Ed began his foodservice career with Campbell Soup Company in 1981 as a Sales Specialist in Northern Florida, based in Jacksonville. In 1983, he moved to Atlanta, GA, where he was promoted to District Supervisor, overseeing sales across the Southeastern U.S. In 1984, Ed joined Quaker Oats Company as District Sales Manager for the Southeastern U.S., managing the rapidly growing Foodservice Division. Two years later, he was promoted to National Training Manager at Quaker’s headquarters in Chicago, IL, where he developed training programs for the beverage subsidiaries, Ardmore Farms and Richardson Foods, gaining significant knowledge of the juice industry.
In 1989, Ed left Quaker to pursue a passion project—developing a training aid titled The Job Interview: The Key to Landing the Job. After a one-year hiatus promoting his book, Ed returned to the foodservice industry, quickly securing a consultant position with McCain Citrus, the world's largest private label retail juice concentrate manufacturer. Six months later, he joined full-time, leading sales growth from $6 million to $15 million in under two years.
During his time at McCain, Ed developed a strong partnership with Profitime, eventually leading to an offer to join the company. In 1992, Ed became Vice President of Sales at Profitime, where he doubled sales and expanded the company's reach from the East Coast to Japan. In 2012, Ed was promoted to President of Profitime.
Russ Burgess, Managing Partner of Profitime, is a native Californian from Sylmar. He married his high school sweetheart, Lori, in 1982, and they have two children, including their daughter, Emily, who is now a valued member of the Profitime team.
Russ joined Profitime early in his career, quickly demonstrating exceptional talents in equipment diagnostics, including electrical, mechanical, and refrigeration systems. His creative problem-solving skills led to his promotion to Service Manager in 1989 at just 26 years old, where he oversaw all of Profitime’s service activities.
In 1992, Russ was promoted to Operations Manager of Profitime’s sister company, California Apple Products (CAP), and in 2010, he became its President. Under his leadership, CAP thrived, returning millions to its investors until 2018, when competition from larger Washington State processors made it unsustainable to continue apple processing in California.
After CAP's closure, Russ returned to Profitime as Managing Partner alongside Ed Sullivan. He now manages the Administration, Service, and Operations departments, playing a key role in the company’s overall success.
Humble Beginnings
Profitime started humbly in a garage in 1974, founded by Bert Lane and Sam Benoun, both with significant experience in the food service industry. They first met in the 1940s while working at Best Foods. With their expertise, Sunkist, a global leader in citrus products, approached them to create a company to manage and market their dispenser juice program. The new line, Profit Pak, inspired the company's name, Profitime. Initially, the business focused on distributing dispenser juice concentrates and maintaining post-mix juice dispensers.
Iced Tea
In 1978, Profitime secured the master distributorship for Lipton’s fresh-brewed tea in Southern California. This was a turning point for the company, as the Thomas J. Lipton Company recognized Profitime's ability to market beverage concentrates and back it up with exceptional dispenser service. The company then developed and managed Lipton's iced tea program in the region. By 1980, recognizing a need in the institutional market, Profitime began manufacturing and distributing liquid iced tea concentrates for dispensers.
Like Father, Like Son
In 1986, James Lane, with a background in distributed computing and systems analysis, joined the management team. He modernized the company’s service and beverage distribution programs, converting them into electronic databases and improving efficiency.
New Sales Management
In 1992, Profitime expanded by hiring Ed Sullivan, who brought experience from Campbell Soup, Quaker Oats, and McCain Citrus. His deep knowledge of juice programs and strong sales and marketing skills gave Profitime a fresh perspective and broadened its marketing scope.
New Juice Flavors Introduced
In 1993, Profitime became the first company to introduce tropical juice flavors—like Passion-OJ-Guava, Strawberry-Guava, and Kiwi Raspberry—into the dispenser juice market, a move that quickly became a trendsetting success.
Severing Ties with Sunkist
In January 1994, Profitime ended its relationship with Sunkist to gain more control over its future. By developing its own branded juice lines and selecting its own suppliers, the company removed obstacles to its growth. This led to the launch of the Millennium juice line.
Smoothie Bars Take Off
By 1996, Profitime saw a rising demand for juices tailored to the smoothie bar market. The company partnered with Southwest Traders, a premier smoothie distributor, pushing its juice concentrates to the top of the industry. These products were marketed under both the Rainbow’s End and Millennium brands.
Company Acquisition
In 2004, Profitime acquired Pacific Western Beverage (PWB), a juice dispenser company in Sacramento, CA, that had served Northern California for over 15 years. All PWB customers were seamlessly integrated into Profitime's programs.
Blue Frog Introduction
In 2012, Profitime launched Blue Frog, its first line of shelf-stable juice blends, featuring four flavors inspired by Snapple’s bestsellers.
Vitamin Waters Introduced
In 2015, Profitime introduced four sugar-free Vitamin Waters, targeting the university and healthcare markets. This health-focused line extended the Blue Frog product family.
Japan Partnership
Profitime partnered with the West Coast restaurant chain Coco’s Bakery, owned by the Japanese conglomerate ZENSHO. In 2014, Profitime helped ZENSHO switch the juice program for all 560 Coco’s locations in Japan from Coca-Cola/Minute Maid to their custom juice products, leading to annual sales exceeding $1 million.
Expansion to Hawaii
In 2018, Profitime partnered with H&W Foodservice, a distributor in Oahu, making over 15 of its products available to hospitality and healthcare facilities across Hawaii.
Military Contracts
In 2019, Profitime teamed up with US Dispense to supply dispenser-based products to the U.S. military. After adapting juices to meet the military’s specific needs, they won a contract to supply U.S. forces in Okinawa, Japan.
East Coast Expansion
In 2022, Profitime expanded its reach by acquiring the East Coast assets and customer base of Dispenser Beverage Inc. This move allowed the company to offer its comprehensive turnkey beverage solutions across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland.
Looking Ahead
The future is promising for Profitime, as it continues to develop new products and programs to meet the growing demand for dispenser-based beverages while delivering solutions to customers worldwide.
