Lena Caponigro honored for sales career built on trust and persistence

Lena Caponigro, a National Account Executive at Steritech in the Greater Chicago Area, is being recognized for a 20-plus-year career in national sales, account management, and business development. Her story highlights how long sales cycles, relationship-building, and integrity can drive lasting success in foodservice and retail.

Why it matters: - Lena Caponigro’s career reflects how national sales leaders can win and keep business by combining persistence, trust, and follow-through. - Her work at Steritech touches safety, cleanliness, and regulatory compliance for multi-location retail and foodservice brands, areas that affect customer experience and operational risk. - Her recognition by Influential Women highlights the growing visibility of women leaders in sales and business development.

What happened: - Influential Women recognized Lena Caponigro, a National Account Executive at Steritech in the Greater Chicago Area, for a career built on relationships and integrity. - Caponigro has more than two decades of experience across sales, account management, business development, and customer-facing industries. - Her career has included roles with Arctic Glacier Premium Ice, Franklin Machine Products, and Aramark Refreshment Services. - She studied Business Administration at Robert Morris University – Illinois before moving from early administrative and entry-level sales roles into field sales, regional sales, and national account leadership. - Caponigro’s profile is featured through her Influential Women profile.

The details: - At Steritech, Caponigro works with multi-location retail, foodservice, and other customer-facing brands. - Her role includes helping clients strengthen safety, cleanliness, and regulatory compliance programs. - She also identifies scalable solutions aimed at reducing operational risk, improving consistency, and supporting a better customer experience. - Her sales background spans convenience stores, groceries, national sales, food and beverage, retail, trade shows, account management, contract negotiation, cold calling, CRM systems, business development, and Salesforce.com. - Her certifications and training have supported her work in complex customer relationships and competitive sales environments. - Caponigro says successful sales require understanding customer needs, finding improvement opportunities, communicating clearly, and becoming a trusted partner rather than just a vendor. - One recent win came after she pursued an account for five years following her start at Steritech. - She says the delayed close reinforced her belief that opportunities often take longer than expected. - Caponigro credits mentors who encouraged confidence, resilience, and persistence as she advanced through each stage of her career. - She is involved with the Women’s Foodservice Forum, a foodservice industry organization. - Outside work, Caponigro spends time with her niece and two nephews, enjoys the outdoors with her fiancé, and follows the Chicago Bears as a season-ticket holder.

Between the lines: - Caponigro’s story is less about a single breakthrough than about steady progression across roles and industries. - Her emphasis on integrity suggests a sales philosophy rooted in long-term account value instead of quick wins. - The five-year account pursuit shows how relationship-driven selling can reward patience in industries with extended decision cycles. - Her focus on women entering sales points to a broader message about confidence, resilience, and professional development in a demanding field.

What's next: - Caponigro is likely to keep focusing on long-cycle sales, client relationships, and compliance-driven solutions at Steritech. - Her continued involvement in industry groups and professional training suggests an ongoing emphasis on growth and connection. - Her profile positions her as part of a wider effort to elevate women leaders who are shaping sales and customer-facing industries.

The bottom line: - Lena Caponigro’s career shows how trust, persistence, and integrity can turn years of follow-up into durable business relationships and long-term success.