Faces of Lubricants: David Northrup
Jan 24, 2019
Enthusiastic, multi-talented and full of life are ways to describe the newest sales manager for North America, David Northrup. With a chemical engineering background, David has provided technical expertise for the Asphalt, Oilfield and now Lubricants groups since he joined Ingevity in 2010. He’s a dedicated family man (and Clemson Tiger fan) with an endless sense of adventure. David is always curious to learn something new and will be a great addition to the Lubricants team. 
Describe what you do at Ingevity in your new role as sales manager for Lubricants.
I recently transitioned to Lubricants sales after working in a tech service role with Oilfield for many years. Since the businesses merged in 2018, it made sense for me to grow my knowledge base and try something new with sales.
What are you most excited for in your new position?
Learning new things and a new skill set! It’s something I have always loved about each role I’ve held.
What do you enjoy doing with your free time?
I like to spend time with friends and family. My wife Dana and I enjoy hosting parties and gathering people for a good time. I also love fitness and coaching my sons’ sports teams. I’m an avid runner, biker and swimmer, and participate in various local races. I play ultimate Frisbee whenever I can (I’m pretty good at that), and also golf when I get a chance (I’m positively awful at that). I’m a huge Clemson fan and try to go to a few games each year. When I’m not spending time with my family or enjoying the outdoors, I spend time reading novels or science fiction books.
Name one thing about your work that gets you out of bed in the morning.
I love connecting the dots! I really enjoy being able to try to match a customer’s desires with our capabilities. Along those line, I like to try to root out win-wins that grow our business and solve problems for our customers.
What does success mean to you?
Anytime I can be a part of an initiative that drives win-win solutions, I consider that a success.
Where is your favorite place in the world?
I love the Lowcountry! It’s where I spent a good bit of my childhood, and the smell of salty air is a beautiful thing to me. I also love the South Carolina upstate (Clemson) and the mountains (where I’ve done a good bit of hiking and backpacking in my day). Charleston is amazing and I’m lucky to have spent so much of my life in this wonderful city! 
What is your favorite family tradition?
I’ve grown to really appreciate the annual Thanksgiving turkey cook off that I have with my brother. We both prepare a turkey, and then sit outside by the fire while we fry each one in succession. Then the whole family tries to decide which has the winning flavor.
What is your life motto?
Openness and honesty always!
Who inspires you to be better?
My wonderful wife, Dana.
Among your friends or family, what are you famous for?
I’m very social and like to bring people together for different experiences.
We’re thrilled to add David’s position to the Lubricants sales team. We’d also like to recognize Jim Collette for all of his dedication and wish him the best on his future endeavors. We will miss you Jim!
