K-12 Inside Sales Representative

801 Industry Ave, Cloquet, MN, USA | Hourly | 21.00 per hour | Full Time

K-12 Inside Sales Representative

Upper Lakes Foods, Inc.

At Upper Lakes Foods, we believe that great service starts with strong relationships, a commitment to excellence, and a genuine understanding of our customers' needs. As the K-12 Inside Sales Representative, you play an important role in helping school districts provide nutritious meals to students by ensuring they have the products, support, and service they need throughout the school year.

This position is about more than processing orders. It is about building trust, anticipating customer needs, solving problems, and helping our school partners succeed. Through daily communication, careful planning, and consistent follow-through, you help create a positive customer experience while supporting the growth and efficiency of our K-12 business.

A Day in the Life

Each day brings new opportunities to support our school district customers. From the moment an order is entered until it reaches its final destination, you help ensure every detail is handled accurately and efficiently. You monitor inventory levels, review order accuracy, track special orders, and coordinate delivery schedules to help keep school kitchens running smoothly. By utilizing systems such as XRS, Target, and TrackMax, you help maintain accurate projections, monitor sales activity, and ensure customers receive the products they need when they need them.

Communication is at the heart of this role. You work closely with customers, merchandising, the bid department, sales representatives, warehouse and delivery teams, and supplier partners to keep everyone informed and working toward the same goal. When inventory changes, products become difficult to obtain, or purchasing patterns shift, you help identify the issue and communicate solutions. You review daily reports, including fill rates, outs and substitutions, end-of-day reports, and special-order inventory, to proactively address concerns and maintain a high level of service.

You also look for ways to help customers succeed beyond their immediate orders. By understanding their needs, reviewing purchasing trends, and identifying opportunities for additional products and services, you help school districts make informed purchasing decisions while supporting profitability and business growth. You stay informed about food industry developments and K-12 nutrition requirements, continually building your knowledge so you can provide relevant information and meaningful support.

Planning for a Successful School Year

The school year requires thoughtful planning, flexibility, and attention to detail. You partner with school districts to obtain menus, enter menu projections into the Target system, and review projections on a biweekly and monthly basis. You help maintain accurate district order guides, coordinate delivery schedules, and plan for summer school needs.

As the school year approaches, you help prepare for the increased activity that comes with the beginning of school. This includes reviewing projections, confirming product availability, updating order guides, and coordinating with internal teams to ensure districts are ready. Just as importantly, you help manage the transition at the end of the school year by gathering discontinued-item lists, identifying new items, collecting required surveys and information, and adjusting projections to reflect changing needs.

You understand that every district operates differently, and you work to provide organized, reliable support that reflects each customer's unique requirements. Your ability to anticipate challenges, manage competing priorities, and follow projects through to completion helps create a smoother experience for everyone involved.

Building Partnerships and Finding Solutions

Strong partnerships are essential to the success of our K-12 customers. In this role, you maintain positive relationships with school districts and supplier partners while coordinating product samples, supporting recall activities, distributing customer rebates, and helping identify opportunities to move products through inventory reduction initiatives.

You collaborate with the bid department to ensure district pricing is entered accurately, assist with special requests, and provide backup support to teammates when needed. You also represent Upper Lakes Foods at the K-12 Connect Event and industry trade shows as appropriate, helping strengthen relationships and stay connected to the evolving needs of the education foodservice industry.

When challenges arise, you approach them with a positive attitude, professionalism, and a willingness to find solutions. You understand the importance of meeting deadlines, communicating clearly, and taking ownership of your responsibilities. By balancing immediate customer needs with long-term planning, you help ensure that our customers feel supported, valued, and confident in the service they receive.

What Makes Someone Successful in This Role?

Success as a K-12 Inside Sales Representative begins with a strong work ethic, excellent customer service skills, and a genuine desire to help others. You are organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment. You can think critically, solve problems, communicate effectively, and carry a project from beginning to end.

You bring confidence and proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, Word, and Outlook, along with the ability to learn and use the systems necessary to manage orders, projections, and sales reporting. You are flexible when priorities change, remain composed under pressure, and understand the importance of accuracy and follow-through.

A high school diploma or equivalent is required, along with two to four years of customer service experience. Previous knowledge of K-12 dietary guidelines is not required, but a willingness to learn through webinars, training opportunities, vendor events, and other educational resources is essential.

Above all, you value teamwork and understand that exceptional service is a shared responsibility. You build productive working relationships across departments, treat customers and coworkers with respect, and approach your work with integrity and professionalism.

Life at Upper Lakes Foods

Upper Lakes Foods, Inc. is Minnesota's largest independent wholesale food distributor, serving a wide range of foodservice customers, including independent restaurants, assisted living facilities, schools, and national and regional foodservice chains. With facilities in Cloquet, Minnesota; Northfield, Minnesota; and Janesville, Wisconsin, we are committed to delivering quality products, dependable service, and lasting value.

Our mission is to build value for every customer, employee, supplier, and community we serve by bringing the best products, the best people, and the best ideas. Our work is guided by six core values: strong work ethic, positive attitude, integrity, teamwork, professional appearance, and respectful interaction. These values shape how we serve our customers, support one another, and contribute to our communities.

As a member of the K-12 team, you help bring that mission to life every day. Your work supports the people who feed students, strengthens our partnerships with school districts, and contributes to a dependable foodservice experience throughout the school year.

This is an opportunity for someone who enjoys building relationships, solving problems, staying organized, and making a meaningful difference through excellent customer service.

Upper Lakes Foods is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.

Full job description is located on the Upper Lakes Foods company website.