Built to Serve: Revitalizing Commercial Operations at a Foodservice Pioneer

The Client

Our client is a family-owned business that designs and manufactures more than 4,500 foodservice equipment products for clients located across the U.S. and around the world. From its humble beginnings in 1925 as a manufacturer of the first waterless hot food well, the company has grown into a preferred solutions provider for global QSR brands, C-stores, casual dining chains, and institutions such as K-12 school districts.

Headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, with plants in Missouri and a distribution center in Prague, the company maintains a global footprint, including a software center in the Philippines. It incorporates Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, and 5S programs, and holds ISO 9001:2000 certification, reflecting a long-standing commitment to quality and innovation.

The Challenge

The Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) was hired to lead the company’s global commercial efforts—integrating and modernizing its sales, marketing, and product management functions. Reporting to the CEO and COO, the CCO was tasked with driving growth by developing and executing a comprehensive commercial strategy, enhancing go-to-market execution, and deepening customer relationships.

Key priorities included building a high-performing commercial team, modernizing sales and marketing operations, enhancing customer experience, and aligning cross-functional teams to deliver against evolving market demands.

Our Approach

We conducted a national search targeting proven commercial executives with experience in B2B manufacturing, long sales cycles, and top-to-top customer relationship management. Special attention was paid to candidates with experience leading product strategy and GTM transformation for capital equipment or foodservice-related categories. Cultural alignment was critical—the candidate needed to embody Midwestern values, lead with humility, and inspire high performance across a multi-generational workforce.

The Placement

The successful candidate was an accomplished business leader with a track record of revenue and profit growth across multiple industries. She had led commercial transformations through a mix of data-driven insights, customer intimacy, product innovation, and portfolio optimization. Known for her people-first approach and strong leadership, she brought expertise in Lean/Six Sigma, 80/20 methodology, and change management.

Highlights included top-line turnarounds, portfolio expansion through M&A, and creating high-retention commercial teams. Her presence quickly became a strategic asset to the executive team.

The Outcome

The new CCO immediately assumed a key leadership role, building trust across departments and aligning the commercial team around a unified growth strategy. She introduced new sales processes, customer engagement models, and performance metrics, enabling the organization to operate with greater agility and focus. Under her leadership, the company began to shift from legacy practices toward modern, scalable systems—laying the groundwork for long-term growth and margin expansion.