Don D. Smith Email & Phone Number

United States

Sparks, Nevada, Us

Producer of premium laminated dough products utilizing authentic French lamination/fermentation methods on an international scale.

Pacoima, California, Us

Clear Lake, Ia, Us

Gourmet ready-to-bake frozen cookie dough and snack items created with fresh, all natural and premium quality ingredients, providing healthier options with superior taste. Acquired by CH Guenther in 2022.Recruited to oversee sales & marketing and identify expansion opportunities outside of K-12 and hospitality industries to grow company while operating within a conservative budget. Identified prospects and established relationships across new channels in the U.S. and internationally including co-manufacturing, private label, restaurants, c-store, club, natural and grocery. Recruited, hired and trained key personnel, building a best-in-class sales team to launch the branded retail store program. Managed top-level national broker relationship with Waypoint, brand specific brokers for retail and national/regional distributors (Sysco, US Foods, PFG, Shamrock, BEK, regional and international distributors). Awarded added responsibility of managing, evaluating and improving operational efficiencies for R&D, supply chain and manufacturing.• Identified and collaborated with a government agency, subsidizing overseas sales efforts and cutting sales/marketing efforts in half over 4 years. • Strategized and initiated business opportunities internationally, opening the first international branded retail center in Hong Kong as well as developing business in Southeast Asia, Middle East and Mexico.• Redesigned R&D and commercialization process, including focusing resources on highest value opportunities, initiating a new project vetting process based on revenue & gross profit and implementing a staged production process.• Reviewed, improved and implemented new pricing models including labor estimates, building in waste and accounting for freight, providing a more accurate understanding of profitability by channel and account.• Reviewed, updated and coached team on sales reporting strategy, creating effective and useful reports for company-wide strategy development.

Specialty frozen appetizer manufacturer. Acquired by Monogram Foods in 2016.Brought on board to report directly to the CEO and grow manufacturing business across retail and foodservice channels. Top graded and restructured sales & marketing teams with 16 direct reports. Personally oversaw relationship with retail brokers and managed sales team responsible for foodservice brokers across the nation as well as overseeing national and regional distributor relationships.• Grew manufacturing business 51% the first year ($6.5M).• Created and implemented a new pricing strategy, resulting in $250K+ profitability improvement the first year, and $500K the second year.• Opened restaurant accounts nationally (Brinker Brands & Corner Bakery Café), delivering $600K in 3 months and placing company on target for $2.5M in 2013.• Created team and initiated/implemented a new multi-departmental project management and commercialization process, overseeing the development & launch of a custom frozen item for Trader Joe’s, resulting in the most successful product launch in 3+ years (developed business into multi SKU $3.5M annual revenue).

Carlsbad, Ca, Us

Nationwide commercial bakery with 3 SQF certified bakeries providing baked goods to foodservice, restaurant chains and conventional grocery stores.Selected to solve a customer concentration issue – 94% existing business through Starbucks – by targeting and growing the national foodservice market through identifying new business opportunities, improving budget management and developing/executing successful go-to-market strategies. Reported directly to the CEO.• Increased company sales from $3M to $92.2M and improved gross margin by 9% during tenure.• Negotiated multi-year agreements worth $81M with Seattle’s Best Coffee, Macaroni Grill, On The Border, Corner Bakery Café and Landry’s Seafood.• Developed new vertical market (c-store), achieving $2M in first year sales.• Focused resources on highest value opportunities through priority project management.

Oversaw sales, marketing and product development of integrated communications products including VOIP, broadband and Unified Communications. Increased sales from $840K to $7.7M annual revenue in domestic and international business.

Germantown, Wi, Us

Turned around acquisition by driving revenue and increasing operating profit. $10M P&L responsibility for the western division of the custom/specialty chemical manufacturer and distributor. Increased operating profit from $180K to $1.1.M and sales from $5.5M to $10.4M during tenure.