Father McBride exemplifies a great degree of peace as he ceremoniously passes the baton to to his son, Cornell Jr.
“As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Design Essentials brand, I think about all of the relationships that were created and cultivated as we built this company and it has truly been a collective family effort,” says McBride Sr. “From the beginning, I envisioned a company that I could grow with my family and over time, it has been an honor to see all of my children join the management team and help expand the McBride legacy. It is a tremendous pleasure to now pass the torch to Cornell McBride Jr.”
For McBride Jr., the transition has been seamless as he has served the company for 18 years. He was already the general manager as he led the day-to-day operations and strategic direction for the company, ensuring the fulfillment of MRL’s creative initiatives through finance, marketing and sales. Under McBride Jr.’s direction, the company expanded in to international markets, including the Caribbean, France, Amsterdam and Portugal.
Cornell Jr., illustrated excitement at taking MRL to the next level in the hair product industry. MRL offers more than 40 premium beautification products through e-commerce and direct-to-hair salons network of independent, exclusive distributors in the United States, Caribbean and the United Kingdom.
“I have worked for my father’s businesses in one capacity or another since I was 8 years old,” McBride Jr. says. “It is a blessing to have a father, a mentor and a role model and I have big footsteps to fill as I seek to measure up to his character. We are not the only father and son team at McBride Research Laboratory, many of our distributors have also built family companies and that’s what it is all about — creating a legacy and setting an example for your children to follow.” –terry shropshire
