Forty Under 40: Jason Nichol
by January 1, 2006 12:00 am 315 views
Jason Nichol grew up in Royse City, Texas, and earned a bachelors degree in agribusiness in 1993 from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas.
In 1994, he went to work as a sales representative for Nabisco in Greenville, S.C. The company moved him to Shreveport, La., then to Bentonville in 1996 to work on the Wal-Mart team.
In 2000, Nichol became director of sales and marketing for Cotts Bentonville office. Based in Toronto, Cott makes the Sams Choice brand of soft drinks, bottled water and flavored water that are sold at Wal-Mart and Sams Club stores.
In 2003, Nichol was promoted to vice president of Cotts Wal-Mart U.S. division.
In 2005, he was named vice president of Cotts Wal-Mart North America team and put on the Cott Management Committee.
The 35-person Cott team in Bentonville has four functions: supply chain, category management, sales and marketing.
His motivation is leading people and watching them grow in their careers.
His advice to young people: Be willing to work hard and do it with a great sense of integrity and humility.