Grecian Delight | Kronos Foods hiring Vice President of Retail Sales in Elk Grove Village, IL | LinkedIn (2024)

Grecian Delight | Kronos Foods (“GDK”) stands at the forefront as a premier provider of authentic Greek and Mediterranean cuisine. Our portfolio, featuring gyros, specialty meats, pitas, flatbreads, tzatziki, hummus, spreads, falafel, ready-to-eat and plant-based proteins, along with value-added bakery products, reflects our commitment to quality and authenticity. Serving over 400 foodservice distributors, 30,000 independent and national chain restaurants, and marking our presence in the top 40 U.S. retailers, we continue to enrich dining experiences with the flavors of the Mediterranean.

Our Vision: Continue to be the leader in Greek, Mediterranean and inspired world cuisine. We strive to have every table or menu in the world serving up our delicious flavors.

Our Mission: To be top of mind with our customers as the preferred and trusted company of choice, by delivering mutual value, and acting with a sense of urgency.

Our Guiding Principles:

• Customer Centricity: Put the customer at the heart of the business,
• Ownership and Empathy: Act like owners, think like customers,
• Conscious leadership: Leading with awareness, kindness, and courage,
• Competitive Spirit: Playing to win.

As members of the GDK family, we seek individuals who resonate with our vision, mission, and guiding principles. Your alignment with these core values enables us to maintain our legacy of excellence and innovation. We encourage you to embrace our commitment to customer satisfaction, ownership, leadership, and competitive spirit. Together, we will continue to bring the rich flavors of the Mediterranean to the world, fostering a culture of respect, growth, and shared success.

What you will be doing…

• Based at our corporate office in Elk Grove Village, IL, the Vice President of Retail Sales uses a strong network to generate new leads, as well as maintain and expand existing business, within the retail accounts segment of our business. The successful individual will use a combination of established relationships and cold calls to open doors, then work closely with Marketing, R&D, Operations, and others in the organization to develop creative ways to penetrate prospective targets. The primary responsibility will be to develop new business opportunities with large retailers across the country and beyond. These include conventional grocery chains, Clubs, wholesalers, distributors, convenience, and drug stores, among others.
• Develop new business as well as provide service and support to existing business for our extensive line of products. New product presentations will be a big focus in addition to supporting our existing retail business.
• Develop productive key customer and broker relationships.
• Lead a team of National Retail Sales Managers, setting goals, supporting their objectives, and assisting them in closing sales.
• Maintain productive internal working relationships with marketing, customer service, R&D, operations, and others.
• Achieve established annual goals, e.g., revenue, new customers, new item distribution.
• Deliver the annual plan and cover plan numbers vs. quota, opportunities, red flags, gaps, etc.
• Track customer promotional spending and control to budgeted levels.
• Other duties and projects as assigned.

We have a strong preference for candidates in the Chicagoland area.

What you need to have…

• Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, sales, or comparable field of study required, MBA or equivalent preferred.
• 8+ years of experience in a Manufacturing company, preferably in the food and beverage industry.
• Working knowledge of proteins, bakery, and sauces, both frozen and refrigerated.
• Strong knowledge of the industry, the customer, the products, and the competition is critical.
• Proven experience selling/maintaining major customers relationships across the country.
• Extensive U.S. broker management experience.
• Experience in strategic decision making, team building, and negotiations.
• Must be willing to travel up to 40% of work schedule (average of 1-2 overnight visits per week).
• Ability to communicate with all levels of employees at GDK – from the plant floor to the CEO effectively and clearly in both written and verbal situations.
• Proficiency with MS Office, including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.

Why work with us…

At Grecian Delight | Kronos Foods, we understand that fulfilling our mission involves a blend of innovation and reverence for tradition—a challenge that demands exceptional dedication from our team. We hold high expectations, but we are equally committed to supporting our employees. This commitment is reflected in our pledge to provide a respectful work environment, fair compensation, and abundant opportunities for professional growth. Our community standards are built on the pillars of equal employment opportunities, respectful dialogue and actions, integrity, and accountability.

What we offer…

• Highly competitive compensation and bonus programs
• Medical, Dental and Vision options for you and your family
• Safe-harbor 401(k) Plan with generous matching and immediate vesting
• Life, AD&D, Short and Long-term Disability Programs
• Health, Dependent Care, & Commuter Flexible Spending Accounts
• Health Savings Account Contributions
• Additional Voluntary Benefit Programs
• Paid Vacations and Holidays
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Grecian Delight | Kronos Foods is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, marital status, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law.