Willis Marketing

What Willis Marketing does

Willis Marketing is a privately held food brokerage firm founded in 1962 by Wayne Willis, headquartered in Fife, Washington, with regional offices in Portland, Oregon and Boise, Idaho. The company operates as a sales agent for food manufacturers, earning commissions by securing shelf placement, managing category relationships, and providing in-store merchandising support with major grocery retailers across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska. Its category focus is perishable foods, particularly deli and bakery, serving both Fortune 500 brands (Hormel, Applegate, Tillamook, Taylor Farms, Bimbo Bakehouse, Saputo, Arla) and local/regional manufacturers seeking Northwest market representation.

The company's service offering rests on four integrated pillars: account management, customer service, in-store sales support, and a mobile retail technology platform that enables field merchandisers to capture and share real-time shelf-level intelligence. The go-to-market motion is sales-led and relationship-driven, relying on account executives and field merchandisers who directly engage retail buyers at chains including Safeway, Albertsons, Fred Meyer, QFC, WinCo Foods, Whole Foods Market, and Haggen, as well as independent regional grocers and wholesale distributors such as UNFI and KeHe. The company employs more than 30 staff across its three offices and positions itself as "The Northwest's leading food broker," with over 60 years of continuous regional operation.

Revenue is generated through broker commissions from vendor partners (food manufacturers) for market representation and sales performance. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated individually with manufacturer clients. The company remains independently owned with no disclosed parent company, institutional investors, or private equity backing. Tim Stacklie serves as President. Revenue figures, funding events, and detailed ownership structure are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Willis Marketing

Legal name

Willis Marketing

Website

https://willismarketing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Willis Marketing is a privately held Pacific Northwest food broker founded in 1962, earning commissions by representing food manufacturers (from local brands to Fortune 500) in deli and bakery categories with major grocery retailers across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tacoma

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Food Brokerage Commissions: Willis Marketing operates as a food broker acting as sales agents for manufacturers. The company earns commissions for facilitating product placement with retailers and providing ongoing sales support including in-store merchandising. Revenue is generated through broker commissions from vendor partners (manufacturers) for market representation and sales performance in the Northwest region.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Willis Marketing operates as a food broker acting as sales agents for food manufacturers, providing market representation and working closely with key retailers in the Pacific Northwest (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska). The company specializes in perishable foods, specifically deli and bakery categories, offering high-quality service and sales through strong buyer relationships. Revenue is generated through broker commissions from manufacturer clients for retail product placement and ongoing in-store sales support.

Product overview

Willis Marketing operates as a unified food brokerage platform offering a comprehensive suite of services centered on perishable food sales (deli and bakery) in the Northwest United States. The core offering is food brokerage services, supported by four integrated service pillars: Account Management, Customer Service, In-Store Sales Support, and Mobile Retail Technology. Together, these services enable manufacturers (ranging from local to Fortune 500) to achieve market representation and retail success through trusted partnerships with key retailers. The company was founded in 1962 and employs over 30 staff across offices in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food Brokerage Services Willis Marketing serves as sales agents for food manufacturers, providing market representation and working closely with key retailers in the Northwest (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska). The company focuses on perishable foods, specifically deli and bakery categories, offering high-quality service and sales through strong buyer relationships, dedicated account management, in-store sales support, and field merchandising.

Named customers18 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SafewaycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor retail chain partner across Washington markets. Willis Marketing facilitates product placement and sales support for vendors seeking Safeway shelf placement.
• AlbertsonscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor retail chain partner operating stores across Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Primary distribution channel for vendor products.
• Fred MeyercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor retail chain partner in Oregon. Willis Marketing facilitates connections between vendors and Fred Meyer buyers.
• QFCcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional grocery chain partner in Washington. Willis Marketing works with QFC buyers to place and support vendor products.
• WinCo FoodscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional grocery chain partner in Idaho. Willis Marketing facilitates vendor relationships and product placement with WinCo.
• Whole Foods MarketcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational natural and organic grocery chain partner. Willis Marketing connects specialty food manufacturers with Whole Foods buyers.
• UNFIcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor wholesale food distributor partner. UNFI provides distribution infrastructure for vendors represented by Willis Marketing.
• KeHecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNatural and organic wholesale distributor partner. KeHe serves as distribution channel for specialty vendors in the Willis Marketing network.
• HaggencoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional grocery chain partner in Washington. Willis Marketing facilitates vendor representation and product placement at Haggen stores.
• New SeasonscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional grocery chain partner in Oregon. Specialty food retailer with focus on local and organic products.
• PCC Community MarketscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommunity-owned grocery co-op partner in Washington. Willis Marketing connects local and specialty vendors with PCC buyers.
• ApplegatecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPremium deli meat and specialty food manufacturer partner. Willis Marketing represents Applegate products to Northwest retailers.
• HormelcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor food manufacturing corporation partner. Willis Marketing facilitates Hormel product distribution across Northwest retail channels.
• Taylor FarmscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFresh food and produce manufacturer partner. Willis Marketing represents Taylor Farms products to Northwest retail buyers.
• Tillamook CreamerycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPremium dairy and cheese manufacturer partner. Willis Marketing represents Tillamook products across Northwest retail partners.
• Bimbo BakehousecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor bakery and bread manufacturer partner. Willis Marketing facilitates Bimbo Bakehouse product placement in Northwest retailers.
• Kings HawaiiancoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHawaiian-style bakery and food manufacturer partner. Willis Marketing represents Kings Hawaiian to Northwest retail chains.
• ArlacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational dairy cooperative partner. Willis Marketing represents Arla dairy products to Northwest retailers.
• SaputocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor dairy processing and specialty cheese manufacturer partner. Willis Marketing represents Saputo products in the Northwest market.
• Jennie-OcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTurkey and protein products manufacturer partner. Willis Marketing facilitates Jennie-O product placement across Northwest retailers.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• UNFI: Largest US wholesale natural and conventional food distributor, and current Willis partner. Operates at an adjacent step in the grocery supply chain with a much broader product portfolio and national scale.
• C&S Wholesale Grocers: Largest US private wholesale grocery distributor serving retail chains across multiple regions. Adjacent supply-chain role with overlapping grocery retail customer base and significantly larger scale than Willis.
• KeHE Distributors: Major wholesale food distributor specializing in natural and specialty products, and current Willis partner. Adjacent distribution role with overlapping retail customer base and complementary go-to-market in the natural channel.

Direct peers

• Crossmark: National retail sales and marketing services firm offering retail execution, brokerage, and merchandising services. Closely comparable to Willis's field-sales-driven broker model serving CPG manufacturers and grocery retailers.
• Hamrick: Regional food broker with similar manufacturer-retailer representation services across multiple US states (Southwest focus). Comparable regional broker model with field-sales execution for CPG brands.
• Daymon: Global retail brand development and food brokerage firm representing manufacturers across retail channels. Comparable business model with category-specific expertise and similar broker/representation services.
• Straton Inc: Regional food broker offering sales and marketing services between manufacturers and retailers across multiple categories. Comparable business model and mid-scale regional broker profile to Willis Marketing.
• Advantage Solutions: Largest US food broker and retail services company operating the same manufacturer-to-retailer representation model as Willis, with national coverage across all major food categories. The most direct comparable for Willis's brokerage business model.
• Acosta: Historical major US food broker (now part of Advantage Solutions) that historically served as the largest direct competitor to regional brokers like Willis with similar manufacturer-to-retailer representation services across food categories.
• Sales Force Inc: Food broker serving manufacturers and retailers with sales representation services across multiple states. Comparable regional broker model with multi-state field coverage and manufacturer-retailer representation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/willismarketing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/willis-marketing-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Willis Marketing