Mike Bond specializes in seeing eye to eye with people. Although his original plan in college was to become an optometrist, his focus shifted to business, and he hasn’t looked back.
With only two classes remaining before completing all of his prerequisites for optometry school, Bond recognized the decreased market for optometrists as they began moving their services to big box stores and malls instead of office suites. He decided to make business, his minor at the time, his new focus.
More than a decade later, Bond is senior brand manager for Sun Products Corporation. Bond says his days are consistently inconsistent, with his hands involved in multiple areas of the company.
“If you love business, brand management is the only place to be because you are involved with everything,” says Bond, who earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing from the Marriott School in 1998. “You are the strategy; you influence the future, while touching the day-to-day.”
In 2010 Bond moved to Utah and joined Sun Products leading the strategic efforts and growth for multiple retail brands. Sun Products has the second-largest market share in the laundry category with top brands: Snuggle, all, Wisk, and Sun. Bond also leads the strategic efforts for the top private label laundry brand, Costco’s Kirtland Signature.
Prior to his work at Sun Products, Bond was a part of the ConAgra Foods team in Omaha, Nebraska, and Chicago, Illinois, where he served as the senior brand manager for Chef Boyardee. Bond has been involved with five companies, representing dozens of products during the past twelve years.
Despite representing a plethora of products, from laundry detergent to Chef Boyardee’s Beefaroni, Bond says the principles of brand management remain constant, but as the tools change and evolve with time, it’s critical to keep skills fresh and sharp.
“It’s important to continually challenge yourself by improving both your strengths and your weaknesses,” Bond says. “We must have curiosity and a thirst for knowledge. Magnifying your strengths will differentiate you, fortifying your weaknesses will solidify you.”
While working for ConAgra, Bond served as the chair of the byu Alumni Association in Omaha, Nebraska. There he organized various alumni association activities to benefit the alumni and the local community. Bond aided in implementing The Golden Apple Award, which recognizes outstanding high school teachers nominated by local seminary students.
Bond and his wife, Melissa, live in Highland, Utah, with their four boys. Bond says one of the most exciting parts about moving to Utah is getting season tickets to Cougar sporting events. He also enjoys playing softball, coaching his sons’ basketball and Little League baseball teams, and cartooning. Since their first anniversary as BYU students, Bond has created a cartoon year-in-review anniversary card for his wife each year.
