Desert highway through Anza-Borrego at dusk

San Diego, CA · Southern California Beverage & Hospitality Development

Ross Rogers
On-Premise Key Account Manager

20+ years in sales and brand management, key/chain account management, and hospitality business development across Southern California.

Profile

Field execution,
built to repeat.

Relationship-driven, execution-focused sales leader with 20+ years in sales and brand management, key/chain account management, and hospitality business development across Southern California. Proven ability to grow revenue inside major restaurant, hotel, and hospitality accounts by connecting supplier strategy with field execution, training sales teams, and building the systems that make good work repeatable. Certified Cicerone Beer Server with deep craft beverage industry expertise.

Core Competencies

Skills that
show up daily.

  • On-Premise Chain Account Management
  • Supplier & Distributor Partnerships
  • Program & Mandate Activation
  • Contract Negotiation
  • Sales Team Training & Leadership
  • Business Intelligence (VIP/iDig, Excel)
  • Chain Business Reviews
  • Hospitality & Hotel Programming
  • Sales Systems & Process Design
  • Craft Beer Industry Expertise

Experience

Twenty years
on the territory.

On-Premise Key Account Manager

Sunset Distribution (formerly Stone Distributing Co.)

2023 – Present

Southern California (San Diego, Orange County, LA, Ventura, Santa Barbara, SLO, Kern County)

  • Primary point of contact and relationship owner for all on-premise chain and hospitality accounts across Southern California, including groups such as Cohn Restaurant Group, Yard House, Finney's, Wood Ranch, and Dog Haus, plus hotel and entertainment venue programs
  • Sunset represents roughly 180 supplier brands regionally, a significantly larger portfolio than Stone Distributing alone
  • Grew a Sodexo account from approximately $18,500 to more than $260,000 in annual revenue within one year
  • Build chain-wide placements, mandates, and house-beer/draft/package programs from strategy through field activation
  • Conduct chain business reviews using VIP and iDig (adopted since joining Sunset) to identify current placements, lost business, distribution gaps, and expansion opportunity
  • Designed and built two internal sales systems in 2026, now being validated and rolled out by the team: a Chain Intelligence Portal standardizing placement protection and flex-space opportunity identification, and an On-Premise Program Database centralizing supplier program data for the field
  • Lead hotel blitzes, supplier summits, and sales rep training on new program rollouts
  • Negotiate contracts and pricing to protect and grow account profitability
  • Retained full book of business through the Stone Distributing → Sunset Distribution acquisition; hired into the continuing role at Sunset in June 2025 as part of that transition

Sales Representative & Area Sales Manager

Stone Brewing Co. / Stone Distribution Co.

2014 – 2023

San Diego, CA

  • Supervised and coached an 11-person team of sales representatives and field sales support
  • Built and maintained relationships with key on-premise accounts across the territory
  • Executed sales strategies that met and exceeded territory growth objectives
  • Analyzed market data to identify trends and optimize sales performance
  • Partnered cross-functionally to drive distribution visibility and promotional execution

Independent Sales Consultant

Self-employed / Contractor

2012 – 2014

San Diego, CA

  • Secured contracts for architectural signage and environmental graphics
  • Managed production to ensure quality and compliance; acted as liaison among developers, architects, and municipalities
  • Exceeded personal sales goals through proactive client management

Account Executive

Integrated Sign Associates

2004 – 2012

El Cajon, CA

  • Managed client accounts and developed new business
  • Led national brand rollouts and ensured seamless execution
  • Analyzed sales data to improve strategies and meet objectives

Sales & Brand Manager

Tuned In Sports Inc.

2002 – 2003

Oceanside, CA

  • Oversaw brand management and cross-functional team operations
  • Developed and executed sales and marketing strategies; managed pricing, product development, and promotional campaigns
  • Led national trade show participation and product promotion

Sales Manager

Thomas Simon Inc. / Redley Surfing Products

1996 – 2002

Santa Cruz, CA

  • Managed 13 sales representatives across the U.S.; exceeded revenue goals through client acquisition and retention
  • Represented the brand at national trade shows; developed marketing materials and managed inventory control

Credentials

What's
on record.

Certifications

  • Certified Cicerone Beer Server

Education

  • Cabrillo College — Business