MILT GILLESPIE has been the Owner and President of Mariposa Labs since its inception in 2003. Milt manages and motivates a diverse team with a consistent commitment to operating with speed, flexibility, and integrity. Milt’s simple and overarching goal is to help his team and customers succeed. He takes pride in Mariposa’s reputation of excellence in the field of personal care contract manufacturing.
In his free time, Milt is a supporter of the Arts in Idaho and enjoys hiking and boating.
HOLLIS BROOKOVER, the Owner and Director of Research and Development for Mariposa Labs, acquired the company in 2003 alongside Milt Gillespie and took over R&D in 2020. Providing customers with the most innovative science, thorough testing, and creative product solutions demands organization, communication, and coordination. Hollis enjoys the challenge of a role that requires working closely with a diverse group of staff members in a fast-paced environment and takes pride in the fact that Mariposa delivers on their promises and provides its partners with the care and attention they need to be successful.
Outside of the lab, Hollis enjoys travel, biking, attending the theater, and spending time with family and friends.
LISA SWAIN, Director of Business Development, is a Mariposa Labs veteran who has been with the team since the beginning in 2003. Lisa works with customers from conception to launch and loves learning and realizing their unique visions for their products and brands. Lisa leads with enthusiasm, ingenuity, and reliability and exemplifies the Mariposa Labs principles of service—to treat customers as partners and friends and provide the kind of personal, specialized attention they deserve while meeting their needs thoroughly and efficiently.
When Lisa isn’t at Mariposa headquarters, she enjoys live music/concerts, spending time with family, practicing yoga, and watching sports, especially football and hockey.
KELLY KROPF, the Technical Director and Formulation Chemist at Mariposa Labs, has held her position since 2013. She is a member of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists and has over a decade of experience formulating a wide array of personal care products. Kelly specializes in both new product development and reverse engineering and is continually working to meet our partner’s needs by improving existing formulas and creatively reformulating and economizing to meet consumer trends and demands for more natural products.
Kelly’s formulations have won multiple awards including ”O-wards” from Oprah magazine, “Best of Baby” Products, the Natural Solutions’ “Beauty with a Conscience” award, and others. Kelly’s creations have also garnered product recommendations from Parent, People and New York Magazines.
As the need for more naturally derived and fewer synthetic personal care products has increased dramatically, Kelly has continued to successfully formulate a broad assortment of both economical and high-end products that meet the demands of consumer expectations, natural derivation, and budgetary constraints.
When Kelly’s not in the lab, she’s either researching to keep up with trends in the personal care industry or enjoying time with her amazing family.
DEREK BARHAM is the Manufacturing Director at Mariposa Labs and has been with the team since 2013. Derek’s specialties include employee retention. Employee turnover at Mariposa Labs is virtually zero, with most employees having been with the company for more than ten years. Experienced employees help scheduling run smoothly so Derek and his team can hit customer ship dates and keep Mariposa Labs’ partners as satisfied as their employees.
In his free time, Derek enjoys the great outdoors and camping, hiking, and exploring.