costco, Target, CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Home Depot, Lowe's, Menards, Albertsons, Meijer, Vitamin World, Vitamin Shoppe, Circle K, and 7-Eleven, among many others. This extensive network demonstrates the critical importance of established retail relationships in successfully bringing products to market. Beyond retail, Gould has also worked alongside an impressive roster of athletes and celebrities, including Steven Seagal, Hulk Hogan, Chuck Liddell, Ronnie Coleman, Steve Garvey, Joe Theismann, Wayne Gretzky, and Roberto Clemente Jr. One highlight came when Gould and actor Steven Seagal launched the Lightning Bolt Energy Drink, which reached the shelves of Walmart and 7-Eleven nationwide within just 12 months. That's record speed to market, Gould said.
Throughout his career, Gould has placed hundreds of health, wellness, and sports nutrition brands with top retailers, including powerhouse names like MuscleTech, BSN, Optimum Nutrition, and CytoSport. This track record underscores the growing significance of specialized distribution expertise in the competitive health and wellness sector. Now entering his fourth decade in the industry, Gould remains as active as ever. Through NPI's proprietary Evolution of Distribution platform, he helps international manufacturers bring their products to the highly competitive U.S. market. I start my mornings in Europe and end my evenings with Asia, Gould said. The demand from overseas brands looking for American distribution has never been greater, and NPI is positioned to deliver speed, efficiency, and measurable success.
The continued international interest in U.S. market entry highlights the ongoing challenges foreign brands face when navigating American retail systems. Gould's experience with international brands through platforms like Nutritional Products International and InHealth Media demonstrates how specialized distribution expertise has become increasingly valuable as global commerce expands. This matters because it reveals a fundamental shift in how products reach consumers in an interconnected world. The traditional barriers to market entry—particularly for international brands—require sophisticated navigation of complex retail ecosystems that have been decades in the making. Gould's career illustrates that success in the American marketplace depends less on product quality alone and more on strategic distribution partnerships that can accelerate time to market and ensure shelf placement. As global competition intensifies, this specialized knowledge becomes a critical differentiator that can determine whether products succeed or fail in the world's largest consumer market.
