Within the sales landscape at BRI, Nasser Odetallah embodies a new paradigm by blending his scientific acumen with customer service. His dedication to employing science-backed methods underscores the organization’s commitment to delivering solutions and results. In animal nutrition, clinical trials form the foundation of our products. We follow the right path to do commercial trials and research and take the best scientific approach to deliver solutions to our customers. We don’t make statements that can’t be backed up by science.
“In my current role, my main responsibility is sales, but even through the sales process, I still breathe science.” – Nasser Odetallah
Breathing science began at an early age for me. When I was 9 or 10, I spent time studying snakes and other small animals in the mountains in Jordan where I grew up. I even bought my own set of flasks to do experiments from a local apothecary. On my 12th birthday, my sisters got me a small microscope, and I’ve never looked back.
I started my undergraduate work before I turned 17 and finished a 5-year degree in Production and Management at the University of Jordan in Amman, Jordan, in three and a half years. At 20, I started working on my graduate degree in Animal Nutrition and Microbiology while running my own business raising broiler chickens and running trials both at the university and at my business. I was the first person to use a phytase enzyme, which wasn’t commercially available in the country at the time. I also was the first person to use probiotics in Jordan on my farm, and I learned how they work from a producer’s perspective.
With work on my broiler operation and from my graduate advisor’s direction in my Master’s program, I focused on probiotics and how they can be utilized to reduce challenges in poultry houses. After graduation, I moved to the U.S. and completed my Ph.D. in Nutrition at North Carolina State University (NCSU). After working as a post-doctorate at NCSU, I joined BRI as a Research Scientist to help develop commercial application of enzymes and thereafter became in charge of the Nutrition Division. After departing BRI briefly, I joined Novus International as the Global Product Manager for enzymes & probiotics and eventually became the Global Technical Lead for all products.
After returning to BRI as Vice President of Sales, we developed a scientific sales approach that’s unique to BRI. Everything that we do and breathe must come from and be backed up by science, including research and sales. We make sure that nothing gets recommended or delivered unless it’s scientific in nature, each person in their capacity. Not everyone is a Ph.D., but even our non-technical staff are trained on what these products mean and the purpose they serve. We don’t accept any idea that isn’t scientifically backed.
Delivering data and achieving performance similar to the data is key to our team. Not only are we an applied science company, but we also apply science to every aspect of the company, which is why a scientist is leading the charge on sales. We use new technologies and strive to be early adopters of technology because science is beyond simply research to us – it’s in our DNA.