Episode 80

full
Published on:

21st Aug 2024

Arkansas: Building a Foodservice Legacy with Johnny Hughes, Former Senior VP of Tyson Foods

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

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About the Podcast

Titans of Foodservice
Nick Portillo shares with you the things he has learned on his own journey of building a successful business in the food service industry.

About your host

Profile picture for Seth "Creek" Creekmore

Seth "Creek" Creekmore

Seth Creekmore, or “Creek,” as he is known by most of his friends has been studying the Enneagram for almost 10 years now. Having completed training under Lynda Roberts & Nan Henson, he continued learning the Enneagram through a smattering of other teachers and books and eventually completed the Awareness to Action program. He was one of the original founders of the popular Fathoms | An Enneagram Podcast and now serves as the resident Millennial for the Awareness to Action Podcast. He creates Cinematic Folk music under the name Creekmore and enjoys, hiking in cold places, cooking in warm places and traveling to all the places.