“Like many kids with low self-esteem, I went through a rough stage of being bullied. I was blessed to find the gym and my whole life was transformed. I quickly moved onto a healthy path in life – one with more confidence and self-worth. I realized that this is what I want to do with my life – help others find this same positive path that I had found. A path capable of changing everything.”
Markus started in the supplement industry in 1999, selling sports nutrition to his friends. “My friends would literally sit on my bed as I described what to take, how to take it and what they could expect”. His focus on health and devotion to the fitness lifestyle lead to immediate success and he was asked to rep for a large sports nutrition company. He returned to retail 18 months later by opening a successful sports nutrition store, which quickly became three stores.
“I began to struggle with the lack of integrity and consistency I saw in the brands. Sometimes you would get results, other times you saw nothing.” He saw a niche opening in the industry for a premium brand. In January 2005, he decided to instill his trust in himself when it came to quality and integrity, and so Magnum was born.
“Since inception, Magnum has always and will always stand for integrity. I have integrity on the forefront of my mind with every decision I make. This is why we search the globe to ensure that all ingredients in our formulas are Pharmaceutical Grade, our formulas are 100% backed by science and our results are 100% guaranteed.”
Markus continues to believe in living the health and fitness lifestyle. He trains 10 times per week and can be found pushing weights, spinning or flipping tires, or hanging from the rafters on any given day.
“Exercise is key to enjoying life. I love to sweat. I love to de-stress and unleash on the weights after a full day at the office. I also believe in practicing what I preach. I reach for Magnum supplements every day because I trust them to provide the fuel I need.” “I will never forget why I started Magnum – to change lives. I want to create a healthier, happier human race and Magnum will help get us there.”
“I’ve been into bodybuilding, training, sports and supplements since high school, and can remember my dad asking me if I could make a living at ‘the fitness’. I wasn’t sure, but I guess I was bound and determined to try, because if you can make a living doing what you love doing, then you are indeed a lucky person.”
Bert began working at gyms back in the early 90’s before moving onto retail positions at health food stores. While holding down a store manager position, he struck up a friendship with one of the reps from a sports supplement company. That rep ended up opening PVL Nutrients and he joined him as his first rep back in 1996. From there he went on to hold various titles with PVL/Fit Foods such as Eastern Canadian Sales Manager, National Sales Manager and eventually Director of Sales. He left and joined an industry giant in Research and Development, MuscleTech, and became their National Sales Manager. He would later become National Sales Manager for Empire Health Distribution.
After a failed stint as a partner in a young start-up (Extreme Physical Performance), he joined Magnum Nutraceuticals in 2009 as Vice President alongside Markus. “Markus had already started the company a few years earlier, and I had always been a fan of both the brand, and the high quality formulations. Going to work every day at Magnum is a true pleasure, as partnering with retailers and distributors, working on future formulations and mentoring and coaching new employees is what I love to do. Being able to be truly proud of the products you sell is a rare feat, and I am pleased to have that opportunity.”
Bert chooses to live by a quote that he once read; “We tend to seek happiness, when happiness is actually a choice.” Living in the moment and not waiting for things to be different, or “better” is the key to true happiness.
“My athletic background is that of any good Canadian kid. I grew up playing hockey, soccer, rugby, boxing and judo but focused on hockey as I got older. I started working out in high school to put on size for college hockey and eventually, working out became my number one passion. MANY years later I still make it a priority to train heavy and hard, four to five times a week and keep my body fat low enough to keep an X frame physique. My priorities have shifted since I began training. Now as a father of four children, and married to an amazing, athletic woman, it’s very important for me to lead by example at my house, training, eating clean, and encouraging all of us to move around every day.”
Growing up in house with three boys, Stephanie Lawson spent numerous nights either playing or watching baseball, soccer or rugby. It was after high school that she found her love for the gym. Signing up for personal training in White Rock, BC led to her to try different avenues of training over the next 15 years; bodybuilding, Crossfit and powerlifting. In the early days of Crossfit she would train late nights with a group. “I loved training hard with the boys, it gave me confidence and I felt like part of a team.”
Working in the mining industry for 10 years in different roles; accounting, warehousing and operations, Stephanie was constantly adapting to change and battling through some tough economic times. Eager for a change in her career path, she started to look for opportunities within an industry that she admired: the fitness industry. It was January 2015 when she took on a new role at Magnum Nutraceuticals Inc. Little did she know, it would be a “New Year, new you!”. Starting out on the floor of the warehouse picking orders, Stephanie wanted to learn everything about this high-energy, fast-paced company. She saw opportunity within the company to grow so she set a goal; to become head of Operations within 5 years. Through the mentorship of Markus and Bert, Stephanie was named Director of Operations in 2017. “I saw an opportunity to learn from two of the industries’ best. These guys are as real as it gets, and I wanted to help lead a company that was built on integrity and quality”.
Outside of working for Magnum, Stephanie enjoys time with her family in beautiful South Surrey, BC. Her son Cail was diagnosed with Autism in 2016; she spends her free time helping develop and implement his home therapy program with the team that she and her husband, Jonathan built. She is also an advocate in her community for other ASD parents, attending support meetings and fundraisers. “I am so lucky to work for a company that understands that family comes first. I am able to attend anything and everything for my son, no questions asked. I couldn’t ask for a better company to offer that work/life balance we all wish for. Cail is always welcome at Magnum HQ, and knows exactly where Markus’ office is!”
The future is bright for Stephanie at Magnum Nutraceuticals. She is continuing her education at BCIT, working towards a CPIM designation. She is always looking for ways to continue learning; courses or seminars, she is up for almost anything! With the open door policy at Magnum HQ, you’ll often find her chatting with Markus or Bert – picking their brains for any extra information she can get. “The management team at Magnum tries to instill in their staff – “If you don’t understand or you don’t agree, just ask ‘Why’? We think that communication is so important in any industry, but especially ours. There are so many companies cutting corners and producing subpar products. We want our staff to know exactly what goes into our supplements, why we are launching a new product and how we feel Magnum products will change the world.”
Fitness leader, sponsored athlete and Magnum Brand Manager, Monique moved into a Brand Manager position at Magnum Nutraceuticals and is now working on building her own personal brand.
Monique loves inspiring and motivating others to take action and accomplish their dreams. “All of our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”
Alyssa joined the Magnum team with years of Marketing experience as well as supplement industry experience. She began her career at an early age immediately after completing the Marketing Communications program at BCIT. For the next 8 years she would have her hand in every aspect of the Marketing teams she would be a part of. She has a “learn by doing” mentality and is always looking to learn new things and develop her skill-set.
Alyssa grew up with an active family. She and her brother and sister kept the whole family busy every day. “For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been into sports; whether it was baseball, soccer, volleyball, basketball, ice-skating, gymnastics… I wanted to try everything. Sports were something that came naturally to me. I’m very competitive so I loved that aspect but I also loved the team atmosphere.”
Although she still plays several sports, her latest physical outlet has been the gym. “I got more than enough exercise in my teen years and early 20’s playing competitive soccer and volleyball, so I was never really interested in the gym. That was until my sister, Marlo, joined the Magnum team. She introduced me to Magnum supplements, and I finally understood how people became gym rats. I went from dreading the gym and feeling like it made no difference, to wanting to stay at the gym longer and seeing the results”. Her favourite Magnum products include Hi-5, Opus, PRE-FO, Primer, Volume and DNA.
When she heard that Magnum was looking for a Marketing Manager, she jumped at the opportunity. She had a new-found interest that peaked her curiosity and had her envisioning a new career path. “I was drawn to Magnum initially because of the company branding. I loved how they had fun with their ads and weren’t afraid to push the envelope and be a bit cheeky.” As a Marketer, she could see the opportunity to be creative and have fun with a brand.
The more she learned about the Magnum team, the more she was determined to be a part of it. “As I peeled back the layers of the company, I learned that it truly is a family that practices what they preach. Everything is done with integrity and the team is full of positive, supportive and dedicated people. What’s best is that they sincerely care about the health and happiness of their consumers. It’s easy to market products that you like, but it’s even easier to market products that you stand-by and believe in.”
Alyssa has great aspirations for Magnum. She’s determined to help them reach their goal and make the world a healthier and happier place.
