Kathy Walker

Biography

Experience Regional Sales Manager Company NameMilmar Food Group, LLC Dates EmployedSep 2015 – Present   Employment Duration2 yrs 4 mos LocationNew England & Upstate New York My main responsibility is to work with all NE and Upstate NY Sysco and US Foods distributors and to grow & develop the hors d' oeuvres business. Another part of my duties is to work and manager my broker Acosta Foods assisting them with the tools needed to grow business all around in their markets. One of my strengthens coming from the broker end I understand how the broker business operators, so the goal is to have a good relationship and communication between the Distributor Account Managers and the Field Account Managers within Acosta Sales & Marketing. . Conducting operator work in the field is part of the responsibilities; also included participating in food shows, sales, meetings, presentations conducted at the distributors . Operator Specialist Company NameKey Impact Sales & Systems, Inc Dates EmployedSep 2013 – Sep 2015   Employment Duration2 yrs 1 mo LocationSoutheastern Mass , Rhodel Island, and Worcester County Key Impact considers my role as a operator specialist though I consider the position more than that. The reason why I say is because the responsibilities include working with the regionals of all manufacturers and conducting presentations to direct sales groups educating the distributors sales people on products also while conducting end user appointments. The job requires having a balance of many seeing the customers, working with distributor sales force, and other duties as well. Brand Ambassador Part-Time Company NameSignature Marketing , Inc, Dates EmployedNov 2007 – Jan 2013   Employment Duration5 yrs 3 mos I joined Signaturein 2007 as a part time to earn extra money and in the mean time found a passion for the world wine and spirits. This job has broaden my education of the beverage industry. I have learned so much about wines. It has become a fun adventure and made me passionate about what I am doing and having fun! ! I conduct tastings with both the retail stores and special events. I have been educated with training seminars in several products , such as: Jameson, Glenlivet , Kahlua, and Malibu. The winery I currently represent is Trinchero Estates . This has been a very rewarding experience which enjoy . Distributor Account Manager Company NameDevine Culinary Dates EmployedOct 2005 – Jan 2013   Employment Duration7 yrs 4 mos My main responsibility is to lead business development and account management activities with foodservice distributors.One of the main focus is Sysco Boston.; others include distributors I worrk with are: Perkins, Cara Donna, All American, Bonollo's, and Shaheen Bros.I build strategic business alliances with merchandisers, buyers,and sales representatives to leverage my product lines verses competition .I also negotiate line expansions to increase brand presences throughout MA,., RI and NH.The lines I represent are; Cabot Creamry, Cheesecake Factory,,George's Chicken, Fresherized Foods-Avomex, Schwans/Holiday Foods, Father Sam's, Townsends Chicken , Jewel Apple, and Oxford Foods. I also conduct end user calls on behalf of distributor sales force; such as single large restaurants, regional chains, ect..some accounts names i've worked with are; Not Your Average Joe's, Corporate Chefs, and British Beer Company,etc.These accounts I have mentioned I have had success in selling one or more products..Some other successful sales to mention are; Showcase Cinemas,Montvale Plaza, Rhode Island Hostipal, The Met Restaurant group, and more.. Acccount Manager Company NameUnilever Bestfoods Dates EmployedOct 1998 – Jun 2004   Employment Duration5 yrs 9 mos Hired under the Best Foods Food service umbrella to build presence in the Southeastern Massachusetts , RI and Cape Cod market area. Responsibilities included; conducting appointments and making presentations for restaurants, schools, colleges, hospitals, regional chains, etc.. When the project of the launch of Knorr soup line into Stop & Shop food chain my skills were utilized with marketing the soup line conducting tasting with the public during this launch. As time went on with my experience and growth as a sale person my responsibilities grew with assisting the distributors , such as; Hallsmith Sysco, Perkins, Cirelli and Cara Donna. along with this step up became involved with "working with" the sales force conducting appointments on their behalf.. The next step involved working with regional chains securing new business.Some examples are: Showcase Cinemas,The British Beer Company, Epicurean Feast, and others. Unilever acquired Best Foods and when this acquisition was completed we added more branded products. This created more diversity. At that point began being more involved with second and third tier distributors assisting the distributor managers. I helped them doing larger end user appointments as a "team" . See more positions Education JOHNSON & WALES COLLEGE Degree NameB.S Field Of StudyRetail Management Dates attended or expected graduation1982 – 1985 Johnson & Wales University Degree NameBS Field Of StudyRetail Management Dates attended or expected graduation1982 – 1985 During my education I was also involved with training and working at the school's clothing store as an intern. This was part of training to obtain my degree. I also went to NYC to further understand the field of fashion industry. I also attended Lasell Jr College, Newton to obtain my AS in Fashion Retail Merchandising. I worked at Filenes, Chestnut Hill, MA as part of my schooling to have a full understanding of the retail and marketing aspect of fashion.

Research Interest

Business and Management