Résumé

Maxwell Salonna

Maxwell Salonna in a dark blazer, standing under a stone archway at Saint Joseph's University

Portfolio · 2026

Food Marketing + Business Intelligence & Analytics. Turning shelf data into category strategy.

Now: Business Insights Co-op @ C.A. Ferolie

Saint Joseph's University
Class of 2027 · Philadelphia, PA

See my work
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Category ManagementNielsenIQ DiscoverFood MarketingConsumer Panel DataFoodservice SalesTrade Shows

(01) About

I'm Max, a Food Marketing and Business Intelligence & Analytics student at Saint Joseph's University. I turn NielsenIQ scan and panel data into stories that executives act on, and I've been learning the food business from every side of the counter.

Max smiling in a dark suit and polka-dot tie, wearing a Future Food Industry Leaders name badge
FFIL 2025 Future Food Industry Leaders event at SJU

A little more about me.

I grew up in Manalapan, New Jersey, and food has been my job for years: serving and bussing at a kosher deli, ringing up customers at an Italian market, delivering for a local pizzeria (and training its new drivers), and serving at Gullifty's in Bryn Mawr.

Those jobs showed me how customers actually choose what they eat and drink. Now I get to study it from the other side, in the data. The intersection of food and analytics is exactly where I want to build my career.

Hometown
Manalapan, NJ
Majors
Food Marketing · BI & Analytics
Family
A twin. My brother's FMK too
Languages
English · Italian (intermediate)

0+

Digital menus analyzed at PepsiCo

0+

Top accounts optimized across PA & IN

$0K

MAFTO scholarship, 2026

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Teams I oversee as FMA Executive VP

(02) Experience

From the shelf to the boardroom.

Turning syndicated data into category strategy for food & beverage brands.

Max with the C.A. Ferolie team at a Wakefern Trade Show booth lined with snack and confectionery displays
Wakefern Trade Show With the C.A. Ferolie team · Edison, NJ
Max in a suit with two fellow C.A. Ferolie co-ops at the Food Marketing Hall of Honor
Hall of Honor C.A. Ferolie co-ops at the Food Marketing Hall of Honor
  1. 01

    Category & consumer insights

    Lead the development of data-driven category and consumer insights using NielsenIQ Discover scan and panel data, delivering recommendations that drove client growth and retailer engagement.

  2. 02

    Assortment & whitespace

    Identify assortment optimization opportunities and category whitespace across key retail accounts, influencing client strategies and supporting revenue-generating initiatives.

  3. 03

    Data into narrative

    Transform complex syndicated, retailer and consumer data into compelling stories that help executive stakeholders make informed business decisions.

  4. 04

    New business

    Support new business development through consultative analysis, strategic storytelling and client presentations, and build sales and marketing assets that strengthen brand positioning.

  5. 05

    Thought leadership

    Authored thought-leadership content for Industry Update, C.A. Ferolie's CPG industry publication and a 2025 MarCom Gold winner.

See my insight slides

On the show floor

Drag or swipe

Max and three C.A. Ferolie co-ops on an escalator above the busy Boston Seafood Show floor
03.26Boston Seafood Show
Max with two teammates at a trade-show booth stocked with cookie, pie crust and candy displays
03.26Trade show · Lancaster, PA
Max and the C.A. Ferolie team in matching black shirts behind the company's table at the SJU career fair
Spring 26SJU Career Fair · C.A. Ferolie table

Learning the business from the route up: in stores, stadiums, plants and online menus.

Max standing beside a vintage Pepsi-Cola sign at the Northeast Philadelphia plant
Plant tour Beside a vintage Pepsi-Cola sign in Northeast Philly
  1. 01

    Field sales

    Partnered with the sales team to execute plans across large- and small-format stores in a defined territory, and sold in Foodservice programs and initiatives directly with customers.

  2. 02

    900+ digital menus analyzed

    Evaluated the digital presence of new-business customers: online ordering, beverage availability, product imagery, combos with a drink and third-party aggregators.

  3. 03

    Top-10 digital verification

    Optimized the online menus of the top accounts for every Foodservice rep in Pennsylvania and Indiana, covering 60+ accounts.

  4. 04

    Menu audits & combos

    Built customized digital menu audits for regional restaurant chains. When a menu item paired well with a Pepsi product, I designed a combo page to show the restaurant how it could sell more, alongside catering and aggregator fixes.

  5. 05

    Data & presentations

    Collected, charted and interpreted data, and prepared and delivered sales presentations to customers. Built an easy-access beverage image library and designed slides for a division-wide planning meeting.

  6. 06

    Route rides & network

    Rode along with key account managers and reps through stadium venues, a bottling plant and retail stores, and built a cross-functional network across marketing, supply planning and demand planning.

Interactive

What a menu fix looks like

A big part of the role was spotting online menus that were losing the drink sale. Drag the handle to compare a typical "before" with the kind of fix I recommended.

Illustrative example, not a real customer's menu. Product images from my PepsiCo beverage image library.

Route rides

Drag or swipe

Max with a PepsiCo key account manager on Saint Joseph's University's campus
09.18.24Route ride · Saint Joseph's campus
The Xfinity Live! entertainment venue in South Philadelphia under a blue sky
10.09.24Field work · Xfinity Live!
Inside the Xfinity Live! venue before opening, with bars and a blue counter
10.09.24Venue walk-through
A stainless-steel bottle filling machine seen from above on a plant tour
10.23.24Plant tour · Northeast Philly
Max with PepsiCo colleagues in front of a cooler stocked with Pepsi, Gatorade and Tropicana
11.05.24Retail route ride

(03) Insights portfolio

Data in. A story out.

At C.A. Ferolie I turn NielsenIQ, Mintel and industry data into one-page insight slides that help brands make their case to retailers. Here are a few of my favorites.

  • NielsenIQ Discover
  • Homescan panel
  • Mintel
  • Circana

To protect client data, brand, retailer and product names are replaced (Brand A, Retailer A) and dollar figures are hidden.

Insight slide showing Retailer A carries only 4 of Brand A’s top 10 items while the brand grows 76.3% in the rest of the market

Retailer sell storyNielsenIQ scan data2 slides

Closing a distribution gap

Brand A was up 76.3% in the rest of the market but nearly flat at Retailer A, which carried only 4 of its top 10 items. I sized what four best sellers could add and built the two-slide story.

Insight slide showing that 20% of Brand A’s shoppers are heavy buyers who account for 61% of its volume

Brand deep diveNielsenIQ Homescan panel

Who really buys Brand A

20% of Brand A’s shoppers are heavy buyers, and they drive 61% of its volume. 37% of them are Millennials or Gen Z, and 54% of the brand’s gains came from Brand B.

Insight slide: shoppers see food-scoring app ratings, not packages, and 87% put an item back when it scores poor or bad

Shopper behaviorReal planogram analysis

The algorithm shops first

I ran the items on an actual planogram through Yuka, the food-scoring app shoppers scan in store. 71% scored poor or bad, and 87% of shoppers put an item back when they see that.

(04) Leadership

Growing with the FMA.

SJU's Food Marketing Association connects students with the food industry. I joined in September 2023 and have taken on more every year.

  1. 2024–25 · Sophomore

    Director of Marketing

    One of two marketing directors reporting to the VP of Marketing.

  2. 2025–26 · Junior

    Vice President of Marketing

    Elected VP. Led a team of four marketing directors.

  3. 2026–27 · Senior Now

    Executive Vice President

    One of two EVPs. I oversee three teams (Professional Events, Executive Events and Marketing) and support each team's VP.

FMA reel The blind water taste test, from my year running FMA marketing. Watch with sound ↗
Max with two FMA teammates behind a bake-sale table with an FMA poster board
On campus FMA bake sale with the team

(05) Education & honors

Saint Joseph's University

Haub School of Business · Philadelphia, PA

Degree
B.S. Business Administration
Majors
Food Marketing · Business Intelligence & Analytics
Graduating
May 2027
GPA
3.5

  • MAFTO Scholarship Recipient

    May 2026

    Academy of Food Marketing

    One of two $5,000 scholarships awarded to Food Marketing rising seniors, made possible by the food industry's support of MAFTO's events.

    Read my bio on mafto.org

  • Sherlock Service Award

    Junior year

    Food Marketing, Saint Joseph's University

    A $500 award for juniors and seniors who are actively involved in, engaged with and give back to Food Marketing at SJU.

  • Dean's List

    Fall 2025

    Saint Joseph's University

  • Student Ambassador

    Apr 2024 – Present

    Haub School of Business

    Represent Haub at open houses and admitted students' days, presenting the value of a Food Marketing education and sharing my co-op experience with prospective students and families.

  • Investing Club

    Jan 2025 – Present

    Saint Joseph's University

  • Men's Intramural Basketball

    Sep 2023 – Present

    Saint Joseph's University

Max in a red SJU t-shirt walking across campus with fellow Food Marketing students
Academy of Food Marketing On campus at SJU
Max in a Food Marketing polo at an SJU Open House table beside a cooler display of sodas
Open House Repping Food Marketing for prospective students and families
Max in a suit and tie looking at a laptop with two Food Marketing classmates
Academy of Food Marketing Connect & network

Academy of Food Marketing photos courtesy of Saint Joseph's University, © Melissa Kelly Photography.

(06) Toolkit

The toolkit.

Category data, retail know-how and the presentation skills to make it land. Grab the sphere and give it a spin.

  • Category Management
  • NielsenIQ Discover
  • Homescan Panel
  • Category Insights
  • Assortment
  • Whitespace
  • Syndicated Data
  • Data Storytelling
  • Business Intelligence
  • Retail Accounts
  • Foodservice Sales
  • Digital Menus
  • Client Presentations
  • Executive Decks
  • Excel
  • PowerPoint
  • Trade Shows
  • Relationship Building
  • Consumer Insights
  • AI Agents

(07) Off the résumé

Life outside work.

I love my family and friends. I'm a twin, and my brother is a Food Marketing major at Saint Joe's too. Outside of work you'll find me snowboarding, running, reading or planning the next trip. Last year it was the Netherlands and Barcelona.

  • TwinMy brother's an FMK major at SJU too
  • SnowboarderWinters on the mountain
  • RunnerRan the Broad Street Run in 2026
  • ReaderAlways up for a good book
  • TravelerLast year: the Netherlands & Barcelona
Max taking a selfie in a snowboard helmet and goggles with family on a snowy ski slope
On the mountain
Max with his extended family around an outdoor dinner table under an umbrella
Family dinner
Max in a beanie taking a selfie with family under holiday lights at night
Holiday lights
Max taking a selfie with family in a garden courtyard full of palms
Family time
Max in a blazer and yellow tie with family in front of a brick wall of plaques
All dressed up
Max with two friends on a porch swing at a summer garden party
Summer hangs
Max smiling with his finisher's medal and race bib after the Broad Street Run
Broad Street Run, done
Max running down Broad Street with a crowd of runners near Philadelphia City Hall
Broad Street, past City Hall

(08) On the side

How I build with AI.

Building with AI is my passion project, the thing I do for fun outside of the data. I write a detailed brief, direct AI agents to do the building, and check every detail in a real browser before anything ships.

  1. 01

    Brief

    Goals, brand rules, content and what "done" looks like.

  2. 02

    Build

    AI agents write the code and generate the assets.

  3. 03

    Check

    Mobile, speed and every interaction, tested.

  4. 04

    Ship

    Plus plain-English guides so anyone can update it.

Featured build

The C.A. Ferolie website

A cinematic, one-page company site with scroll-driven video. All the copy lives in plain-text files, so non-technical staff can update it with one click.

(09) Ask Max

Ask Max.

Quick answers to the questions I get most. Tap one, or type your own.

Every answer was written by me.

Max Salonna

Usually replies instantly

Hey, I'm Max! Ask me about my work, the FMA or where you can meet me.

(10) What's next

What's next.

Upcoming conference

FMI Midwinter Executive Conference

January 20–23, 2027 · Gaylord Pacific, Chula Vista, CA

I'll be attending FMI Midwinter. If you'll be there too, connect with me. I'd love to meet up.

--Days
--Hours
--Min
--Sec
Connect with me
  1. Now

    Senior year · FMA Executive VP · Business Insights Co-op at C.A. Ferolie

  2. Jan 2027

    FMI Midwinter Executive Conference · Chula Vista, CA

  3. May 2027

    Graduate from Saint Joseph's University

(11) Connect

Connect with me.

Have a role, a project or a question? I'd love to hear from you.

ms10792412@sju.edu LinkedIn Download résumé

--:-- in Philadelphia

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