Open To Work
Melissa Lofgren
Sales Manager and New Business Development
St. Cloud,MN
Work Preference
Summary
Strategic sales and business development leader with extensive experience in driving revenue and cultivating durable customer partnerships across diverse industries. Expertise in national account strategy, broker management, and data-driven sales processes. Renowned for building scalable commercial strategies that translate early-stage opportunities into sustainable growth.
Overview
25
25
years of professional experience
Work History
Sales Manager, New Business Development
Green Fox Companies
01.2025 - Current
- Led full customer lifecycle, including prospecting, onboarding, commercialization, forecasting, account growth, and long term relationship management.
- Managed broker relationships and external partners to support new market development, enhance sales execution, expand channels, and advance opportunities.
- Led sales team to develop strategic marketing plans and drive revenue growth.
- Cultivated strong professional relationships with suppliers and key clients to drive long-term business development.
- Built commercial sales strategy from the ground up, establishing brand presence, customer demand, and scalable sales processes across grocery, co-ops, ingredient manufacturing, feed, animal care, independent grocery, and niche specialty channels.
- Developed sales plans, goals, strategies, and objectives to align with team goals and drive revenue growth.
- Developed sales forecasts and reports to guide business decisions effectively.
- Implemented training programs to enhance product knowledge among sales staff.
- Implemented HubSpot CRM and Business Central ERP processes to enhance pipeline visibility, streamline customer tracking, and establish forecasting discipline.
- Position emerging brand offerings by connecting product value, supply chain reliability, and category opportunity to customer-specific needs.
- Partner with leadership, operations, logistics, and production teams to align customer requirements with execution, service, supply reliability, and profitability.
Vending Sales Manager, New Business Development
Bernick's
Waite Park
08.2019 - 01.2025
- Led business development and sales execution across 200+ customer locations, driving revenue growth, customer retention, and account expansion.
- Built enterprise level partnerships, including securing a 10 year agreement with 3M through relationship development, solution selling, and long term value creation.
- Contributed to company growth and brand development by identifying market expansion opportunities and executing targeted sales initiatives.
- Developed data informed growth strategies by analyzing customer trends, sales performance, product mix, service opportunities, and account expansion gaps.
- Owned forecasting, P&L management, KPI tracking, and performance reporting aligned with revenue, profitability, service execution, and customer success goals.
- Collaborated with operations, logistics, service teams, and senior leadership to ensure consistent execution of programs and customer commitments.
- Coached and developed teams across three branches, building accountability around service, retention, growth, and measurable performance outcomes.
- Cultivated strong relationships with key clients through regular communication and proactive understanding of their needs, enhancing customer loyalty.
- Conducted detailed sales consultations to assess client needs and recommend suitable products and services.
- Presented monthly reports to management detailing sales performance, providing insights for strategic decision-making.
- Provided technical support for customers, answering questions about product features and capabilities.
Market Manager, Trade Development Manager, Inside Sales Manager
Bernick's
Waite Park
02.2014 - 08.2019
- Managed and expanded key retail and national account relationships, including Target, Walmart, Cub Foods, Coborn's, Sam's Club, Costco, and other large format and regional retail partners.
- Developed customer-specific growth plans, promotional strategies, trade initiatives, and category recommendations, enhancing placement, visibility, sales velocity, and customer engagement.
- Partnered with buyers, category managers, internal sales teams, broker partners, and store level leadership to improve execution and strengthen customer partnerships.
- Leveraged IRI, Nielsen, and SPINS data to create fact-based selling stories, category recommendations, customer presentations, and annual business plans.
- Supported promotional calendars, post event analysis, customer reviews, forecasting, and sales planning across competitive retail categories.
- Fostered cross-functional alignment among sales, marketing, operations, and leadership to achieve account objectives and enhance in-market execution.
Territory Manager
Appert's Foodservice
St. Cloud
02.2010 - 02.2014
- Developed and implemented strategies to increase sales in assigned territory.
- Grew territory by leveraging consultative selling, managing customer relationships, developing accounts, and executing consistent service.
- Expanded account opportunities by identifying customer needs and positioning solutions to support operational priorities and revenue goals.
- Analyzed market trends to identify opportunities for growth within the territory.
- Established relationships with key customers, vendors, and distributors in the area.
- Cultivated strong customer connections to effectively promote products.
- Maintained accurate records of sales activities and customer interactions using CRM software.
- Coordinated product training sessions for clients and staff to enhance product knowledge.
- Delivered training and support to team members on product knowledge, sales techniques, and customer service best practices.
Training General Manager
Blue Plate Restaurant Company and Applebee's
Minneapolis
10.2001 - 02.2010
- Led teams of 100+ employees with responsibility for training, performance management, customer experience, and operational execution.
- Developed training programs to enhance employee skills and service quality.
- Coordinated ongoing training sessions to ensure adherence to company standards, supporting consistent service delivery.
- Streamlined onboarding processes for new hires across multiple restaurant locations, enhancing integration and engagement.
- Built high performing teams and scalable processes in fast paced, customer facing environments.
- Mentored team leaders to foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
- Monitored quality control processes in the organization's learning environment to uphold training effectiveness and compliance.
- Prepared staff work schedules and assigned team members to specific duties.
- Completed thorough opening, closing, and shift change functions to maintain operational standards each day.
- Monitored inventory levels and placed new orders for merchandise to keep supply well-stocked.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Business Management
The College of St. Scholastica
Brainerd, MN05-2001
Skills
- Joint business planning
- National and regional account leadership
- Customer P&L ownership
- Trade promotion planning
- Trade negotiation
- Forecasting and margin planning
- Broker and agency partner management
- Category insights
- POS analysis
- IRI analysis
- Nielsen analysis
- SPINS analysis
- Retail and grocery channel expansion
- Cross-functional leadership
- Team coaching and development
- Executive presentations
- Promotional ROI analysis
- Emerging brand growth strategies
- Microsoft Office Suite proficiency
- PowerPoint expertise
- Excel proficiency
- HubSpot CRM management
- Business Central ERP knowledge
- Retail and syndicated data analysis skills
- POS data interpretation
- Forecasting tools utilization
- CRM implementation expertise
Timeline
Sales Manager, New Business Development
Green Fox Companies
01.2025 - Current
Vending Sales Manager, New Business Development
Bernick's
08.2019 - 01.2025
Market Manager, Trade Development Manager, Inside Sales Manager
Bernick's
02.2014 - 08.2019
Territory Manager
Appert's Foodservice
02.2010 - 02.2014
Training General Manager
Blue Plate Restaurant Company and Applebee's
10.2001 - 02.2010
Bachelor of Science - Business Management
The College of St. Scholastica
Work Availability
monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
sunday
morning
afternoon
evening
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Core Capabilities
- Joint Business Planning
- National & Regional Account Leadership
- Customer P&L Ownership
- Trade Promotion Planning
- Trade Negotiation
- Forecasting & Margin Planning
- Broker & Agency Partner Management
- Category Insights
- POS, IRI, Nielsen & SPINS Analysis
- Retail & Grocery Channel Expansion
- Cross Functional Leadership
- Team Coaching & Development
- Executive Presentations
- Promotional ROI
- Emerging Brand Growth
Leadership Value Proposition
Translate commercial priorities into account specific growth plans, promotional calendars, trade initiatives, and execution plans., Build partnerships with buyers, category managers, store leadership, broker teams, and cross functional partners., Own forecasting, KPI tracking, P&L management, margin planning, customer retention, and performance reporting., Coach teams, align operations across branches, and manage broker relationships to deliver measurable execution.
Technology And Analytics
- Microsoft Office Suite
- PowerPoint
- Excel
- HubSpot CRM
- Business Central ERP
- IRI
- SPINS
- Nielsen
- Retail and syndicated data analysis
- POS data
- Forecasting tools
- CRM implementation
Core Capabilities
- Joint Business Planning
- National & Regional Account Leadership
- Customer P&L Ownership
- Trade Promotion Planning
- Trade Negotiation
- Forecasting & Margin Planning
- Broker & Agency Partner Management
- Category Insights
- POS, IRI, Nielsen & SPINS Analysis
- Retail & Grocery Channel Expansion
- Cross Functional Leadership
- Team Coaching & Development
- Executive Presentations
- Promotional ROI
- Emerging Brand Growth
Leadership Value Proposition
Translate commercial priorities into account specific growth plans, promotional calendars, trade initiatives, and execution plans., Build partnerships with buyers, category managers, store leadership, broker teams, and cross functional partners., Own forecasting, KPI tracking, P&L management, margin planning, customer retention, and performance reporting., Coach teams, align operations across branches, and manage broker relationships to deliver measurable execution.