Area Sales Manager
About the job
- A bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
- 10+ years of experience selling technical or engineered products in the HVAC, commercial boiler, water heating, or plumbing and mechanical industry; direct experience with commercial condensing or tankless water heating equipment is strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated experience owning demand-generation or marketing-adjacent programs, such as building pipeline through specification influence, trade organizations, or targeted campaigns.
- Experience managing an indirect or third-party representative agency network.
- Experience operating in a matrixed organization and coordinating across Engineering, Product Management, Marketing, and Support without direct authority over those teams.
- Knowledge of the commercial construction industry, its terminology, and engineered/specification-driven sales cycles.
- Ability to lead through influence with an indirect representative network and internal cross-functional partners who do not report to the role.
- Technical credibility and comfort with engineering-level conversations on product sizing, selection, and application.
- Ability to build customer and internal stakeholder relationships and deliver customer-centric solutions.
- Presentation and interpersonal skills, including the ability to communicate and facilitate across and up the organization.
- Proficiency in Salesforce.com or a comparable customer relationship management system.
- Intermediate proficiency in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
- Must reside in the Texas territory.
- Ability to travel within Texas as required to support representatives, customers, and demand-generation events.
- Own the demand-generation strategy and execution for Intellihot and DHWL products across Texas, accountable for territory pipeline growth, specification penetration, and revenue.
- Set and track territory demand-generation key performance indicators, including qualified pipeline, specification win rate, funnel conversion, and representative-sourced versus house-sourced opportunities, and regularly report results.
- Partner with Marketing to design, localize, and execute Texas-specific demand-generation programs, including trade shows, ASPE/MCAA chapter engagement, contractor and engineer training events, and digital or regional campaigns.
- Use competitor activity, code and regulatory changes, and incentive programs to identify and prioritize territory demand-generation opportunities.
- Develop and maintain an accurate regional demand forecast, updated monthly.
- Manage the independent representative agencies for Intellihot and DHWL products in Texas by setting targets, holding regular reviews and coaching cadences, and driving accountability for sales performance.
- Partner with representative principals on agency staffing and personnel situations; hiring authority over agency personnel remains with the representative principal.
- Own territory-level key account and market-channel management for major customer relationships.
- Assist in recruiting and onboarding qualified contractors into the Intellipro commissioning network in Texas.
- Coordinate Texas-based support from Engineering, Product Management, Marketing, and Customer/Technical Support to ensure centrally developed initiatives are executed effectively in the territory.
- Coordinate technical support with Engineering for active specification opportunities and escalate product issues affecting the territory pipeline.
- Provide Product Management with territory-level input on product positioning, competitive dynamics, and roadmap priorities for the Texas market.
- Work with National Account Managers to optimize sales and profit from national account relationships affecting Texas.
- Ensure Customer/Technical Support capacity and responsiveness in the territory supports demand generation and specification credibility, including installation and commissioning quality.
- Maintain technical fluency in commercial condensing tankless water heaters, boilers, and related HVAC/mechanical equipment to lead technical conversations with engineers, design firms, and large accounts.
- Support product sizing, selection, energy-savings calculations, application reviews, and pricing for engineered opportunities in coordination with representatives and technical staff.
- Introduce products to representatives, wholesalers, engineers, and contractors, and ensure training plans are developed and executed to grow the qualified customer base in Texas.
- Develop or localize sales-support materials for the territory, including sell sheets, specification sheets, submittal sheets, and presentations, in coordination with Marketing and Technical staff.
- Maintain the Texas customer relationship management and sales-funnel process using Salesforce.com or a comparable system, and regularly report pipeline and demand-generation key performance indicators.
- Provide input to regional and national price-management processes, balancing market competitiveness with profitability.
- Direct experience with commercial condensing or tankless water heating equipment is strongly preferred.
About the company
Zurn Elkay Water Solutions provides a broad range of water management products for commercial, institutional, and residential markets, including filtered bottle filling stations, drinking fountains, sinks, faucets, valves, drainage, and restroom fixtures. Its approach uses a razor-and-blade model, where installing filtered water stations enables ongoing, high-margin revenue from filter replacements. The company combines Zurn’s plumbing expertise with Elkay’s stainless-steel sinks, fixtures, and water coolers to serve education, healthcare, government, hospitality, and residential construction, primarily in the United States with some international locations. Its goal is to deliver safe, efficient water systems and maintenance programs that promote water hygiene and conservation while building recurring revenue streams.
Company Size
1,001-5,000
Company Stage
IPO
Headquarters
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Founded
1900
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Q2 2026 revenue hit $491 million, up 10.5%, and management raised guidance.
- Q2 adjusted EBITDA reached $136 million, with 27.7% margin and $112 million free cash flow.
- 2025 Sustainability Report says 2.4 billion gallons filtered and 20 billion bottles avoided.
What critics are saying
- Q2 2026 free cash flow turned negative $42.7 million, exposing working-capital volatility.
- Q2 2026 10-Q disclosed restructuring actions, workforce reductions, and facility rationalization.
- Failed Intellihot integration destroys ZWS's premium margin story and 2027 valuation rerating.
What makes Zurn Elkay Water Solutions unique
- Zurn Elkay combines plumbing, drainage, and drinking-water systems under one commercial platform.
- Intellihot acquisition in July 2026 expands tankless water-heating into a $1.1 billion market.
- PFAS-certified filters and bottle-filling stations create recurring replacement-filter revenue.
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Benefits
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
STD
LTD
AD&D
Life Insurance
401(k) Retirement Plan
401(k) Company Match
Health Savings Account/Flexible Spending Account
Up to 3 weeks starting Vacation (may increase with tenure)
Paid Holidays
Annual Bonus Eligibility
Educational Reimbursement
Matching Gift Program
Employee Stock Purchase Plan – purchase company stock at a discount!
Company News
Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new position in Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Cor (NYSE:ZWS – Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 45,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,306,000. Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently […]
Zurn Elkay reported better-than-expected second-quarter results for 2026, with revenue rising 10.5% year on year to $491 million, surpassing analyst estimates of $483.3 million. The water management solutions company posted adjusted earnings of $0.50 per share, beating consensus forecasts of $0.47. Adjusted EBITDA reached $136 million with a 27.7% margin, whilst operating margin improved to 31%, up from 17.5% in the prior-year quarter. Organic revenue grew 10%. The company repurchased $50 million in shares during the quarter and paid $37 million in dividends. However, free cash flow turned negative at -$42.7 million, down from $101.6 million in the same quarter last year. CEO Todd Adams noted the company raised its full-year outlook and continues leveraging operational improvements to drive growth.
Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corporation (NYSE: ZWS) today announced it has signed an agreement to acquire Intellihot, Inc., a privately-held leader in tankles...
Zurn Elkay, a water management solutions provider, stands out amongst cash-producing stocks with an 18.4% trailing 12-month free cash flow margin. The company demonstrates strong fundamentals with a gross margin of 42.6% and improving efficiency, as its operating margin expanded by 3.7 percentage points over five years. In contrast, F5 and Sonos face significant headwinds. F5, despite a 29.9% free cash flow margin, struggles with sluggish 3.3% ARR growth and stagnant operating margins. Sonos shows even weaker performance with only an 8.1% free cash flow margin, declining annual sales of 1.4% over five years, and earnings per share dropping 9.3% annually. Zurn Elkay's strong 15.1% free cash flow margin and improved cash conversion indicate growing capital efficiency.
Zurn Elkay Water Solutions reported first quarter 2026 net sales of $433 million, up 11% year-over-year on a core sales basis. Net income from continuing operations reached $59 million, or $0.35 per diluted share, compared with $41 million ($0.24 per share) in the prior-year quarter. Adjusted EBITDA rose to $116 million, representing 26.8% of net sales, up from $98 million (25.2% of sales) a year earlier. The Milwaukee-based water management company expanded its credit facility from $200 million to $550 million and deployed $50 million to repurchase one million shares during the quarter. Net debt leverage stood at 0.5x as of 31st March 2026. For the second quarter, the company expects core sales growth of 8% to 9% and adjusted EBITDA margins between 27.0% and 27.5%.