By: Travis Hutton
Sam Mansfield is a highly skilled Business Architect with deep expertise in technology, process management, and strategic innovation. Born and raised in Georgia, Sam’s career has spanned from founding startups to leading Mansfield Energy, a family-run enterprise focused on energy solutions. With advanced certifications in technology product management, process optimization, and continuous improvement, Sam brings a unique combination of technical knowledge and strategic insight to his work. He’s passionate about integrating cutting-edge technologies, such as AI, into business operations to drive efficiency and innovation.
Sam’s professional approach is strongly influenced by his passions for fitness and music. As a dedicated powerlifter and Muay Thai boxer, he believes that the discipline and resilience built in the gym translate directly into leadership. Music is another creative outlet that helps him process ideas and fuel his innovation. Sam is also deeply committed to humanitarian work, particularly supporting infrastructural and educational initiatives in La Gonave, Haiti. Balancing his career with his roles as a husband and father, Sam exemplifies the integration of personal values with professional success.
How do you define success, both personally and professionally?
For me, success is about more than just achieving financial goals or career milestones—it’s about alignment. When my personal values, professional ambitions, and the impact I want to make in the world are all aligned, that’s when I feel truly successful. Professionally, success is about creating value not only for the company but also for the people within it. When my team thrives, the company thrives.
Personally, success is about being present for my family, maintaining my mental and physical well-being, and contributing positively to the world around me. I don’t measure success by any one achievement, but by my ability to consistently grow, learn, and align my actions with my core values—whether that’s at work, with my family, or through my humanitarian efforts in Haiti.
How has your experience in startups shaped your approach to leadership in a larger, family-owned business like Mansfield Energy?
Startups teach you to be agile, adaptable, and, frankly, comfortable with uncertainty. When I co-founded a startup, I learned quickly that things rarely go according to plan, and the ability to pivot is critical. That mentality has been invaluable in a larger, more established business like Mansfield Energy. Even though we’re a family-run company, we operate in an industry that’s constantly evolving. We need to maintain that startup mindset—where innovation, creativity, and risk-taking are encouraged—while also ensuring we have the stability and structure to support long-term growth.
Startups also taught me the importance of being hands-on. In a smaller business, you’re wearing multiple hats all the time. That experience made me comfortable getting into the details and understanding the nuts and bolts of every part of the business. Now, even in a leadership role, I maintain that same level of involvement and curiosity about how every part of our business works, from operations to technology to team dynamics.
What’s your philosophy on innovation, and how do you encourage it within your team?
To me, innovation isn’t just about the big, flashy ideas—it’s about continuous improvement and the willingness to challenge the status quo. I believe in fostering an environment where people feel safe to question existing processes, propose new ideas, and, importantly, experiment. You can’t innovate without taking some risks, and I make it a point to create a culture where failure is seen as a learning opportunity rather than a setback.
Within my team, I encourage cross-functional collaboration because I’ve found that some of the premier ideas come from diverse perspectives. Sometimes, the marketing team will have an insight that completely transforms how we approach a technical problem, or our operations staff will come up with a customer service solution. My job as a leader is to connect those dots and ensure that everyone feels empowered to contribute, no matter their role.
How do fitness and physical discipline influence your leadership style?
Fitness, particularly powerlifting and Muay Thai, plays a huge role in how I approach leadership. In both sports, you’re constantly testing your limits, setting goals, and pushing yourself beyond what you thought you could do. That discipline translates directly to the business world. Leadership requires a similar kind of endurance—you have to stay focused on the long game, maintain discipline in your decision-making, and push through challenges with resilience.
Fitness has also taught me a lot about patience and incremental progress. In the gym, you don’t see results overnight. You have to put in consistent effort, make small adjustments, and trust the process. I take the same approach in business—whether we’re implementing a new strategy or introducing a new technology, I know that real progress takes time, and you have to remain committed, even when it feels slow.
Plus, there’s the mental clarity that comes from physical activity. After a workout, I’m sharper, more focused, and better able to tackle the complex problems that come with running a business. I also encourage my team to prioritize their health and fitness because I’ve seen firsthand how it can positively impact productivity and mental well-being.
What role does humanitarian work play in your life, and how does it influence your business decisions?
Humanitarian work is something I’m deeply passionate about, particularly in La Gonave, Haiti, where I’ve been involved in projects focused on infrastructure, education, and healthcare. For me, giving back is a way of grounding myself—it reminds me of the bigger picture and helps keep my personal and professional life in perspective.
This work also shapes how I approach business. When you’re involved in humanitarian efforts, you quickly learn the importance of empathy, patience, and community-driven solutions. Those lessons carry over into how I lead. I try to make decisions that aren’t just about the bottom line but also about how they’ll impact our employees, our clients, and the larger community.
Humanitarian work has also taught me the importance of sustainability—not just in terms of environmental impact, but in building systems that will have a lasting, positive effect. In business, I aim to create strategies and processes that are sustainable over the long term and benefit not just the company, but everyone it touches.
How do you stay ahead of trends and technology in such a fast-changing industry?
Staying ahead requires a mindset of continuous learning. I’m always looking for ways to expand my knowledge, whether it’s attending industry conferences, connecting with other thought leaders, or diving deep into research on emerging technologies. I believe that being a leader means you can never stop learning, and that’s particularly true in an industry as dynamic as energy.
For me, technology is a game-changer, especially tools like AI and machine learning, which can help optimize operations and drive more informed decision-making. But it’s not just about adopting the latest tech—it’s about understanding how to integrate it effectively into your business in a way that actually solves problems and creates value. I stay in close contact with both our technology teams and external partners to ensure we’re always evaluating new tools and approaches with a clear, strategic lens.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone just starting out in their career?
Embrace failure. Early on in my career, I had this fear of failing, of making the wrong move. But the truth is, failure is one of the greatest teachers. Every time you stumble, you learn something new about yourself, your work, or your industry. Don’t shy away from taking risks just because you might fail—take those risks because that’s where growth happens.
Also, build relationships. It’s easy to focus on the technical aspects of your job, but the relationships you cultivate along the way are just as important. You never know who will help open a door or provide a fresh perspective that changes the way you approach your work. Stay curious, stay open, and never stop learning.
Published by: Khy Talara
