In this week’s episode of the Titans of Food Service podcast, Nick Portillo speaks with Johnny Hughes, a veteran of Tyson Foods who has seen the company grow from $4 billion to over $50 billion in his time there. Johnny discusses his career journey from the operations floor to a senior vice president role in sales at Tyson Foods. He shares valuable insights into the benefits of understanding the manufacturing side of the business to excel in sales, how he built and maintained an extensive professional network and the importance of positivity and teamwork.

Quotes

• "Selling starts when you hear the first 'no.' So overcoming objectives and understanding truly what the customers are about is crucial." -Johnny Hughes

• "I think in today's environment, it's really hard coming out of college to think about going to work in an operation. But I would still say the more experience you can get inside of that to understand it, even if that's not where you work full time, it helps." -Johnny Hughes

TIMESTAMPS

(00:02) Johnny Hughes' Journey from Operations to Sales at Tyson Foods

(03:33) A Father's Pride in His Daughter's Basketball Journey

(05:37) From Operations to Sales: A Journey in Food Service

(12:02) Navigating Career Growth Amid Tyson Foods' Expansive Acquisitions

(24:18) Exploring Arkansas: Big Companies, Natural Beauty, and Food Scene

(28:29) The Power of Positivity and Team Culture in Leadership

RESOURCES

Portillo Sales

CONTACT 

Nick: nick.portillo@portillosales.com