Business Development Manager - Pulp, Paper & Biomass

Company Description

Columbia Industries is a long-standing leader in designing and manufacturing equipment for the solid waste, recycling, oil & gas, and aerospace sectors, with over 50 years of industry experience. The organization is committed to its customers, products, and team members, focusing on superior quality and industry-leading service. Innovation is central to the company’s culture, as it develops solutions that transform the industries it serves. Columbia Industries encourages curiosity and problem-solving, asking “What if…?” to create impactful, practical solutions for complex challenges.

Position Summary

The Business Development Manager – Pulp, Paper & Biomass is responsible for developing new business opportunities and expanding Columbia Industries' presence within these markets.

This role requires a results-driven sales professional with a hunter mentality who thrives on introducing new products, developing markets, and building customer relationships. The ideal candidate has experience selling industrial capital equipment and understands the persistence, creativity, and determination required to bring new solutions to market.

This remote position requires regular travel to engage prospective customers, identify new business opportunities, and build strong relationships within the industry. Responsibilities include building a strong sales pipeline, conducting market and competitive analysis, preparing proposals, negotiating contracts, and collaborating with Engineering and Operations to deliver innovative customer solutions.

Success requires an entrepreneurial mindset, strong self-motivation, and the ability to independently create demand and convert opportunities into sales.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Own new-business development and revenue growth within the Pulp, Paper & Biomass markets, including related industrial applications.
• Proactively identify, prospect, qualify, develop, and close new customers and opportunities.
• Lead the introduction and commercialization of Columbia's new equipment solutions, developing market awareness and generating customer demand.
• Identify operational challenges, equipment limitations, and unmet customer needs that Columbia's engineered solutions can address.
• Build relationships with decision-makers across operations, engineering, maintenance, procurement, and executive leadership.
• Apply consultative, value-based selling techniques to understand customer needs and demonstrate measurable operational and financial benefits.
• Develop strong product, application, and industry knowledge to become a credible technical resource and trusted customer advisor.
• Manage complex capital equipment sales involving multiple stakeholders and extended purchasing cycles.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Operations, Service, and other departments to develop technically sound and commercially competitive solutions.
• Develop and execute market and account development strategies aligned with Columbia's growth objectives.
• Build and maintain a healthy sales pipeline with clear opportunity values, timelines, probabilities, and next actions.
• Maintain accurate customer information, sales activities, opportunities, and forecasts within Columbia's Epicor ERP/CRM system.
• Conduct customer visits, facility assessments, product presentations, proposal reviews, and commercial negotiations.
• Generate leads through direct prospecting, industry relationships, trade associations, conferences, and networking.
• Monitor market trends, competitive products, customer investments, and emerging opportunities to support Columbia's product development strategy.
• Identify opportunities for custom-engineered applications beyond Columbia's standard product offerings.
• Achieve assigned revenue, margin, pipeline development, and new-customer acquisition goals.
• Provide regular updates on sales activities, market intelligence, forecasts, and business development progress.
• Support additional product lines and strategic growth initiatives as assigned.
• Perform other duties as required.

Requirements and Experience

• 7+ years of successful B2B industrial sales or business development experience preferred.
• Experience selling industrial capital equipment is required.
• Proven success developing new markets, acquiring customers, and closing complex equipment sales.
• Experience introducing new products, developing new applications, or establishing demand for emerging solutions is strongly preferred.
• Experience within Pulp & Paper, Biomass, Forestry, Wood Products, or related bulk material handling industries is preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to sell through consultative, value-based approaches rather than relying solely on product specifications or price.
• Experience managing long sales cycles involving technical, operational, and financial decision-makers.
• Experience with engineered-to-order, customized, or application-specific equipment is highly desirable.
• Ability to develop sufficient technical expertise to confidently discuss equipment capabilities, applications, and customer challenges.
• Strong understanding of pricing, margins, return on investment, and capital equipment purchasing decisions.
• Proven ability to independently develop a sales territory, generate leads, and maintain a disciplined pipeline.
• Strong negotiation, presentation, communication, and relationship-building skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Teams, and CRM/ERP systems; Epicor experience is a plus.
• Self-motivated, organized, accountable, and comfortable working independently in a remote environment.
• Willingness and ability to travel regularly to customer facilities, industry events, and business development meetings.

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Sales, Marketing, or a related field preferred.

Equivalent relevant experience in industrial capital equipment sales will be considered. Demonstrated sales performance and industry knowledge are valued over formal educational credentials.

Critical Skills and Attributes

Hunter Mentality & Determination: Demonstrates initiative, persistence, and the ability to create opportunities rather than waiting for incoming leads. Comfortable with rejection, long sales cycles, and the challenges of introducing new products.

Curiosity & Technical Learning: Genuinely interested in understanding customer operations, asking insightful questions, and identifying challenges that may lead to new equipment applications.

Empathy & Consultative Selling: Ability to understand customer perspectives, operational challenges, and business priorities before recommending solutions.

Humble Self-Confidence: Confident in presenting solutions and engaging decision-makers while remaining open to feedback, collaboration, and continuous learning.

Business & Financial Acumen: Understands pricing, profitability, ROI, and the financial considerations influencing industrial capital equipment purchases.

Communication & Relationship Building: Communicates effectively with technical, operational, commercial, and executive stakeholders while building credibility and long-term trust.

Accountability & Independence: Takes ownership of results, follows through on commitments, and effectively manages priorities without constant supervision.

Problem Solving: Identifies customer challenges, gathers relevant technical and commercial information, and works collaboratively to develop practical solutions.

Physical Demands

Occasionally: Standing, walking, climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, and navigating industrial facilities or customer job sites.

Regularly: Sitting, computer use, virtual meetings, driving, and air travel.

This position is home-based, with Microsoft Teams serving as a primary communication platform for internal collaboration.

Travel Requirements

Regular domestic/international travel is an essential part of this remote position, including customer site visits, prospect meetings, facility assessments, trade shows, and industry events. Overnight travel and occasional international travel may be required.

Travel schedules will vary based on customer opportunities, market development activities, and business needs.

What Success Looks like

The successful candidate will establish Columbia Industries as a recognized equipment solutions provider within the Pulp, Paper & Biomass markets by:

• Building a qualified pipeline of new customers and opportunities.
• Creating demand for Columbia's new equipment solutions.
• Establishing relationships with key industry decision-makers.
• Identifying unmet market needs and opportunities for engineered solutions.
• Converting new opportunities into profitable equipment sales.
• Contributing market intelligence that helps guide future product development and business growth.

At Columbia Industries, we believe in Creating Incredible Solutions That Transform Industries. We are looking for someone who shares that mindset and is excited by the opportunity to build something new, challenge conventional thinking, and help customers solve problems others have not