STEVE JOURDAIN
Ruskin,FL
Summary
Foodservice Professional with 12+ years of experience across warehouse operations, supply chains, inventory management, merchandising, and sales. Known for connecting operational execution, supplier collaboration, and sales alignment to support divisional growth and customer onboarding. Played a key role in supporting more than $235M in new business by aligning product assortment, tools, pricing strategy, and vendor partnerships with customer needs. Experienced in onboarding vendors, expanding product portfolios, building data tools to improve quoting and product matching, and collaborating with sales, category, and supply chain teams to ensure successful market execution. Recognized for bringing an operational perspective to merchandising decisions that supports margin performance, product availability, and strong vendor relationships.
Overview
12
12
years of professional experience
Work History
Key Account Support Specialist
Gordon Food Service
Plant City, FL
08.2022 - Current
- Drive sales enablement for Independent BD teams through tools and profitability analysis.
- Partner with category, pricing, and sales teams to support onboarding of new business opportunities over $235M+ in annual revenue, ensuring margin alignment and operational readiness.
- Create 500+ new Material to support onboarding of new customers, ensuring accurate assortment alignment and accelerating implementation timelines.
- Onboarded 50+ new vendors to expand divisional product offerings, strengthening supplier partnerships and supporting category growth initiatives.
- Led adoption of the Validation Grid onboarding tool, increasing usage from 35% in 2022 to 83% in 2024, with adoption at 100% in 2026, significantly improving onboarding efficiency and pricing validation accuracy.
- Built and maintained a database of 80,000+ competitor-to-GFS product matches, enabling faster item coding, improved market basket comparisons, and stronger competitive positioning during sales quoting.
- Created 5,000+ brand match references within the Validation Grid, enabling Business Developers to identify GFS brand equivalents earlier in the sales cycle and strengthen private label penetration.
- Delivered Business Development training programs focused on onboarding tools, pricing strategy, and category alignment, improving collaboration between sales, merchandising, and supply chain teams.
U.S. Non-Food Merchandising / Category Management
Gordon Food Service
Plant City, FL
08.2019 - 08.2022
- Analyzed national market trends to identify growth opportunities.
- Onboarded 35+ suppliers and negotiated marketing agreements.
- Led vendor negotiations improving cost structures.
- Managed category performance metrics.
- Introduced 200+ key GAP items supporting the Texas division growth.
Regional Inventory Specialist/Lead
Gordon Food Service
Plant City, FL
08.2016 - 08.2019
- Directed inventory control ensuring stock accuracy.
- Optimized warehouse layout and product placement.
- Conducted audits to reduce shrink and strengthen data integrity.
- Trained team members on inventory best practices.
Warehouse Inventory Control
Gordon Food Service
Plant City, FL
01.2014 - 08.2016
- Managed stock levels to optimize availability.
- Conducted cycle counts and resolved discrepancies.
- Implemented operational improvements increasing efficiency.
- Coordinated with shipping and receiving teams to streamline processes and minimize delays.
- Spearheaded initiatives aimed at reducing waste within the warehouse operation through recycling programs or repurposing excess materials.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Marketing
University of South Florida
06-2028
Associate of Science - Mechanical Engineering
Hillsborough Community College
06-2013
Skills
- Category Strategy
- Supplier Negotiation
- Margin Optimization
- Pricing Strategy & GPO Alignment
- Market Basket & Grid Development
- Sales Enablement Tools
- Data Analytics & Reporting
- Process Improvement
- Cross-Functional Leadership
- Training & Mentorship
Languages
English
Native or Bilingual
French
Native or Bilingual
Creole (Haitian)
Native or Bilingual
AWARDS
Gold Club – Merchandising Team of the Year
Broadline Sales MVP
J & P Cup Award
Emerging Leader Graduate – 2022
Business Development MVP
Timeline
Key Account Support Specialist
Gordon Food Service
08.2022 - Current
U.S. Non-Food Merchandising / Category Management
Gordon Food Service
08.2019 - 08.2022
Regional Inventory Specialist/Lead
Gordon Food Service
08.2016 - 08.2019
Warehouse Inventory Control
Gordon Food Service
01.2014 - 08.2016
Associate of Science - Mechanical Engineering
Hillsborough Community College
Bachelor of Arts - Marketing
University of South Florida