Brian Zeit
Head of Sales at Kappus Company- Claim this Profile
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Topline Score
Bio
Jessann Hathaway
I reached out to Brian with what I thought was a simple question: he would come back with a quick reply. Instead, he invested his time and helped me walk through the restaurant marketing question. He was detailed in his response and helped me bridge the gap between two of my best clients. If you are looking for someone knowledgeable in the foodservice industry who can crack tough issues, I recommend going to Brian.
Alexander Shrom
I met Brian when he was a brand-new Army Lieutenant, leading a platoon of medics. We deployed to Afghanistan a few months after he arrived, and he excelled in a role that was technically demanding and required creative leadership on his part, since his team was dispersed over five remote bases. His impact is best measured in the successes of that team: from his dozen or so line medics, one became a warrant officer, two became platoon leaders, one became a physician assistant; later on, another two would go on to earn their BSNs. Brian's people-focused leadership and personal example played a large role in their later successes. To top it off, Brian was pressed into serving on our ad-hoc civil affairs team, where he created the "non-lethal" strategy for the entire province. All around, Brian was one of the best officers I served with.
Brian Lorenz
I had the pleasure of working with Brian Zeit. Brian exemplifies the meaning of a true leader. I have never in my career met someone with so much passion, conviction, and self motivation then him. He always put the needs of his people before his own and was a true servant leader and his people loved him for it! He genuinely cared about his people and gave them a sense of accomplishment no matter what level they were. He attacks challenges head on and always made his management team part of the solution. Brian has a way of keeping cool under pressure and always finds a way to win. With Brian's great character and determination to win there is nothing he couldn't do or accomplish.
Jessann Hathaway
I reached out to Brian with what I thought was a simple question: he would come back with a quick reply. Instead, he invested his time and helped me walk through the restaurant marketing question. He was detailed in his response and helped me bridge the gap between two of my best clients. If you are looking for someone knowledgeable in the foodservice industry who can crack tough issues, I recommend going to Brian.
Alexander Shrom
I met Brian when he was a brand-new Army Lieutenant, leading a platoon of medics. We deployed to Afghanistan a few months after he arrived, and he excelled in a role that was technically demanding and required creative leadership on his part, since his team was dispersed over five remote bases. His impact is best measured in the successes of that team: from his dozen or so line medics, one became a warrant officer, two became platoon leaders, one became a physician assistant; later on, another two would go on to earn their BSNs. Brian's people-focused leadership and personal example played a large role in their later successes. To top it off, Brian was pressed into serving on our ad-hoc civil affairs team, where he created the "non-lethal" strategy for the entire province. All around, Brian was one of the best officers I served with.
Brian Lorenz
I had the pleasure of working with Brian Zeit. Brian exemplifies the meaning of a true leader. I have never in my career met someone with so much passion, conviction, and self motivation then him. He always put the needs of his people before his own and was a true servant leader and his people loved him for it! He genuinely cared about his people and gave them a sense of accomplishment no matter what level they were. He attacks challenges head on and always made his management team part of the solution. Brian has a way of keeping cool under pressure and always finds a way to win. With Brian's great character and determination to win there is nothing he couldn't do or accomplish.
Jessann Hathaway
I reached out to Brian with what I thought was a simple question: he would come back with a quick reply. Instead, he invested his time and helped me walk through the restaurant marketing question. He was detailed in his response and helped me bridge the gap between two of my best clients. If you are looking for someone knowledgeable in the foodservice industry who can crack tough issues, I recommend going to Brian.
Alexander Shrom
I met Brian when he was a brand-new Army Lieutenant, leading a platoon of medics. We deployed to Afghanistan a few months after he arrived, and he excelled in a role that was technically demanding and required creative leadership on his part, since his team was dispersed over five remote bases. His impact is best measured in the successes of that team: from his dozen or so line medics, one became a warrant officer, two became platoon leaders, one became a physician assistant; later on, another two would go on to earn their BSNs. Brian's people-focused leadership and personal example played a large role in their later successes. To top it off, Brian was pressed into serving on our ad-hoc civil affairs team, where he created the "non-lethal" strategy for the entire province. All around, Brian was one of the best officers I served with.
Brian Lorenz
I had the pleasure of working with Brian Zeit. Brian exemplifies the meaning of a true leader. I have never in my career met someone with so much passion, conviction, and self motivation then him. He always put the needs of his people before his own and was a true servant leader and his people loved him for it! He genuinely cared about his people and gave them a sense of accomplishment no matter what level they were. He attacks challenges head on and always made his management team part of the solution. Brian has a way of keeping cool under pressure and always finds a way to win. With Brian's great character and determination to win there is nothing he couldn't do or accomplish.
Jessann Hathaway
I reached out to Brian with what I thought was a simple question: he would come back with a quick reply. Instead, he invested his time and helped me walk through the restaurant marketing question. He was detailed in his response and helped me bridge the gap between two of my best clients. If you are looking for someone knowledgeable in the foodservice industry who can crack tough issues, I recommend going to Brian.
Alexander Shrom
I met Brian when he was a brand-new Army Lieutenant, leading a platoon of medics. We deployed to Afghanistan a few months after he arrived, and he excelled in a role that was technically demanding and required creative leadership on his part, since his team was dispersed over five remote bases. His impact is best measured in the successes of that team: from his dozen or so line medics, one became a warrant officer, two became platoon leaders, one became a physician assistant; later on, another two would go on to earn their BSNs. Brian's people-focused leadership and personal example played a large role in their later successes. To top it off, Brian was pressed into serving on our ad-hoc civil affairs team, where he created the "non-lethal" strategy for the entire province. All around, Brian was one of the best officers I served with.
Brian Lorenz
I had the pleasure of working with Brian Zeit. Brian exemplifies the meaning of a true leader. I have never in my career met someone with so much passion, conviction, and self motivation then him. He always put the needs of his people before his own and was a true servant leader and his people loved him for it! He genuinely cared about his people and gave them a sense of accomplishment no matter what level they were. He attacks challenges head on and always made his management team part of the solution. Brian has a way of keeping cool under pressure and always finds a way to win. With Brian's great character and determination to win there is nothing he couldn't do or accomplish.
Credentials
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Customer Experience Advisory Council Member
Customer Experience at the George Washington University School of Business - PittsburghOct, 2020- Oct, 2024 -
Sales Management
HubSpotSep, 2020- Oct, 2024 -
Strategic Negotiation
LinkedInAug, 2020- Oct, 2024 -
Benchmark Training - Growing Your Business
Benchmark Training LLCMay, 2020- Oct, 2024 -
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (ICGB)
US ArmyJun, 2004- Oct, 2024 -
Email Marketing
HubSpotSep, 2020- Oct, 2024
Experience
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Kappus Company
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United States
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Food and Beverage Services
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1 - 100 Employee
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Head of Sales
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Feb 2020 - Present
My journey with Kappus Company began in 2019, when—after a very brief time as a Business Unit Manager—I was challenged to develop the sales culture, playbook, and analytics training. As the Director of Sales, I lead the overall sales effort for Taylor and Henny Penny equipment across a 5-state territory comprising large national accounts (Wendy’s, White Castle, etc.), regional chains, and small “mom and pop” local accounts with responsibility for both account management and new business… Show more My journey with Kappus Company began in 2019, when—after a very brief time as a Business Unit Manager—I was challenged to develop the sales culture, playbook, and analytics training. As the Director of Sales, I lead the overall sales effort for Taylor and Henny Penny equipment across a 5-state territory comprising large national accounts (Wendy’s, White Castle, etc.), regional chains, and small “mom and pop” local accounts with responsibility for both account management and new business development. As a part of the Executive Leadership Team I've conducted due diligence and leader M&A activities on 4 separate occasions. Inspire, lead, and develop a 6-member sales team while contributing as a member of the executive leadership team reporting to the president. ✦ Built the sales department from scratch, including ramping up the CRM system, sales process, annual operating plan; and developing and executing training. ✦ Introduced and grew sales structure, laying the foundation to achieve the highest sales in the company’s history this year, despite supply chain challenges, by identifying alternative means of securing inventory should the need arise. ✦ Integrated team and lines of equipment upon first-ever company merger—reviewed/rewrote contracts, started building out capacity, and created marketing and POS materials with marketing director to identify the most plausible growth areas. ✦ Conducted business analysis and due diligence leading to the acquisition and integration of an a leading equipment manufacturing distribution company. Fully integrated the sales team. ✦ Responsible for the recruiting, hiring, training, and retention of the sales team and sales support staff.
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Business Unit Manager
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Aug 2019 - Feb 2020
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Cleveland Research Company
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United States
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Research Services
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100 - 200 Employee
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Director of Customer Development
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Nov 2017 - Jul 2019
Upon transitioning to Cleveland Research Company, I leveraged an analytical approach to identify new business and account development opportunities within this startup research organization. My success was, in part, to differentiating a disciplined research process, delivering information to drive informed analytical decisions. I managed and strategically developed 70 of the highest revenue-generating companies in foodservice and CPG, cultivating executive-suite relationships and… Show more Upon transitioning to Cleveland Research Company, I leveraged an analytical approach to identify new business and account development opportunities within this startup research organization. My success was, in part, to differentiating a disciplined research process, delivering information to drive informed analytical decisions. I managed and strategically developed 70 of the highest revenue-generating companies in foodservice and CPG, cultivating executive-suite relationships and growing my portfolio by double-digits (20%+). ✦ Achieved 95% renewal and retention goal and acquired 15+ new accounts of $25K+ each, for a total book of business of $1.5M+. ✦ Doubled the previous company record for educational webinar participation, developing and facilitating a macroeconomic training program and driving brand recognition, attracting 1K+ attendees across 400 client organizations—30% of whom had no previous knowledge of the company. ✦ Partnered with decision-makers and influencers from keystone accounts, including Johnson & Johnson, Campbell’s Soup, Cargill, Mondelez, Unilever, Hershey’s, GFS, Red Gold, Conagra, Prestige Brands, and Beiersdorf, among others. ✦ Mentored and developed multiple employees across 4 verticals by sharing knowledge and SME regarding customers, brand strategy, and the industry at large. ✦ Worked with analysts and customers in order to develop new products tailored to fit the changing industry. Show less Upon transitioning to Cleveland Research Company, I leveraged an analytical approach to identify new business and account development opportunities within this startup research organization. My success was, in part, to differentiating a disciplined research process, delivering information to drive informed analytical decisions. I managed and strategically developed 70 of the highest revenue-generating companies in foodservice and CPG, cultivating executive-suite relationships and… Show more Upon transitioning to Cleveland Research Company, I leveraged an analytical approach to identify new business and account development opportunities within this startup research organization. My success was, in part, to differentiating a disciplined research process, delivering information to drive informed analytical decisions. I managed and strategically developed 70 of the highest revenue-generating companies in foodservice and CPG, cultivating executive-suite relationships and growing my portfolio by double-digits (20%+). ✦ Achieved 95% renewal and retention goal and acquired 15+ new accounts of $25K+ each, for a total book of business of $1.5M+. ✦ Doubled the previous company record for educational webinar participation, developing and facilitating a macroeconomic training program and driving brand recognition, attracting 1K+ attendees across 400 client organizations—30% of whom had no previous knowledge of the company. ✦ Partnered with decision-makers and influencers from keystone accounts, including Johnson & Johnson, Campbell’s Soup, Cargill, Mondelez, Unilever, Hershey’s, GFS, Red Gold, Conagra, Prestige Brands, and Beiersdorf, among others. ✦ Mentored and developed multiple employees across 4 verticals by sharing knowledge and SME regarding customers, brand strategy, and the industry at large. ✦ Worked with analysts and customers in order to develop new products tailored to fit the changing industry. Show less
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Gordon Food Service
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Wholesale Food and Beverage
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1 - 100 Employee
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Commercial Sales Manager
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Jun 2016 - Nov 2017
Within these 18 months, I significantly improved all KPIs, including revenue, earnings, margins, and CX. I led a team of 8 in Pittsburgh to produce $15M-$17M in annual sales volume, ranking #2 in the division and #4 in the company for almost-unmatched revenue growth. ✦ Trained and mentored employee to each achieve their sales goals, with 1 earning Winner’s Circle status. ✦ Mentored replacement manager who was selected as the “strongest leader in the division” on my departure.
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Customer Development Specialist
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Feb 2015 - Jun 2016
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Store Manager
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Sep 2012 - Feb 2015
When I initially joined Gordon Food Service in 2012, I assumed accountability for the total store operations of a multimillion-dollar store (the largest store in northeast Ohio), which encompassed inventory management, human resources, strategic operations, sales and developing a customer satisfaction-based culture.
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Walmart
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United States
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Retail
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700 & Above Employee
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Store Manager
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Oct 2008 - Sep 2012
Following my tenure with the US Army, I stepped into this transformational leadership opportunity—rated in the top 10% of most challenging stores in the entire company—and charged with turning around a failing operation that had been losing $200K-$300K annually. To pull this off, I engaged my leadership strengths, business acumen, and operations management skills to turn a profit within 2 years. I provided much-needed leadership, training, and coaching to a 220+-member team, focusing on… Show more Following my tenure with the US Army, I stepped into this transformational leadership opportunity—rated in the top 10% of most challenging stores in the entire company—and charged with turning around a failing operation that had been losing $200K-$300K annually. To pull this off, I engaged my leadership strengths, business acumen, and operations management skills to turn a profit within 2 years. I provided much-needed leadership, training, and coaching to a 220+-member team, focusing on building bench strength of 7 management direct reports. ✦ Installed the processes, systems, and controls to optimize KPIs, including service delivered to 8K+ customers daily, management of $650K in on-hand inventory, and compliance with HR policies and programs, propelling revenue to reach $47M with $1.1M in profit. ✦ Built a high-performance organization and culture, focusing on reducing attrition, enforcing policies, positioning managers as role models, and pivoting toward operational excellence. ✦ Selected to lead district-wide Inventory Management Systems; moved stores from noncompliance to standards within 5 months and became the first district to achieve result. Show less Following my tenure with the US Army, I stepped into this transformational leadership opportunity—rated in the top 10% of most challenging stores in the entire company—and charged with turning around a failing operation that had been losing $200K-$300K annually. To pull this off, I engaged my leadership strengths, business acumen, and operations management skills to turn a profit within 2 years. I provided much-needed leadership, training, and coaching to a 220+-member team, focusing on… Show more Following my tenure with the US Army, I stepped into this transformational leadership opportunity—rated in the top 10% of most challenging stores in the entire company—and charged with turning around a failing operation that had been losing $200K-$300K annually. To pull this off, I engaged my leadership strengths, business acumen, and operations management skills to turn a profit within 2 years. I provided much-needed leadership, training, and coaching to a 220+-member team, focusing on building bench strength of 7 management direct reports. ✦ Installed the processes, systems, and controls to optimize KPIs, including service delivered to 8K+ customers daily, management of $650K in on-hand inventory, and compliance with HR policies and programs, propelling revenue to reach $47M with $1.1M in profit. ✦ Built a high-performance organization and culture, focusing on reducing attrition, enforcing policies, positioning managers as role models, and pivoting toward operational excellence. ✦ Selected to lead district-wide Inventory Management Systems; moved stores from noncompliance to standards within 5 months and became the first district to achieve result. Show less
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US Army
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United States
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Law Enforcement
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1 - 100 Employee
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Leader
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Nov 2004 - Oct 2008
I leveraged my strong leadership foundation to step into a mission-vital role at the age of 25, leading a 21-person team in coordinating and supporting clinical operations across 3 sites serving 34K+ military personnel, civilians, dependents, and retirees. I oversaw the management and allocation of a $2.4M operating budget and $1.2M in inventory assets. ✦ Used Lean Six Sigma to create a streamlined operating model—adopted by clinics nationwide—reducing work in process for Wounded… Show more I leveraged my strong leadership foundation to step into a mission-vital role at the age of 25, leading a 21-person team in coordinating and supporting clinical operations across 3 sites serving 34K+ military personnel, civilians, dependents, and retirees. I oversaw the management and allocation of a $2.4M operating budget and $1.2M in inventory assets. ✦ Used Lean Six Sigma to create a streamlined operating model—adopted by clinics nationwide—reducing work in process for Wounded Warriors Project 66% and enabling soldiers to separate from the US Army 150% faster. Show less I leveraged my strong leadership foundation to step into a mission-vital role at the age of 25, leading a 21-person team in coordinating and supporting clinical operations across 3 sites serving 34K+ military personnel, civilians, dependents, and retirees. I oversaw the management and allocation of a $2.4M operating budget and $1.2M in inventory assets. ✦ Used Lean Six Sigma to create a streamlined operating model—adopted by clinics nationwide—reducing work in process for Wounded… Show more I leveraged my strong leadership foundation to step into a mission-vital role at the age of 25, leading a 21-person team in coordinating and supporting clinical operations across 3 sites serving 34K+ military personnel, civilians, dependents, and retirees. I oversaw the management and allocation of a $2.4M operating budget and $1.2M in inventory assets. ✦ Used Lean Six Sigma to create a streamlined operating model—adopted by clinics nationwide—reducing work in process for Wounded Warriors Project 66% and enabling soldiers to separate from the US Army 150% faster. Show less
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Education
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2000 - 2004
Ohio University
BS, Education -
2020 - 2020
Cornell University
Certification, Data Analytics
Community
