Valerie Brasseur

I've been in the consumer packaged goods industry since 2001, and my career has taken me through many different facets of the business. I started right out of college with Campbell's Soup, calling on retail stores and grocery stores, then moved into calling on direct accounts at the headquarter level. I wanted to broaden my experience, so I moved into category management and analytics for a handful of months, knowing I would go back to sales but wanting that analytical foundation. My career took me to California where I called on Safeway, and then I got a promotion and moved to Minneapolis where I continued in sales and managing brokers. I took a bold step back from the industry for about three years to launch my own business - a clothing line and retail shop. My pocketbook didn't like it, but it was an incredible learning experience. I returned to the industry with General Mills in business development and sales, but after a reorganization eliminated my role, I ended up at Johnsonville. I've had several roles here, and currently I coach the Central Region with a team of four people. We work with major retailers like Meijer, Hy-Vee, UNFI, and AWG. My main focus is on collaboration with retail partners, partnering with our customers in a way that helps us grow both internally and externally. I try to focus on both our internal metrics and our customers' goals, making them work in tandem rather than just pushing our own agenda. We manage millions of dollars every year in trade funds to promote and impact the business with our retailer partners, and we have to use those funds efficiently. One of my proudest achievements was tripling the business at Target during my time managing that account, which I accomplished by deep diving into analytics and understanding their opportunities in distribution and promotions, and just partnering with them on what their goals were and what our goals were.