Region Sales Manager - Northeast

Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Vernon Hills, Illinois, Prairie City Bakery is a leading provider of premium, fully baked, thaw-and-sell bakery solutions serving the convenience store, food service, grocery, and alternative retail channels nationwide. Our award-winning portfolio includes individually wrapped and food service-ready products designed to drive both quality and profitable growth for our customers.

Acquired by McKee Foods in 2019, Prairie City Bakery combines the entrepreneurial agility of a growth-focused organization with the resources and stability of a world-class food manufacturer. We are known not only for our products, but for our merchandising expertise, operational excellence, and commitment to long-term customer partnerships.

At Prairie City Bakery, individual performance matters. We value initiative, accountability, and collaboration, and we offer meaningful opportunities for career growth within a dynamic and results-driven environment.

• The Region Sales Manager is responsible for driving profitable growth within an assigned geographic territory through the management of regional convenience store accounts, distributors, and broker partners. Region coverage includes ME, VT, NH, MA, MD, RI, CT, NY, NJ, PA, WV, VA, DE, District of Columbia. This role develops and executes territory growth plans, expands distribution, strengthens customer relationships, and supports Prairie City Bakery’s strategic sales objectives.
• The position operates with a significant level of independence while working under the direction of the Vice President of Sales. Success requires strong selling skills, business planning capabilities, analytical thinking, and the ability to effectively collaborate with customers, distributors, brokers, and internal stakeholders.

• Develop and execute territory business plans aligned with company sales, distribution, and profitability objectives.
• Deliver annual sales, margin, and distribution goals for assigned accounts and territory.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with regional chains, distributors, brokers, and key decision-makers.
• Identify and pursue new business opportunities while expanding existing customer relationships.
• Utilize syndicated and internal data to develop fact-based selling recommendations and customer presentations.
• Execute pricing, promotional, and distribution strategies in alignment with company objectives.
• Manage trade spending and promotional investments within approved budgets.
• Collaborate with broker partners to establish objectives, monitor performance, and drive accountability.
• Partner with distributors to improve distribution, inventory management, and execution of new product launches.
• Conduct business reviews and provide performance updates, growth opportunities, and action plans.
• Work cross-functionally with Marketing, Finance, Demand Planning, and Operations to support customer initiatives and service excellence.
• Maintain accurate CRM records, forecasts, account plans, and pipeline reporting.
• Stay informed on industry trends, competitive activity, and customer developments.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Lead development of annual account plans, including revenue targets, pricing strategy, promotional planning, and trade investment management.
• Deliver annual net sales, gross margin, and distribution objectives.
• Prepare and present comprehensive business reviews, providing performance insights, strategic recommendations, and long-term growth plans.
• Analyze sales data, trends, and performance metrics to identify opportunities and communicate actionable recommendations to internal and external stakeholders.
• Manage trade spending within approved budgets and deliver measurable ROI.
• Contribute to forecasting accuracy and demand planning in collaboration with Operations and Finance.

• Manage large regional accounts and strategically important territory business.
• Responsible for a combination of regional chains, distributors, brokers, and key customers.
• Operates independently while receiving ongoing direction from the Vice President of Sales.
• Influences customer, broker, and distributor decisions to achieve territory objectives.

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of progressive sales experience, preferably within convenience retail, food service, consumer packaged goods, or related industries.
• Demonstrated success growing regional accounts and distributor relationships.
• Strong negotiation, presentation, communication, and relationship-building skills.
• Analytical mindset with the ability to translate data into actionable business recommendations.
• Intermediate proficiency in CRM systems, Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.