An extroverted personality led Joe Johnson to a career in Sales, but his desire for a collaborative, team-based environment brought him to MGK.
“The job met my need for a dynamic, strategy-driven sales environment. But I think the thing that really fulfills me is that team environment. I was part of a team in the Marine Corps, now I’m part of the Custom Solutions team,” Joe says about the tight-knit group.
An account manager, Joe is part of a group tasked with supporting some of MGK’s largest customers, helping them gain access to active ingredients and formulations that will meet their business needs.
Always eager to help, Joe enjoys getting to know our customers personally and determining their unique needs, so he can help determine what solutions MGK can provide to make them successful. What he loves most about his work is that every day is different, whether it’s working internally with our R&D and chemistry teams, or externally with customers, there’s a variety of projects that keep him engaged.
But Joe’s career path didn’t begin with a chemical company. Out of high school, Joe felt that he still had some things to learn about himself and enlisted in the Marines, where he was able to grow his skills and confidence through deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan.
While on his last tour, Joe was given the responsibility of leading Marines and Afghan soldiers. It was there that his interest in helping people grow and succeed was sparked. Committed to pursuing his education, Joe eventually retired from the Marines after four years where he had risen to the rank of corporal.
Then it was onto a degree in business development from Concordia University in St. Paul, MN. Out of school, Joe searched for a career that let him combine the skills he gained in the Marines and the knowledge he gained from his degree. Nothing felt like quite the right fit, until he found MGK.
“Even before I started, I felt at home at MGK,” Joe says. He pulls from his past experiences to fuel his work here. His experience in the military helped Joe gain skills in presentations and working with superiors, and most important, he’s able to maintain calm in high-pressure situations.
Outside of work, Joe enjoys spending time outside, on the water. A recent transplant to Parrish, FL, Joe, his wife and two daughters take full advantage of the sunshine for boating and searching for ocean wildlife.