Press Release

Mark and Stephanie McLeod are bringing a gourmet nut business to Columbia, South Carolina. Doing business as Sugar Nutz, LLC, the McLeod’s will own and operate a Totally Nutz franchise. Totally Nutz is a gourmet, cinnamon-glazed nut company which freshly roasts and glazes nuts on-site. During the roasting process, the air is filled with the aroma of cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla literally causing patrons to follow their nose to find us.

This is a second career for the McLeod’s who have each spent over 20 years in the service of our country, in the United States Army. Stephanie proved herself a strong asset as an Army Recruiter and quickly advanced to a Senior Manager of Army Recruiting, covering an area 1.966 square miles. Mark has held positions of First Sergeant, Platoon Sergeant, Squad Leader, and Sr. Instructor/Writer on assignments in the United States and abroad.

Both Mark and Stephanie have extensive military training and have earned many awards, achievements, ribbons, and medals. These include some of the highest achievement awards offered by the U.S. Army. They have proven leadership skills and a great deal of enthusiasm that helps others to achieve desired goals. Their operational, analytical, and managerial skills will certainly be a plus for them as business owners.

The McLeod’s were recently interviewed by our Totally Nutz Development Team and here is what they had to say about their plans for their business.

What are your business plans for the Columbia area?

We plan on being a big part of the local community. We are looking forward to working a variety of different events including fairs, festivals, sporting events, and other opportunities that give us the ability to work with the public.
We will also be creating our gourmet gift boxes which come with a variety of different seasonal nuts, including chocolate toffee covered almonds and salted mixed nuts. We offer these gift boxes year-round but we except the holiday season to be the busiest time for us.

Why did you choose Totally Nutz?

Our careers are not over just because we retired from the U.S. Army. We are excited to begin a new life with our children, experiencing new opportunities and working in our community. As we started exploring our options we took a franchising class which the Army offered to help retirees to transition out of the military. Through this process, we discovered Totally Nutz. I have attended culinary training and I loved the idea of roasting and glazing nuts, fresh on-site. We both loved the variety of the types of locations we could work based on our interest. There is so much opportunity to bring our business concept to the public in places where families go to be entertained and enjoy one another.

About Totally Nutz®
Since 1990, Totally Nutz® has been fresh roasting cinnamon glazed nuts. Totally Nutz was founded by Matt & Yvette Barker who were looking for a family-friendly business which would allow them to spend more time with their young children. Totally Nutz is the perfect companion for cheering on your favorite team, attending a convention, or enjoying your favorite band. Gift boxes are excellent choices for gifting on special occasions, recognizing or thanking someone.