Sales & Commercial Executive

MikeVitale

VP of Sales / Director of National Accounts / General Manager

Twenty-four years in B2B manufacturing, packaging, and pressure-sensitive labels. Grew a North American commercial organization from $26.5M to $32.5M, lifted net margin from 6.5% to 9.0%, and then owned the consolidated P&L for a $36M division.

Canton, Ohio  /  Remote or hybrid
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Portrait of Mike Vitale
Packaging & Labels Canton, OH
$36M
Division P&L
6.5% to 9.0%
Net Margin
3 of 10 to 10
Sellers at Quota
155.3%
Of Profit Plan
24
Years
The Thesis
Revenue is the easiest number to buy and the hardest one to be proud of.

Any seller can move volume by handing margin back. The harder version is growing the top line and the profit line at the same time, and my record has been built on the harder version.

Running a commercial organization, net income went from $1.72M to $2.51M in a year revenue moved 5.7%, because gross profit led and volume followed. Running a division, that same discipline showed up as 155.3% of pretax profit budget in the year after a workforce reduction.

The other half of the job is quieter. What Sales promises has to be something Operations can actually deliver, and holding both sides to one number is where most commercial plans quietly come apart.

The Margin Year

Net income up 46% in a year revenue moved 5.7%.

Taking over the North American commercial organization in 2019 meant inheriting a book that grew when it discounted. Leading on gross profit instead of volume changed the shape of the number: revenue kept climbing, and the profit underneath it climbed faster.

Organization Revenue
$26.5M to $32.5M
Net Income
$1.72M to $2.51M
Gross Margin
45.8% to 49.1%
Net Margin
6.5% to 9.0%
Forecast Accuracy
about 40% to about 80%
Why it held

Target was beaten in all three years, not one. Pricing discipline, pipeline hygiene in the CRM, and coaching against KPIs rather than activity counts kept the margin gains from being traded back the following quarter.

Signature Work

The Concentration Ring

Inheriting a book where a single customer carries 37% of revenue is inheriting a single point of failure. Ten new logos worth about $4.2M in annual value brought that share to 27% while the whole book grew. Drag the scrubber to watch the ring get bigger as the concentrated slice gets smaller.

Revenue concentration ring A ring showing the largest customer's share of revenue falling from 37% to 27% between 2019 and 2022 while total organization revenue grows from $26.5M to $32.5M and ten new logos are added. 37% LARGEST CUSTOMER
Fiscal 2019
$26.5M
Organization Revenue
0
New Logos Added
20192022
Largest customer Balance of book

Concentration fell without the largest account shrinking. Total revenue grew by about $6M over the same three years, so the ring got wider while the accent arc got narrower. That is what de-risking a book actually looks like on paper.

10

New Logos

Won across the three years while the largest account kept growing, which is what made the concentration move real.

$4.2M

Annual Value

Approximate combined annual value of the new logo cohort, added on top of existing accounts rather than in place of them.

37% to 27%

Top Account Share

Single-customer exposure reduced by ten points while the total book grew, lowering the risk carried by any one relationship.

The Team Result

Three of ten sellers hitting quota became ten of ten.

The quota problem is almost never a quota problem. Twelve direct reports, eleven sellers and one sales manager, and the fix was hiring for the role that actually existed, shortening the time it took to be productive, and coaching against the pipeline rather than the activity log.

3 of 10 to 10

Quota Attainment

Sellers hitting number, moved over three years from 2019 to 2022.

40% to 0

Voluntary Turnover

Sales turnover taken to zero across the same period without backfilling the team out.

2 yrs to 6 mo

New-Hire Ramp

Time to full productivity for a new seller, cut by enablement and structured onboarding.

4 of 12

Promoted

Into Director of Sales, VP of Business Development, Senior Business Development Manager, and Senior Account Executive.

The part that matters

All four of those promoted reports were still in those seats at my departure. Promotions that stick are the only ones worth counting, and a bench that holds is what lets a commercial number survive a leadership change.

The Division

A $36M P&L built from five business unit P&Ls.

Promotion from Vice President of Sales to President of the operating division meant signing the pretax budget and then being measured against it. Five business units, two manufacturing plants, 85 employees, and 12 leaders across Sales, Operations, Production, Customer Service, and Quality.

$32M to $36M

Division Revenue

Grown across five business units and two manufacturing facilities.

155.3%

Of Pretax Profit Budget

Top-performing division company-wide in 2025, the year after a workforce reduction.

70% to 90%+

On-Time Delivery

Held above 90% against a tightened standard, up from about 70% under the old measure.

85

Employees Directed

Alongside 12 leaders spanning the full commercial and operating org.

The delivery standard

The old measure let Operations reset the date promised to the customer, which meant on-time delivery could look healthy while customers waited. Replacing that standard made the number harder to hit and honest, and on-time performance still went from about 70% to above 90%.

Profit Levers

Press utilization, longer production runs, cross-training across lines, and reductions in cost of quality and customer complaints.

Governance

ISO recertification, annual budgeting, capital investment planning, and acquisition evaluation.

Commercial Carryover

Kept the largest accounts personally, and signed a global logistics provider on a first-site contract worth about $1M annually, structured for a second site.

Before Leading, Selling

About $8M closed from a book worth about $50K.

Six years carrying a bag against Fortune 500 manufacturers and industrial organizations. Roughly 90% of what closed was net new logo, and the inherited territory grew about sixteenfold alongside it.

#1 of 25

Reps Company-Wide

Ranked first across three divisions in both 2015 and 2016.

$750K to $2.5M

Brand Protection Program

Won with a Fortune 500 industrial manufacturer and built into a $2.5M annual account at 55% gross margin.

$3.5M

Peak Annual Book

Across roughly ten accounts at about 45% gross profit.

1

Account Lost In Six Years

And only when the customer was acquired and relocated production.

How the big one was won

The brand protection program took a multi-year consultative process across Packaging, Procurement, Engineering, IT, and Operations, and it held 55% gross margin, roughly nine points above the division's own margin. A Fortune 500 industrial automation account followed, including a $250K security features program.

Experience

Twenty-four years, one consistent direction.

Dec 2022 to Jul 2026 GBS Corporation North Canton, OH

President

  • Owned the consolidated P&L for a $36M division built from five separate business unit P&Ls.
  • Signed off on the pretax budget and carried accountability for pretax performance against it.
  • Grew division revenue from $32M to $36M across five business units and two manufacturing plants.
  • Delivered the company's top-performing division in 2025 at 155.3% of pretax profit budget.
  • Led the division through a 2024 workforce reduction and returned it to a record year in 2025.
  • Replaced a delivery standard that let Operations reset the date promised to the customer.
  • Held on-time delivery above 90% on the tighter standard, up from about 70% on the old one.
  • Lifted profit through press utilization, longer runs, cross-training, and lower cost of quality.
  • Signed a global logistics provider on a first-site contract worth about $1M annually, structured for a second site.
  • Directed 85 employees and 12 leaders across Sales, Operations, Production, Service, and Quality.
  • Led ISO recertification, annual budgeting, capital investment, and acquisition evaluation.
Aug 2019 to Dec 2022 GBS Corporation North Canton, OH

Vice President of Sales

  • Grew the North American organization from $26.5M to $32.5M and beat target all three years.
  • Grew net income from $1.72M to $2.51M in 2020 on revenue growth of 5.7%.
  • Lifted gross margin from 45.8% to 49.1% and net margin from 6.5% to 9.0% by leading on margin.
  • Took quota attainment from 3 of 10 sellers in 2019 to 10 of 10 in 2022.
  • Cut voluntary turnover from 40% to zero and new-hire ramp from two years to six months.
  • Won ten new logos worth about $4.2M in combined annual value.
  • Moved the largest customer from 37% of revenue to 27% while total revenue grew.
  • Promoted four of twelve reports into Director of Sales, VP of Business Development, and senior seller roles.
  • Moved forecast accuracy from about 40% to about 80% using CRM pipeline discipline.
  • Negotiated agreements with a Fortune 500 automotive manufacturer averaging about $10M in annual sales.
  • Chaired the New Products and Markets Committee to commercialize growth opportunities.
Sep 2013 to Aug 2019 GBS Corporation Canton, OH

Senior Account Executive

  • Closed about $8M in total sales from 2014 to 2018, roughly 90% of it net new logos.
  • Grew an inherited book of about $50K roughly sixteenfold alongside the new business.
  • Ranked number one of 25 reps company-wide in 2015 and 2016 across three divisions.
  • Won a Fortune 500 industrial manufacturer's brand protection program at $750K and built it to $2.5M annually.
  • Held that account at 55% gross margin, roughly nine points above the division's own margin.
  • Originated and closed a Fortune 500 industrial automation account, including a $250K security features program.
  • Carried a peak annual book of about $3.5M across roughly ten accounts at 45% gross profit.
  • Lost one account in six years, and only when the customer was acquired and relocated.
Apr 2010 to Sep 2013 HC Miller Green Bay, WI

Regional Sales Manager

  • Grew territory revenue selling custom index and organizational products into new accounts.
  • Cross-sold the HCMimpact multichannel platform and pURL direct mail into print-only accounts.
  • Ran cross-media campaigns using variable data printing, personalized URLs, and QR codes.
  • Managed proposals, pricing, and margin on every opportunity to keep territory growth profitable.
Sep 2005 to Apr 2010 International Filing Company Canton, OH

National Account Manager / Regional Sales Manager

  • Grew the territory from $500K to $1.25M within six months as National Account Manager.
  • Developed new national accounts across 29 states and won every sales contest after joining.
  • Managed a ten-state distributor territory, training partner reps and joining end-user calls.
  • Consistently led the company in percentage of new sales growth.
Sep 2002 to Aug 2005 GBS Filing Solutions North Canton, OH

Regional Sales Manager / Sales and Marketing Specialist

  • Managed distributor networks across 15 and 11 states, adding and cutting partners for coverage.
  • Launched the NetFileManager Elite Program as project manager across the dealer network.
  • Served on the Integrated Marketing Team and Dealer Council and contributed to catalog development.
Capabilities

Commercial leadership with a P&L underneath it.

Sales Leadership

Team BuildingCoaching Quota AttainmentTerritory Planning Sales EnablementTalent Development Performance ManagementSales Operations

Revenue & Commercial

Revenue GrowthGross Margin Management Net MarginP&L Management Pricing StrategyContract Negotiation ForecastingBudgeting

Accounts & Markets

National AccountsFortune 500 Enterprise Sales New Logo AcquisitionStrategic Account Planning AutomotiveMedical & Pharma Distributor NetworksBrand Protection

Operations & Systems

Manufacturing OperationsCapacity Planning On-Time DeliveryCost of Quality ISO RecertificationSalesforce HubSpotOracle NetSuite
Education & Recognition
Education

The Ohio State University

Max M. Fisher College of Business, Columbus, OH

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration

Certifications & Awards
  • Science of Selling, 2004
  • Rain Group Rainmaker, 2025
  • Giant Slayer Award, company-wide, 2018
  • Largest Year-over-Year Gross Profit Growth Award, company-wide, 2018
  • Brand Protection Subject Matter Expert, internal role assignment
Mike Vitale
Contact

Hold the margin. Grow the number anyway.

Open to Vice President of Sales, Director of National Accounts, and General Manager roles. Happy to talk through the margin year, the team result, or what it takes to make a delivery promise mean something.

Email LinkedIn
Available now  /  Remote or hybrid  /  Canton, Ohio