Foodservice Equipment and Supply Sales Consultant

Position: Food service Equipment and Supply Sales Consultant

Location: Springfield, IL

Job : 148-CBE

# of Openings: 1

M. J. Kellner is a locally owned broadline food service distributor. We have everything a commercial kitchen needs to operate. We sell to restaurants, nursing homes, hospitals, and schools within a 125-mile radius of Springfield. We have been serving central Illinois for more than 100 years and are proud members of this community. Bill Kellner, our third-generation owner, did not have a 4th generation to carry on the family legacy, so he initiated an Employee Stock Ownership Plan in 2013.

On October 31, 2021, the company became 100% employee owned. This is at no cost to our employees and is a very generous retirement benefit for us to look forward to and work hard for every day. We come to work each day to exceed all of our customers' food service needs and to be their most trusted and reliable partner.

The Food service Equipment and Supply Sales Consultant is responsible for all equipment and smallwares sales matters related to their current customers, working to gain new customers, collaborating with the Equipment Specialist on design projects, and securing bids for equipment sales.

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Identifies, prospects, and manages new and existing customer accounts in the food service industry
• Conducts needs assessments to recommend appropriate commercial kitchen equipment and supplies
• Guides customers through equipment selection, configuration, budgeting, and operational layout
• Acts as a consultant for customers
• Manages order timelines, freight arrangements, and delivery schedules
• Collaborates with the Equipment Specialist to respond to projects and bid on new projects
• Specifies equipment and smallware needs and consults with the end user until the layout is satisfactory
• Provides price quotes to customers through the utilization of the Auto Quotes Database
• Provides timely and accurate information for product knowledge requests
• Maintains accurate records, quotes, and sales documentation
• Visits job sites to provide specifications on equipment
• Keeps informed of new products, services, and other general information of interest to customers
• Attends all M. J. Kellner Food Shows to maintain product knowledge and network with customers and vendors
• Receives and resolves customer complaints and troubleshoots problems for customers
• Builds long‑term relationships with operators, contractors, designers, and purchasing teams.
• Works with the accounting department to communicate the company’s credit collection process and attends quarterly credit meetings
• Performs other job‑related duties and responsibilities as assigned
• Customer Focus
• Ability to Problem Solve
• Time Management/Organizational Skills
• Ethical Conduct
• Flexibility

This position has no supervisory responsibilities.

This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment, including computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets, and fax machines. This job also operates at customer locations, outdoors, in warehouses, restaurants, and kitchen settings. In these settings, it is often difficult to regulate temperature, so extreme heat and cold may be experienced.

The physical demands described here represent those that must be met by an employee to perform the essential functions of this job successfully.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; talk or hear. The employee must occasionally lift or move office products, supplies, and food products weighing from 10 pounds to 100 pounds.

This is a full‑time, exempt position. Days and hours of work are Monday‑Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. This position sometimes requires long hours and weekend work.

Travel is primarily local during the business…