| Andy Blanton President MBM Corporation | |
| Andy Puzder CEO CKE Restaurant Holdings, Inc. Andy joined CKE in 1997 as executive vice president and general counsel. He is broadly credited with resurrecting Hardee’s and turning CKE from a heavily indebted company with declining profit and sales to a profitable, stable and growing company. Prior to joining CKE, Andy served as executive vice president, general counsel for Fidelity National Financial, Inc and CEO of Santa Barbara Restaurant Group, Inc. He is co-author of the book Job Creation: How It Really Works and Why Government Doesn’t Understand It and a frequent author and commentator on economic, political and legal issues in influential outlets including the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, The Hill CNBC and others. | |
| Anne Readhimer Sr. Director Fresh Food Innovation 7-Eleven, Inc. Anne leads the team that works on the creative front end innovation for new product platforms, refreshes to existing platforms, packaging design and food operations design. Prior to 7–Eleven Anne spent almost 10 years with Yum! Restaurants International, beginning her career as a product developer in innovation and ultimately leading innovation as Director of Innovation for Pizza Hut, International and KFC International.Anne holds both a Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and a Masters in Food Science from Texas A&M. She is well respected for her creativity, culinary passion and collaboration. | |
| Annica Kreider VP Brand Development Mellow Mushroom Annica has over 15 years of experience in brand development and sales management in the restaurant, retail, publishing and agency businesses. Raised by a NASA engineer, she’s a nerd at heart whose idea of a good time is cooking and shopping with her three daughters and watching SEC football. She also serves on several restaurant industry councils and is the marketing chairman for Share Our Strength’s Dine Out for No Kid Hungry. | |
| Bill McClellan Vice President, Foodservice Dawn Food Products | |
| Carl Howard COEX Co-Chair - President & CEO Fazoli’s Carl is credited with turning around America’s largest fast-casual Italian restaurant chain. When he arrived at Fazoli’s in 2008, the restaurant’s future was in doubt. Previous management had cut food quality and focused on discounts. Today, Fazoli’s is growing again as sales records are being set. Howard reengineered and repositioned Fazoli’s from a struggling quick-service concept to one of the industry’s most innovative, trend-setting fast-casual brands with staying power. His vision: provide the growing, cash-strapped middle class with a casual dining experience at a quick-service price. Howard is a graduate of The Ohio State University, a FastCasual.com Top Executive of the Year and American Business Awards Executive of the Year. | |
| Chris Sullivan Co-Founder Outback Steakhouse / BOD Bloomin’ Brands Chris T. Sullivan is one of the founders of Outback Steakhouse and OSI Restaurant Partners, LLC. He also formerly held the titles of director and chairman and is currently a board member at Bloomin’ Brands. | |
| Cicely Simpson Executive VP of Policy and Government Affairs National Restaurant Association Leveraging more than 13 years of leadership experience in legislative affairs and public policy, Cicely leads the Association’s advocacy and political strategy at all levels government: federal, state, and local. Prior to joining the National Restaurant Association, she served as Vice President of Government Affairs at Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. Cicely received a Juris Doctor from Pepperdine University’s School of Law, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Lipscomb University in Nashville. | |
| Dan Barash Vice President, Culinary Innovation Focus Brands | |
| Dan Phalen Corporate Executive Chef Luby’s Fuddruckers | |
| Dary Still Vice President, Supply Chain Boston Market Daryl Still is a 25 year foodservice industry veteran. In 2007 Daryl became Vice President of Distribution for Supply Management Services, the supply chain cooperative for Popeyes and Cinnabon. He eventually became President and COO of SMS and served in that capacity until he left in 2014 to serve as COO of Associated Concepts Group, representing the restaurant brands owned by Sun Capital, including Boston Market Corporation. Associated Concepts Group was disbanded in 2015, and Mr. Still assumed his current role as Vice president of Supply Chain for Boston Market Corporation in Golden CO, with responsibility for all direct and indirect spend for the organization. | |
| David Goldstein VP, Chief Operating Officer Sharky’s Woodfired Grill David has an extensive background in the fast casual sector as a restaurant industry veteran with more than 25 years of progressive management, operations and R&D experience. He has been Vice President and Chief Operating Officer since 2008. His extensive experience in organizing and directing success efforts to establish new enterprises, enhance business volumes and profitable operations is a valulable asses to the Sharky’s organization. David’s ability to teach, train and motivate other to perform at their highest level has been a great contribution towards Sharky’s current success. | |
| David Rizley COEX CHAIR VP of Strategic Accounts SCA Tissue North America, LLC David leads National Accounts in North America for SCA, a leading global hygiene and forest products company that develops and produces personal care, tissue and forest products. His responsibility includes National Accounts for the Tork® brand of Away-from-Home professional hygiene products. David oversees the Foodservice Distribution, Foodservice National Accounts, Commercial, Healthcare, Industrial, and Public Interest National Account Sales Teams. He establishes and executes the sales strategies aligned to each of these industry segments and coordinates global customer programs and opportunities. David has 26 years of industry experience. | |
| Eve Turow Paul Author, “A Taste of Generation Yum” Eve is the author of A Taste of Generation Yum where she investigates the driving forces behind the younger generation’s obsession with food. Today, she utilizes her four years of empirical research to advise Fortune 500 companies, start-ups and independent entrepreneurs on how to connect with and better serve young consumers. Eve formerly worked at the New York Times contributor and cookbook author Mark Bittman. Her writing has appeared in a number of publications including The Chicago Tribune, Plate, Time Out New York, The Atlantic, Huffington Post and more. | |
| Gary Bales COEX CO-CHAIR - Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer Focus Brands Inc. A 35-year veteran of the hospitality industry, Gary joined Carvel® in 2002 from TCBY® where he was Vice President of Marketing. Prior to that, Gary owned and operated 21 franchised Zukav Juice® franchise locations. During his tenure with Focus Brands Gary has held several positions including; VP Marketing for Carvel and Cinnabon, President of Carvel, President of Cinnabon and Chief Concept Officer where he managed the Business Development Group, Creative Services and Supply Chain. Gary was named the Chief Brand Officer in 2015 and is responsible for global marketing strategies including brand architecture, insights and marketing best practices for all the brands. | |
| Jack Li Managing Director Datassential Jack Li spearheads Datassential's custom insights and new products initiatives.Jack has led hundreds of research studies for foodservice manufacturers and distributors across a broad array of topics.Jack holds an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA and is a 2003 recipient of the IFMA Sparkplug award. | |
| Jason Fischer Director of Distribution, Logistics & Inventory Chick-Fil-A | |
| John Coker Executive Vice President, Corporate Strategy, Brand Development and Marketing AVI Foodsystems John’s vision not only created but defined a new division for AVI in 2007. AVI Fresh is renowned for a holistic approach to dining services that features sustainable, environmentally sensitive and nutritionally balanced menus created by chefs on each property. John has been a featured speaker at national conferences on stealth health for colleges, universities and K-12 programs. He was appointed by the Governors of Ohio, both past and present, to advise on Ohio Food Policy and lead a statewide initiative on Ohio made products called, “Ohio Proud.” He has studied at the College of William and Mary, St. John’s College and the School of Hotel and Administration at Cornell University. | |
| John Miller COEX - CO-CHAIR President and CEO Denny’s Corporation John is responsible for leading the strategic direction of the Company. He joined Denny’s in February 2011 and is an accomplished restaurant industry veteran, bringing more than 30 years of restaurant operations and management experience . Prior to joining Denny's, John served as Chief Executive Officer of Taco Bueno Restaurants, Inc and spent 17 years with Brinker International where he held numerous management positions, including President of Romano's Macaroni Grill and President of Brinker's Mexican Concepts, responsible for overseeing On the Border and Cozymel's. | |
| Josh Halpern COEX VICE CHAIR - VP, National Retail Sales - On-Premise & Military Anheuser-Busch Josh is responsible for managing the On-Premise and Military National Retail Sales teams, with direct emphasis on the casual dining, gaming, concessions, lodging, and Military channels. He also plays a significant role in developing and executing the overall On-Premise sales strategy, and ensuring that ABI gets a positive return on our marketing investment. Josh also serves on the board of the VFW (Veterans of Foreign War) Foundation, and on the board of the National Restaurant Association Military Foundation. | |
| Ken Shearer Senior Vice President, Sales & Business Development Havi Global Solutions | |
| Krista Pohlman COEX -CO-CHAIR Sr. Director, Program Management Wendy’s QSCC Krista currently leads the Program Management team for the Quality Supply Chain Co-op, Inc. (QSCC). QSCC is the supply chain and purchasing co-op for all Wendy’s restaurant operators in North America. Krista and her team are responsible for ensuring the right amount of food, equipment and smallwares are available to the distribution network at the right time to support the annual menu tests, promotions, national launches and product disengagements. Prior to new product introduction and implementation, Krista’s team reviews projections, develops the supply plan and also defines the mitigation strategy to minimize obsolescence and assurance costs. | |
| Leslie Dean Director, Supply Chain Togo’s Eateries | |
| Lisa Ingram President & CEO White Castle Lisa Ingram is President and CEO of White Castle System, Inc. She is the 4th Ingram family member to serve as President of the iconic company – the nation’s first fast food chain. In her role as President, Lisa oversees all company operations including the restaurant division, retail food division, meat plants, and bakeries. As the great granddaughter of founder E.W. “Billy” Ingram, Lisa has a unique perspective on the role family business plays in the larger economy, and first-hand experience safeguarding the iconic brand equity of White Castle. Lisa received her BBA degree from Southern Methodist University and her MBA from The Ohio State University where she was awarded the Academic Excellence in Consulting award from her professors. | |
| Mark Hampton Chief Supply Chain Officer American Blue Ribbon Holdings Mark has 35+ years of hospitality experience and serves as a Member of the executive leadership team at ABRH. He oversees all aspects of supply chain management including the purchasing, distribution and quality assurance functions for American Blue Ribbon Holdings and its four brands, O’Charley’s, Ninety Nine, Village Inn and Bakers Square. | |
| Nancy Kruse President The Kruse Company Nancy is the best-known and most widely quoted menu analyst in the restaurant industry. She authors The Kruse Report, a column on trends that appears monthly in Nation’s Restaurant News. Prior to founding her own company, she was Executive Vice President of Technomic, Inc. Nancy was a Woodrow Wilson fellow in Russian Literature at the University of Wisconsin and also received a Master of Arts degree from the Film School of Northwestern University. More recently, she completed coursework at the Culinary Institute of America, where she is a frequent lecturer. Named by Linked In as one of the Top 100 INfluencers in the US, she blogs regularly on food-related topics on the Linked-In website. | |
| Natt Fry Managing Director – Seamless Retail Accenture | |
| Phil M. Kafarakis Chief Innovation & Member Advancement Officer National Restaurant Association Phil Kafarakis is the Chief Innovation & Member Advancement Officer for the National Restaurant Association. His responsibilities include Membership, Strategic Marketing, Product & Services Business Development, Innovation, Strategic Partnerships and International. Phil has over 30 years of brand management, business development and strategic planning experience in the food and beverage industry. Prior to joining the National Restaurant Association, Phil held various executive leadership positions at McCormick & Co., Cargill, Aqua-Novus Corp., Jones Dairy Farm, Oscar Mayer Foods Corp., where he started his career and later at Kraft USA. | |
| Randy White VP Retail Information Technology Focus Brands | |
| Renae Scott Chief Marketing Officer Togo’s Eateries | |
| Rich Kamph Vice President, Global Supply Chain Focus Brands | |
| Scott Allmendinger Director of Consulting Culinary Institute of America | |
| Scott Hoffland Executive Director, Retail Operations University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee | |
| Sean Reiter VP Branding & Sales Specialty’s Café & Bakery | |
| Shara Orem Director of Corporate Relations for Strategic Initiatives Culinary Institute of America Shara has been with The Culinary Institute of America for over 11 years where she contributes to program strategy, menu development, and manufacturer and association collaborations for twelve leadership retreats, collaboratives, and conferences each year. She managed CIA Consulting programs before joining her current team with the Strategic Initiatives Group, which aims to advance the foodservice industry on four thought leadership platforms: professional excellence, health and wellness, world cuisines and cultures, and sustainability and food ethics. Shara holds a BS in Hotel and Restaurant Management from Boston University’s School of Hospitality Administration. | |
| Shawn Eby VP Operations Taco Johns As Vice President of Operations, Shawn brings years of experience from chains including Dairy Queen, Burger King and Arby’s Restaurant Group to TJI. Shawn’s goals include streamlining operations to enhance consistency, help with speed of service and improve unit level economics. “At the end of the day, our focus is on providing great food and customer service.” | |
| Stacey Kane Chief Marketing Officer East Coast Wings Stacey joined East Coast Wings & Grill in February 2015 and leads the brand positioning, digital marketing, customer acquisition and social media platforms, with an increased focus on data analytics, franchise sales and brand culture. | |
| Stephen Bulgarelli VP Food & Beverage Innovation Chili’s Grill & Bar Stephen oversees menu innovation and culinary operations for all of Chili’s domestic and international restaurants. He joined Brinker in 2010 as Senior Director of Culinary, where he was responsible for driving menu development and innovation for Chili’s restaurants outside of the United States. Stephen currently sits on the Board for the International Corporate Chefs Association. His work has been recognized by Nation’s Restaurant News (2007 MenuMasters Award: Best Menu Revamp) and also carried him to the TV screen where he appeared as a Celebrity Guest Judge on Bravo’s “Top Chef” Season 2. Stephen holds an associate’s degree in Culinary Arts from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. | |
| Steve Brooks Director of Purchasing, Brand Development and IT Tumbleweed Tex Mex Grill and Margarita Bar | |
| Steve Pattison Chief Financial Officer and VP Business Analysis & Risk Management Restaurant Service Inc. RSI is an independent purchasing and distribution services cooperative formed for the purpose of purchasing and managing the supply chain for all products and services necessary to operate Burger King restaurants in the United States. Steve has served on several non-profit boards of directors over his professional career. Since 1999, he has been a member of the board of directors and past Chairman of ARC Broward, an agency improving the lives of those with disabilities. Steve serves on the Board of the National Restaurant Association Supply Chain Executive Study Group, where he was recently elected Treasurer and also chairs the Best Practices subcommittee | |
| Wally Doolin Chairman TDn2K Wally is a widely recognized and respected leader within the global hospitality industry. His unique experience working with multiple concepts on a global basis in a range of circumstances from turn around, start up, high growth, public ownership and private ownership, as well as his commitment to the foodservice industry has established him as a trusted, competent and effective leader.Wally is chairman of TDn2K, the holding company of People Report, the leader in human capital business intelligence for the restaurant industry, Black Box Intelligence and White Box Social Intelligence. He is the founder of Black Box Intelligence, and serves as a trustee of the National Restaurant Association. | |
| Warren Solochek President, Foodservice The NPD Group Warren joined NPD’s Foodservice group in 2003. His responsibilities include overseeing relationships with all existing CREST® clients, both operators and manufacturers. His role at NPD gives him a great deal of insight into today’s Foodservice industry issues and trends, and helps him anticipate the issues the industry will face in the future. Prior to coming to NPD, Warren spent five years running client service and product development at Concept Shopping, Inc. (CSI). CSI was a consumer promotion company that utilizes retailer loyalty card data to target individualized promotions. | |
