Access Partners is hiring in Northern California!

If you know someone who may be a great fit with our organization, let us know.

Contact Northern California Regional Director Amy Snell at asnell@accesspartners.biz

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Position:                      Account Executive, Health Care Specialist
Hours:                         Full Time
Status:                        Direct hire, exempt

Overview

Join our sales organization!  We’re looking for an outgoing, personable individual with one to two years of sales experience to join our growing team of outside sales professionals.

Access Partners is a 50-year old, business-to-business sales group with over 80 employees across the USA representing 100 manufacturers of unique product brands in three different market segments:

• Non-foods segment of the foodservice industry
• Equipment & supplies segment of the foodservice industry
• Professional janitorial supplies and equipment (Jan / San)

Our open position is for a full time, salaried, account executive in our foodservice segment.  It is not a commissioned position and no direct selling is involved.  We negotiate and facilitate deals between manufacturers, distributors and end users.  The person in this position will be assigned to be an operator specialist directly interacting with some of our largest distribution partners.  The position’s territory is Northern California.

Primary activities include:

• Understand our manufacturers’ and distributors’ goals and needs; developing specific, actionable sales plans to meet these expectations.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with distribution customers, clients (manufacturers) and our mutual end-use customers.
• Provide exceptional service and follow through to ensure sales objectives are met.
• Coordinate, manage and follow through on special pricing requests for key business opportunities.
• Coordinate, manage and follow through on custom configuration / custom printing opportunities.
• Prepare for, attend and follow up after food shows, sales meetings, and item placement meetings. Attention to detail and follow through are critical for this aspect of the role.
• Schedule and conduct new product training to distribution employees.
• Complete opportunity reports in our CRM that clearly demonstrate our exceptional attention to detail for the manufacturers we represent.
• Plan and organize all aspects of end-user /operator calls, focusing on multi-unit, high volume, and industrial accounts ensuring that each work-week is spent conducting high quality end-user calls with distributor reps that result in increased sales. Target is to see 20 to 25 customers each week and record details of each visit in the company’s CRM system on a daily basis.
• Work together with the Access Partners team to provide market intelligence, account information, best practices and opportunities to all levels of our organization.
• Position requires daily local travel and occasional overnight travel that could be out of the Northern California area.

Skills:

• Sales experience, preferably in the foodservice market with a broker, distributor or manufacturer.
• Experience with the health care segment preferred.
• Demonstrated success in a sales position with ability to increase sales, open new end-user accounts, secure additional business with existing accounts.
• High degree of personal credibility and integrity.
• Ability to build and maintain relationships that reflect upon Access Partners’ exceptional reputation and professional standards.
• Positive, energetic, competitive, team-oriented and enthusiastic personality with a can-do attitude.
• Ability to communicate professional status updates, reports and data sets to the Access Partners leadership and the client manufacturers we represent.
• Computer proficiency with the Microsoft suite of products including Microsoft Excel and Outlook.
• Experience in working with CRM systems with the ability to learn our proprietary CRM platform.
• Motivated self-starter who can work independently without constant supervision.
• Ability to plan, execute, analyze and follow through on plans.
• Ability to manage time and prioritize tasks based on the highest value opportunities and income producing activities.
• Ability to quickly grasp minor differences between seemingly similar products, with an attention to detail.
• Adaptability and flexibility to shifting deadlines based on client priorities.
• Ability to lift 30 pounds overhead and carry 30 pounds 100 yards

Transportation:

• Valid driver’s license with a clean driving record / no violations
• Must have a reliable car and auto insurance

Experience:

• Relevant sales experience in the foodservice / restaurant industry or a related industry is required.

Location:

• Candidate must live in the Bay Area market close to our customers (generally west of Livermore / Antioch, South of Napa / Petaluma, North of San Jose.)  Our regional office is in Pleasanton, CA.

Work Hours:

• A typical work schedule is 8:00 – 5:00 Monday – Friday.  Periodically, early morning, night and / or weekend time is required to meet the needs of the business including offsite meetings, dinners, entertaining and trade shows.  Work in the field is typically 4+ days per week with 1+ day per week at home / office.  Attendance is required at weekly sales meetings in Pleasanton, CA.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree preferred in business or a related field.

Compensation:

• Competitive compensation for a junior or mid level sales position depending on experience.
• Travel reimbursement (monthly travel allowance toward fuel, car, insurance)
• Candidates must have the ability to incur normal business expenses for reimbursement.
• Company paid cell phone

Disclaimer:

Hires must pass a background check/drug screen. Qualified applicants will be considered for employment in a manner consistent with federal, state and local laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran, or disability status.

• California
• Nevada
• Oregon
• Washington
• Alaska
• Hawaii
• Arizona
• New Mexico
• El Paso, Texas area
• Utah
• Colorado
• Idaho
• Montana
• Wyoming

A more detailed press release announcing the agreement can be found here:

Oneida Access Partners April 2021

Start with a plan 

• Consider all the things you need to provide a safe environment, then start to find or acquire the resources you need.   
• Lead times on some items will be longer than you think, so plan ahead and get into the cue for resources. 

Health Screenings and Logs 

• Designate an employee with the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) to monitor employee health through daily temperature checks using non-contact thermometers prior to entering the building. 
• Another staff person should be appointed for each shift as the point of contact for reporting any COVID-19 concerns, such as experiencing symptoms, testing positive or being in contact with someone who tested positive in the last 14 days. 
• Employees with any signs of illness must self-quarantine. 
• Local and state health directives may require businesses to keep a log of all people who enter their facility, for the purposes of contact tracing, in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak.  You may be required to log the names and phone numbers of employees and patrons. 

Keeping public-facing spaces consistently clean  

• Consistency is key to maintaining cleanliness. Customers need to see that a space is clean, and they must witness employees actively cleaning to earn their trust.  Negative social media reviews related to a lack of cleanliness can be devastating right now.   

Social distancing is expected 

• Many states are only allowing restaurants and other businesses to open at 25% of their normal capacity, so, it’s important to arrange the seating accordingly.  Nearly every type of business must maintain at least 6 feet between parties.   
• The CDC recommends visual guides on the floors and sidewalks indicating where guests should stand where lines form as well as in the kitchen and at the bar.  

• Many businesses are limiting the number of customers that can enter and the amount of time they spend inside to ensure guidelines are met.  Failure to do so could result in fines or closure. 

Face masks required 

• Your employees and your guests are likely to be mandated to wear face masks.  Options for non-medical, disposable masks are quickly coming into the market for civilian businesses.  Ensure you have adequate stock.  It’s a simple and inexpensive way to help keep your staff and guests healthy, as recommended by the CDC. 

Hand washing and hand sanitizer 

• Some states are requiring a place for customers to wash their hands and/or apply hand sanitizer upon entry.  Provide guests with a hand sanitizer station or a sink, a high-quality soap and paper towels to dry their hands.   

Avoid cross-contamination 

Analyze your space for possible cross–contamination.   

• Restaurants need to provide single-use disposable menus (such as placemat style menu options or mobile apps). 
• Disinfect high touch doorknobs and other points of contact with a high frequency. 
• Convert to all disposable dinnerware and drinkware, individually dispensed or wrapped cutlery and wrapped straws.  Wrapped cups may also be an option. 

• If employees need to handle money or credit cards, they should wear gloves and change them frequently, avoiding cross-contamination between cash/credit cards and food packaging as well as food prep areas.   
• Take advantage of free and low-cost foodservice handler training available during this pandemic.      
• Use quaternary sanitizer compatible towels when cleaning with quats to maximize the effectiveness of cleaning chemicals. 

Think About your Message to Your Customers 

• Keep the messaging consistent throughout all channels and answer any questions that come up quickly and efficiently.  

• Consider the words of Taco Bell CEO Mark King, who said in an interview: “One of the messages that we had to tell people was that we were, in fact, open and not only were we open but we were safe, and it was a safe place to work and it was a safe place to come and find your food.” 

Continue to innovate your Third-Party Delivery Program 

• Tamper-evident packaging is more important than ever to give customers the peace of mind that their order is safe.  
• Printing your logo on packaging can help with brand visibility. 
• Advertising that your business is implementing this system can help generate positive feedback.  

How Can Access Partners Help? 

The Access Partners team can offer product solutions in all of the above categories and more. We are happy to provide suggestions and solutions to meet your needs.   Contact your Access Partners representative or call (626) 815-4200 for more information.  

This strategic geographic action is in response to the needs of Access Partners clients and customers in the non-foods foodservice, E&S (equipment and supplies) and jan/san segments. Access Partners is primarily, but not exclusively, growing organically through this process.  

“The market is driving our expansion into Texas and adjoining states,” said Access Partners President Scott Duke. “Over the years, we have earned a strong track record for successfully developing our sales operation throughout the west when we introduce the Access Partners culture, sales methodologies and back end infrastructure. We’ve already found the distributor and end-user community to be highly receptive to our entry into the market based on our proven track record of support.” 

For more information, contact Access Partners at 626-815-4200.

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. & LAS VEGAS-

Access Partners, the leading commercial sales resource in the equipment and supplies, foodservice packaging and janitorial industries, has opened a 3,200-square-foot, multi-functional location off Desert Inn Road in Las Vegas.

The building has a showroom to display products from equipment and supplies manufacturers, as well as select foodservice packaging and janitorial equipment that Access Partners represents. This location also has a meeting room, a training space, and sample/sales material storage to serve customers in the Las Vegas market. Access Partners will use the space for lunch and learns, product demonstrations, customer training events, and more.

“Las Vegas is an important equipment and supplies market for us, and this new dedicated location allows us to be closer to valuable connections,” said Access Partners President Scott Duke. “This venue creates a centralized place where we can comfortably work with clients and customers to meet, answer questions and show them samples. We anticipate adding more showroom space in our other hub offices over time, replicating the success of our efforts in Las Vegas.”

Many of the items are difficult to transport, so seeing them in a showroom environment is critical. Chefs, purchasing directors, and other decision makers in the hospitality and restaurant industries can now visit this convenient location. The Access Partners team can provide full sales support and strategic sourcing based on their needs. Meetings are by appointment only.

The showroom in Las Vegas is managed by Access Partners’ Jean Fritsche. Contact her or the Access Partners team at (626) 815-4200 for more information about booking an appointment.

Are you an end user from California, Arizona or Nevada attending the 2019 ISSA trade show in Las Vegas?  Join our competition for your chance to win some great prizes by visiting all of the booths on our list.

Download your entry form and visit the listed booths for a special stamp.

Completed entries must be turned in before the end of the show on Wednesday Nov. 20, 2019.

Complete entry rules can be found here.

Good luck!

Extreme Ownership is a New York Times bestselling book written by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, both former Navy SEALs. The text frames up some of the guiding principles that enable their SEAL combat units to be exceptional on and off the battlefield, based on their own experience.

The core themes of Extreme Ownership serve as a template for success:

• Prioritize & Execute– This constitutes a framework for understanding which projects and opportunities should have priority. Maintaining a strategic viewpoint of these projects helps our team stay focused on business that has strategic significance.
• Cover & Move– Going the extra mile to establish and maintain relationships is the key to our success. We strive to be mutually supportive amongst our group and together with client and customer partners. We support each other and move forward as a cohesive unit, covering our flanks to ensure success.
• Simple– Access Partners acts positively to keep objectives and plans clear and concise. It’s imperative that communication is detailed enough to maintain clarity, yet simple enough to be effective when working with clients, customers and associates.
• Decentralized Command– Everyone in our organization is encouraged to be a leader in their functional area. This builds mutual trust throughout the chain of command.

To train our employees and clients in this philosophy, we invited a leader from Willink and Babin’s company, Echelon Front, to speak to our group. Flynn Cochran, a former U.S. Navy SEAL officer and Harvard Business School graduate, lived Willink’s teachings firsthand while serving with SEAL Team One. Cochran is the Chief Strategy Officer at the Echelon Front and worked with us to connect the concepts in the book to his experiences, both in the military and in a corporate setting.

Each employee at Access Partners demonstrates why Extreme Ownership works. We continue to learn and improve each day. We hope that you’ll join in our success. Call (626) 815-4200 to get connected with your local representative.

Drain Protection

The underlying drainage technology is an area that has evolved very little since the advent of modern plumbing. However, buildings are getting bigger and the volume of matter we now push through these pipes are stressing them out. Green Drain® brand trap seals are an evolved, cutting-edge solution, but to understand their value, you must understand the underlying problem.

The problem of drain blockages has only increased over the years. Waste disposals and macerators are flushing solids. Commercial kitchens are washing away fats and fat solids. Drainpipes in commercial kitchens haven’t increased in size, but the volume of content flowing through them has.

Many buildings are also going “green.” Low flush toilets are installed. Water-saving devices have been installed on faucets, showers and more energy-efficient boilers are available. “Going Green” ignores the original design of modern plumbing, which dictates that gravity and water push waste through the pipes.

When you reduce the volume of the water in a drainpipe and increase the waste, the following happens:

Blockages

This leads to back-ups, flooding, drain flies and more infiltrating the living/workspace through the drains.

Dry Traps

This causes the airflow to reverse direction — instead of going down the drain it moves into the living/work area. Germs spread. This can also lead to pathogen spread. Viruses such as NORO and SARS can spread quickly through the pipes and out the drains.

Sewer Smells

When the airflow reverses, sewer gas odors travel back into the living/workspace through the drains. Sewer gas contains highly toxic substances such as hydrogen sulfide and ammonia. These gases are extremely flammable, and exposure can cause headaches, nausea, dizziness and irritation to the eyes and respiratory tract.

The Green Drain Solution

Green Drain, Inc. manufactures an economical Drain Trap Seal Device that allows water to flow down the drain while preventing Pests, Odors, or Harmful Gases/ Pathogens from coming up and infiltrating the living or workspace.

Users of Green Drain have seen the immediate, positive impact by this effective floor drain solution.

“We have completed the install of the Green Drain product; installation could not be easier. I am impressed with the simplistic design and the quality of the materials and construction. We [previously] had issues with pest intrusion at some floor drain locations. Since we have installed these units, we have monitored for activity and have found none. Just with the pest issue resolved alone, we are sold, not to mention the elimination of drain maintenance and drain odors.”

-Foodservice Distributor Sales Representative

“Being an open-air brewery, during the summer season we are in a constant battle with fruit flies and mosquitos at, and around, our floor drains, behind our tasting room bar, as well as our restrooms. Likewise, during the cleaning out of our brewing equipment, we are routinely flushing down fermented malt and barley through our trough drains. After installing [Green Drain] in all our floor drains, we could see a noticeable difference in the reduction of fruit fly and mosquito activity.”

-Restaurant Owner

“After years of working in schools with high populations, I have dealt with every odor and pest issue imaginable. I have sourced many products claiming to tackle the issues at hand. As a school district, thousands upon thousands of dollars have been wasted and literally poured down the drains to eradicate pest and odor problems. (…) I decided to go forward with purchasing and outfitting our floor drains in the school. 4 months have gone by and I have yet to have a single complaint or concern since the Green Drains were installed.”

-School District Officer

Save money on chemicals and floor drain solutions that are ineffective or only offer short-term results. The Green Drain floor drain trap seal is your eco-friendly, preventative solution to contamination from drain lines and plumbing systems, hazardous gases and pathogens, and pests. Achieve optimal results and the best protection when you replace your Green Drains every six months.

Held annually every June, the golf tournament raises money for and awareness about pediatric cancer.

Congratulations to Mark Ihme and his family for the great work they are doing!

Ihme Foundation Golf Tournament

2019 Tournament Documents:

Ihme Foundation Tournament Thank You – Event Recap

2019 Ihme Golf Tournament Registration

SAVE THE DATE:  The 2020 Ihme Foundation Golf Tournament will be held June 12, 2020.

• NAFEM
• CaterSource
• Nightclub & Bar
• Pizza Expo
• SCSSA
• NRA
• IDDBA
• ISSA