Doug Meyer-Cuno | Entrepreneur | Mentor | Author
Doug Meyer-Cuno did not set out to change the way businesses run or the way CEOs lead. In the beginning, Doug was drawn to the security of a career working within big corporations. That, however, was not what was in store for Doug.
After five years spent working in that corporate cocoon he imagined, he decided to strike out on his own. At 28, he used what savings he had to found Carolina Ingredients, a small food ingredients distribution company in North Carolina. Within a few years, his one-man show grew to a company of six, however, its potential felt limited to Doug. In order to expand out of the Carolinas, the company would have to pivot. Doug changed the business model; Carolina Ingredients would begin to manufacture its own seasonings. From here, things accelerated rapidly. Carolina Ingredients became a nationally-recognized and award-winning industrial seasoning manufacturer and distributor based in Rock Hill, SC.
Doug expanded the business into several industrial food markets. In 2011, Carolina Ingredients became a finalist for South Carolina’s Small Business of the Year Award. Beyond awards and attention, Doug evolved the business into a beacon of green energy to others within the industry by becoming the first LEED-Sustainable seasoning plant in the country. Carolina Ingredients still boasts one of the largest photovoltaic systems in its county and its solar energy supplies fuel for the production plant.
In March of 2019, Carolina Ingredients became the first privately-owned company that Mitsubishi acquired. Since then, Doug has taken little time off. He founded Compaction International, DMC Enterprises LLC, and Merisal LLC. In a move that highlights the strategies that brought him his success, Doug created Empowered Leadership, an organization which helps entrepreneurs, business owners, and CEO’s scale their companies by empowering their teams, allowing them to work ON their company rather than In them.
Doug earned his BA in International Commerce from Furman University in Greenville, SC. Later, he would graduate from Harvard Business School’s OPM Program. Doug and his wife, Dr. Margaret Edwards Meyer-Cuno, live in Lake Wylie. Together, they raised four children. Today, Doug and Margaret are active in their church and community and enjoy boating, good food, and watching sunsets with a glass of wine.
Keep in touch with Doug