Statisticians at ESPN need look no further than Greenville to find a common denominator of Nick Saban’s three National Championship losses—two at the hands of Dabo Swinney’s Clemson Tigers and the latest to Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs. Each of those teams had a member of AMPLOS on the sideline.
AMPLOS, a word derived from Latin, meaning “to grow or develop,” was built out of purpose and vision with a hint of altruism intertwined between human growth, spirit, and the desire to improve oneself. The company’s founder and CEO, Dr. Milt Lowder, a licensed counseling psychologist, believes you cannot be who you were created to be without the influence of others.
Lowder, a graduate of Clemson University, opened a private practice in Greenville in 2005 and met former Presbyterian College basketball player Drew Brannon in 2007 at a small meeting of licensed psychologists who were working in college athletics. “That first meeting was one of those you have in life where it’s like this was supposed to happen,” says Brannon.
While working with patients, Lowder was simultaneously building out a vision of what AMPLOS would become and shared that with Brannon during the conference. The dream and values of the two aligned, and after Brannon finished his residency at the University of Oklahoma, he was Lowder’s second hire at AMPLOS.
Whether it be an individual, a team, or an entire organization, AMPLOS strives to be a resource to help people move the needle when it comes to their growth and development, both professionally and personally. The intricacies of AMPLOS’s methods include focusing on holistic well-being, performance, and optimizing who people are and what they do.
AMPLOS: At a Glance
- AMPLOS’s services include executive coaching, sport psychology, and organizational psychology as well as leadership-development training, executive coaching, and organizational improvement methods to improve culture, drive engagement, and enhance performance.
- The AMPLOS team offers keynote addresses to small or large groups to help people invest in their growth not only in work but to be better for those that matter most to them.
- AMPLOS has launched TENFORTWELVE—a year-long, intensive journey of 12 half-day sessions that take a deep dive into how you think, feel, and behave through engaging small-group experiences and one-on-one performance coaching.
- Mill Pine is scheduled to open this month for people who want to invest in their growth, and value being the best they can mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally, relationally, and behaviorally.
Today, AMPLOS’s techniques have benefited Fortune 500 companies, as well as professional and college athletes including PGA Tour players Ben Martin and Kevin Kisner. Former Clemson Tiger and NFL kicker Chandler Catanzaro has worked with AMPLOS throughout his career. “The lessons I learned from Milt Lowder throughout my kicking career proved instrumental to my success on the field,” says Catanzaro. “Learning to allocate all of my mental energy and focus toward things I could control let me kick more freely and have more fun doing it. I’m grateful for the wisdom Milt provided because it translated to better kicking performance, but even more so because they are values I can lean on for the rest of my life.”
One of AMPLOS’s most notable accomplishments is being able to build a relationship with people and be relevant in the community and beyond. “What I am most proud of as a business owner and psychologist is to be able to create a place where people feel comfortable enough to be vulnerable,” says Lowder.
Although AMPLOS has been in business for nearly 15 years, one of their long-term goals has just now come to fruition with Mill Pine—a retreat in Pickens County dedicated to professional and personal development. Lowder and Brannon each shared an idea in the early days that was to ultimately create a vocation facility destination to get people to experience the outdoors while also focusing on themselves and their growth. “Our vision was to create an event and meeting space where people can come together for large or small meetings and use activities like shooting the shotgun, fishing, riding four-wheelers, and hiking to connect with each other,” says Brannon.
Mill Pine will open this month on 350 acres just 24 miles from downtown Greenville, complete with mountain views, a stocked pond, and rugged topography for all sorts of outdoor activities. The desire to change, or amplify, the typical conference model used by thousands of companies jump-started Lowder’s and Brannon’s Mill Pine venture.
Ultimately, both Lowder and Brannon hope Mill Pine will attract companies and professionals throughout the country to come experience the great outdoors at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. “It is a place for professional growth and development for others to get away,” says Lowder. “We are very thankful for the opportunity we’ve had to connect with people in meaningful ways.”
To learn more about AMPLOS, go to amplos.com.
