Preston Leep was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. Preston participated in various athletic teams at the recreation level as well as on school sports teams in middle school and high school. He participated in baseball, football, wrestling, and volleyball. He also participated in community activities including CARITAS (Churches Around Richmond Involved to Assure Shelter) and other Church outreach missions. Preston worked in local restaurants while in high school and gained an appreciation for the value of customer service and the importance of attending to small details to be successful in any endeavor.
He graduated from Longwood University with a degree in exercise science. Preston was captain of the Longwood University rugby team and was the university’s first recipient of the Todd Miller Scholarship, awarded for leadership and commitment to the rugby team. The Longwood rugby team won the Division 3 National Championship in 2011. Preston was named the team MVP in 2011.
While attending Longwood University, Preston traveled to South Africa on safari. While in South Africa, he also visited several orphanages in order to deliver supplies and provide recreational activities to the children who lived there.
After graduating from Longwood University, Preston began his sales career in the food and beverage industry in the Central Virginia marketplace. His client list included retail stores, mass merchandisers, national chains, and local small business owners. After several years in this capacity, Preston moved to Spain for 3 months. During his time on the European continent, he traveled to over 20 European countries and played semi-professional rugby. After returning to the United States, Preston rejuvenated his sales career in the food and beverage sector for 4 years. Preston Leep won multiple sales awards during this period of time, emphasizing new account development and incremental sales volume advances. Preston’s inclination for exemplary customer service propelled him to achieve not only new client successes but customer loyalty and the retention of long-standing clients.
Although he enjoyed the food and beverage industry, Preston Leep was eager to enter the medical tools sales arena in order to couple his background in exercise science with his interest in the growing field of human performance and medical advancements.So, he began working with an industry leading company specializing in facial implant and thoracic tools sales. In this role, Preston works with surgeons in the operating room, during surgery, to provide consultation and guidance to surgeons on which equipment should be used for specific surgeries. The medical tools sales field is a technologically-driven business requiring specialized training and education.
Preston Leep’s exercise science degree also stimulated his interest in the field of ergonomics and human factors. The connection between the functionality of human movements as they relate to occupational physical demands is a growing field in relation to the prevention of workplace and non-occupational injuries and illnesses. Preston continued to enhance his knowledge in this field by becoming a Certified Ergonomics Assessment Specialist (CEAS I). As a certified ergonomist, Preston assists physicians, risk management professionals, employers, insurance companies, and individuals in injury prevention techniques and strategies. By identifying musculoskeletal disorder risk factors and corresponding control measures, potential risk factors can be reduced or even eliminated. Preston has been a contributing subject matter expert in the development of several risk management articles focusing on ergonomics, human factors, physical demand assessments and the quantification of job task analyses. Preston views investments in ergonomics training as a fundamental foundation for industrial and office-based companies who are interested in protecting their valued employees from injury. Preston’s education and training in exercise science make him a valued resource for employers to bridge the gap between workplace equipment design and the impact improper design can have on the human body. Force, repetition, awkward postures, vibration, and other ergonomic risk factors can be eliminated by proper workplace equipment design. Preston is keenly aware of the intricacies involved in assisting employers in their quest to enhance employee safety.
Preston Leep enjoys domestic and international travel with family and friends. He is an outdoor and family enthusiast who enjoys golfing, home improvement projects, the beach, and water sports.
What do you love most about the industry you are in?
I continue to be thoroughly amazed by the continued rapid development of healthcare advances driven by innovation and artificial intelligence. I’m confident that as more time passes, these developments will only move forward at a quicker pace and benefit more people suffering from sickness and injury.
What keeps you motivated?
I love that my job provides me with the ability to interact with people from many different walks of life, located in cities and towns across the country. I’m a people person, so that really excites me. Beyond that, continuing to learn about new and exciting healthcare initiatives gives me a good deal of mental stimulation.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
I believe wholeheartedly in the power of positive thinking—it’s just my nature to be optimistic. I always try to look at the bright side of situations, even if the bright side isn’t immediately apparent. This technique has carried me through many challenging times. In fact, the power of positive thinking dictates that most challenges are simply experiences to be learned from and valued accordingly.
How do you maintain a solid work/life balance?
One of the best ways to maintain a solid work/life balance is to understand that a person’s health is driven by the ability to sustain healthy lifestyle habits along with pursuing rewarding work in terms of building a career. Personally, I set daily goals in terms of exercise. I also try to eat mostly healthy meals. As for my career, I’m immensely satisfied with it. The combination of these factors has helped a lot in terms of balancing my job with my personal life.
What suggestions do you have for someone starting in your industry?
As someone once counselled me at the outset of my own academic pursuits, be a perpetual student and have a curious approach to learning. I’ve found that adopting this approach does wonders in cultivating a positive attitude and acts as a self-perpetuating model for the acquisition of knowledge.
What’s one piece of advice you would give to others?
There are no shortcuts in achieving goals. There is no substitute for hard work and applying yourself. Anyone looking to perform an end-run-around on life via a get-rich quick scheme or some similar mentality is usually deluding themselves. Even if they succeed, they are short-changing themselves in as much as they are denying themselves the rewards bestowed by patience and perseverance, as well as the wisdom afforded by long-term personal growth.
What is the biggest life lesson you have learned?
Hard work creates opportunities. When combined with extensive expertise in one’s chosen field, it creates even more opportunities. Inertia and a status quo mentality are the natural enemies of accomplishment.
What trends in your industry excite you?
The speed of artificial intelligence and its impact on healthy lifestyles and medical advances. It’s quite remarkable how far AI has come in a very short amount of time. It makes me very hopeful for the future of the medical industry and its ability to treat numerous afflictions that are, as of right now, very difficult for physicians and other medical professionals to manage.