New Business Development Manager

New Business Development Manager

Location: Fort Wayne, IN - Retail shop Findlay, OH - Retail shop, Lima, OH - Retail shop

The Business Development Manager will advance sustainable growth and expand our customer base. In this role, you will be responsible for identifying, cultivating, and establishing new business partnerships across general manufacturing, metal fabrication, heat treat, food manufacturing, and related industrial sectors. The ideal candidate will be a proactive, consultative business developer focused on creating sustainable, long-term accounts rather than short-term projects. You will oversee the complete consultative lifecycle, from initial connection to agreement.

Key Responsibilities

• Generate New Business: Develop an organized schedule to connect with potential partners. Utilize leads from our marketing team, business directories, and trade journals to cultivate a strong pipeline of prospective accounts.
• Deliver Consultative Presentations: Customize engaging presentations and product demonstrations based on the customer's needs and industry, highlighting solution-oriented features and shared benefits.
• Manage the Engagement Process: Prepare comprehensive proposals with pricing, credit terms, and delivery schedules. Draft sales agreements, obtain credit approval for new accounts, and coordinate order submissions with internal teams.
• Collaborate and Report: Keep leadership informed through regular updates on activities, territory insights, and progress. Partner with account managers and leadership to discuss accounts and strategic initiatives.
• Monitor the Market: Stay informed about market trends, competitor activities, and industry developments. Provide constructive feedback to management on market changes and recommend enhancements to our solutions or services.
• Nurture Customer Relationships: Build alignment and resolve customer inquiries or concerns by investigating process challenges and developing supportive, high-value solutions.
• Continuous Growth: Maintain professional and technical knowledge by participating in workshops, attending technical center trainings, and reviewing industry publications. Protect confidential company information.

Strategic & Operational Objectives

• Market Analysis: Analyze market positions, partner databases, and industry trends to assist in defining long-term development plans.
• Opportunity Execution: Execute development plans to identify new avenues for growth. Build collaborative connections across customer networks, industry associations, and agencies.
• Consultative Solutions: Deeply understand customer needs to deliver technical and commercial solutions. Facilitate customer decision-making, guide collaborative discussions, and provide ongoing support during project execution.
• Strategic Partnership: Manage and nurture relationships with key executive stakeholders (CEOs, Owners, Presidents) to enhance overall customer experience and long-term retention.
• Team Collaboration: Partner with local Account Managers to ensure smooth transitions of new accounts, ensuring attentive follow-up and protecting recurring account growth.

Required Qualifications

• Experience & Track Record: Ideally, you bring 3 to 5+ years of success in a business development or hunting-focused B2B sales role, preferably within industrial supply, manufacturing, or construction sales.
• Executive Engagement: Demonstrated history of engaging directly with C-suite executives and decision-makers to close full-account agreements ($100k$500k range).
• Resilience & Goal Alignment: High resilience and strong problem-solving skills to navigate objections and turn customer pushback into productive dialogue.
• Field Mobility: Willingness to spend 3.5 to 4 days per week in the field visiting prospective clients (610 visits per day), with 1 day dedicated to remote administrative planning and outreach.
• Education & Practical Knowledge: High school diploma required; a bachelor's degree in business administration, engineering, or a related field is a plus, though proven field experience and practical track record are highly valued.
• Industry & Technical Insight: Knowledge of industrial gases, consumables, welding/safety supplies, or general manufacturing processes is appreciated.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree from four-year College or University or one to two year of related experience and/or training or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Prior experience with SAP order entry software preferred.
• 3+ years of experience selling medical, specialty or industrial gases and equipment to independent distributors and customers while working for an industrial or specialty gas producer.

Benefits

We care about and support our Airgas Families. This is evident not only through our competitive compensation but also through a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision plans, short-term and long-term disability, life and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), pre-tax commuter transportation benefit, parental leave, vacation, sick time, floating holidays, jury duty and funeral/bereavement leave, and paid holidays for all eligible full-time employees.

Additionally, we offer our eligible employees a 401k plan with company matching funds, tuition reimbursement, discounted college tuition for eligible employees' dependents, and an Airgas Scholarship Program for dependent children.

Associates who are members of collective bargaining units should review their bargaining agreement to determine whether they are eligible for some or all of the benefits described here and to see any special terms or conditions for eligibility.

Your Differences Enhance Our Performance

At Airgas, we are committed to building a workplace that embraces the diversity of our employees, our customers, patients, community stakeholders and cultures across the world.

We welcome and consider applications from all qualified applicants, regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability or any other protected characteristic. We strongly believe a diverse organization opens up opportunities for people to express their talent, both individually and collectively and it helps foster our ability to innovate by living our fundamentals, acting for our success and creating an engaging environment in a changing world.

About Airgas

Airgas, an Air Liquide company, is a leading U.S. supplier of industrial, medical and specialty gases, as well as hardgoods and related products; one of the largest U.S. suppliers of safety products; and a leading U.S. supplier of ammonia products and process chemicals. Through the passion and diversity of its 18,000 associates, Airgas fosters a culture of safety, customer success, sustainability and innovation. Airgas associates are empowered to share ideas, take initiative and make decisions.

Airgas is a subsidiary of Air Liquide, a world leader in gases, technologies and services for industry and healthcare. Present in 60 countries with approximately 66,500 employees, Air Liquide serves more than 4 million customers and patients.

Join us for a stimulating experience: At Airgas, you matter and so does the work you do. As a member of our team, you play an important role in the success of your team, making sure our products are created sustainably and delivered safely and efficiently. In turn, you'll find a welcoming workplace where you're valued for who you are and where you can fill your potential while growing a fulfilling career whatever path you choose.

Equal Employment Opportunity Information

We are an equal opportunity employer. We welcome all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.

Airgas, an Air Liquide Company is a Government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Airgas does not discriminate against qualified applicants with disabilities, and is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to the known disabilities of such individuals so as to ensure equal access to benefits and privileges of employment. If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request a reasonable accommodation as part of the employment selection process, please contact us by email at us-accommodationrequest@airgas.com.