Senior Sales Director
  • Nashville, Tennessee
  • June 19, 2019

Top-performing sales results oriented leader with over 18 years’ experience delivering growth, providing direction and leadership to high performance sales and marketing teams to attain multi-organizational objectives, and credited with creating sales management and organizational leadership processes within MillerCoors, Reckitt Benckiser and other organizations.

An exceptional leader who is able to champion team achievement by hiring top talent, training and providing continuous feedback, grooming for advancement.

Category
E-mail
craiglizar@yahoo.com
Phone Number
850-910-2068
Field #1

Education

Bachelor of Arts in Marketing @ University of Northern Colorado
Aug 1996 — Mar 2000

Experience

Vice President of Sales @ Grayton Beer Company
Dec 2018 — Current

• Hired to build a sales division from the ground up for a 15k barrel brewery. Originally hired as a consultant.
• Responsible for creating sales process to ensure a successful expansion.
• Developing SOPs for both brewery operations and distributor in market representation.
• Responsible for calling on all National Chains: Publix, Kroger, Wal-Mart, Mapco, Pilot Oil, Circle K, Twice Daily’s and others.
• Responsible for developing all marketing and sales budgets for the organization.

Director of Sales @ Best Brands Inc
Aug 2017 — Dec 2018

• Recruited into a new role responsible for over 800 sku’s currently being sold to all chain customers in TN.
• Responsible for overall P&L of $115MM in gross margin.
• Lead team of off premise sales representatives across the entire state.
• Responsible for aligning sales programs and chain programs that delivers against the company’s goals.
• Responsible for calling on all National Chains: Publix, Kroger, Wal-Mart, Mapco, Pilot Oil, Circle K, Twice Daily’s and others.
• Responsible for managing all supplier chain relationships across total portfolio.
• Work with shopper marketing on integration of consumer trends into national and customer specific programs.
• Responsible to create, gain approval, and ensure execution of all marketing contracts for retailer co-op dollar agreements/programs.

Customer Trade Marketing Manager @ Reckitt Benkiser
Aug 2016 — Jul 2019

• Recruited into a new national marketing position responsible for 90 company owned brands and hundreds of sku’s in the health, hygiene, and home products categories.
• Responsible for overall P&L of $125MM in gross margin.
• Responsible for marketing budget for advertising and marketing spend of $6.6MM.
• Integrate Reckitt Benckiser brand marketing strategy with retailer go-to-market strategies.
• Responsible for aligning sales and marketing to a PNL that delivers against both sales and marketing goals.
• Responsible for creating all individual customer marketing programs across channels (Dollar General, Family Dollar, Fred’s Pharmacy, Big Lots, Tom Thumb, Circle K, Walgreens and Aldi).
• Drive positive and collaborative relationships between sales and trade marketing divisions.
• Develop custom consumer panels to test product, promotional and programing ideas.
• Responsible to create and ensure execution of all contracts for retailer co-op dollar agreements/programs.

Eastern Chain Sales Manager @ MillerCoors
Sep 2014 — Aug 2016

• Promoted to manage volume of 14.5M cases and $217M in net revenue.
• Increased sales by +4% vs. total MillerCoors national sales results of -1%.
• Responsible for all national sales and marketing programming for the top customers in the country, Walmart/Sam’s Club, representing 6% of total MillerCoors volume.
• Responsible for managing budgets for sales, marketing, and promotional spends of $1M.
• Increased overall profit by 5% vs. prior year.
• Improved supplier/buyer relationships, managed 15 states (FL, GA, NY, Carolinas, and more), and 7 General Sales Managers, 9 salespeople to execute new product launches, inventory, pricing, programming, forecasting, execute strategy plans, target marketing programs, and report competitive market conditions.
• Managed every MillerCoors wholesaler on the east coast, fifteen states.
• Created training programs, and incentive plans for the sales teams of MillerCoors and the distributors.
• Worked directly with Human Resources to hire, train, and develop a nationally recognized sales team.

National Account Manager @ MillerCoors
Mar 2011 — Sep 2014

• Promoted to manage the national sales efforts of Dollar General, Total Wine & More, and Family Dollar representing 2.9M in case sales and $44M in net revenue.
• Increased sales by over 68%.
• Improved MillerCoors total sales from the second largest supplier to the largest supplier in Total Wine & More.
• Improved the retail margin percentage from 5% to 7%, earning MillerCoors the “Supplier of the Year Award”.
• Team lead managing headquarters and all wholesaler new distribution, and display programs in 38 states.
• Negotiated and sold MillerCoors brands into Dollar General (replacing all ABI brands) as an exclusive account, leading to +$24M incremental year one revenue.
• Managed a Category Manager, Sales Analyst and a chain sales team of 14 people across the country, 38 states and 345 wholesalers.

Distributor Sales Manager @ MillerCoors/Coors Brewing Company/Miller Brewing Company
Mar 2004 — Mar 2011

FL MillerCoors
Promoted to manage 4.5M cases and $68M in net revenue across 2 wholesalers in Florida.
• Increased case sales by 4.5%.
• Managed On-Premise Sales Manager and Miller Lite/Coors promotional team, $350K budget.
• Created a Keystone Light beer college exclusive program improving sales by 153%.
FL Miller Brewing Company
• Recruited from Coors Brewing Company.
• Managed 4.7M cases and $60MM net revenue, 4 wholesalers in Alabama and Florida representing 15% of region volume.
• Improved sales + 1.2% or over 400,000 cases.
• Managed 23 marketing and alliance sponsorships (GMAC Bowl, Senior Bowl, more) to increase sales and brand recognition.
• Managed on-premise sales manager and Miller Lite team promotional models, $250K budget.
• Created the first 360-degree spring break marketing program in Panama City, FL. Led to the blueprint for all spring break programs.
AL/TN/MS Coors Brewing Company
• Managed 4.4M cases and $60M net revenue, +9.5% growth in Alabama, +18.5% in Mississippi, 5% in Tennessee.
• Developed pricing, marketing and promotional initiatives for all Molson Coors brands for every wholesaler in all three states.
• Managed 2 key account representatives and called on all regional and local and regional chains, 134 accounts.
• Managed marketing spends for all three states; including radio, print and out of home spend.
• Managed tactical budget of $35K for 32 wholesalers.
• Created a below premium strategy for Keystone Light which resulted in a 45% lift in sales and a 300bps lift in Nielsen from 2006-2007.
• Reintroduced Blue Moon to Alabama and Mississippi through a targeted draft and 6 pack programs in top 12 markets.

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