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| Kraig Adams Vice President, National Foodservice Distribution Coca-Cola North America Kraig Adams is Vice President, National Foodservice Distribution for the Foodservice Operations & Customer Service organization at Coca-Cola North America. Kraig and his team manage the relationships with Foodservice Distributors and the operational activation of Coca-Cola Foodservice products across 425 Distributors, in more than 5,000 DCs serving over 640,000 foodservice customer outlets. He has held various roles in his 25 years at Coca-Cola including Retail Customer Supply Chain Solutions, Industry Development & Leadership, Customer Capabilities, EDI Implementations Services, and IT business management. Kraig also has experience outside Coca-Cola with various roles leading Marketing, Product Innovation, Category Management, and Sales Integration in the Children’s publishing and Seasonal Lighting Industries. He has been involved and led a variety of industry standards initiatives focused on supply chain efficiencies and data standards in collaboration with IFMA, IFDA, NRA and GS1. He is also a member of the GS1 US Foodservice Executive Leadership Committee. Kraig holds a BBA degree in Computer Information Sciences from the Georgia State University. He and his wife have two children and live in Atlanta, GA. | |
| 0 | Anne Albertine R&D Director Del Taco |
| Keith Anderkin Sr. Vice President, Procurement ARCOP (Arby’s) Keith began serving the Arby’s brand through ARCOP in 2006. He manages the Procurement and Supply Management teams that source food, beverage and packaging products, as well as promotion management and forecasting. Keith belongs to the National Council of Chain Restaurants (NCCR) and is an active member of the NRA Study Group on Emerging Issues. Prior to joining Arby’s, Keith served in various supply chain roles for companies such as Fazoli’s and Long John Silver’s. Keith attended The University of Kentucky where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. | |
| Tim Andersen Vice President-US Operations-Development McDonald’s USA, LLC Tim Andersen is Vice President of US Operations-Development. He leads the Operations Development, Menu Operations, Ops Innovation, Ops Six Sigma and USORT (US Operations Restaurant Technology) teams. Tim has been in this role since February, 2014. Tim started as a crew member for an Owner/Operator in South Dakota in 1979 before moving in 1982 to Las Vegas, where he rose through the restaurant and staff ranks to Director of Operations (and just happened to open the first McDonald’s in a casino). After 17 years in Las Vegas, Tim relocated to Southern California to lead the Operations, Training and Menu Management teams for the West Division. His first Officer position was when he was promoted to Regional manager in Portland in 2000. As the reorganization happened in the US business in 2001, Tim became a McOpCo Vice President where he was responsible for people, QSC, sales and profit results for the six regions in the West Division as well as portfolio management for the West Division. His leadership and collaboration contributed tremendously to the division’s positive results, growth and customer relevancy. In February, 2008, Tim became Vice President of Worldwide Operations under the Restaurant Solutions Group umbrella. In this role he also led the Strategic Operations Leadership Board (SOLB), which drives the Plan to Win globally; and added two more teams to his group during the three years in that role: Safety and Security/Executive Protection, and the Global Restaurant Measurements group. In February, 2011, Tim took on a familiar role to him, this time leading the company owned restaurants (McOpCo), this time leading the eight regions in the East Division of the US. Tim participated in the Global Leadership Development Program (GLDP) in 2010 and was the National Chair of the McDonald’s PRIDE network from 2011-2014. He is also on the Board of Directors for Up With People, a non-profit that uses music and community service as a means to communicate with and inspire young people. | |
| Craig Barber Chief Executive Officer American Blue Ribbon Holdings Craig has been with ABRH, LLC since October 2017. His responsibilities include leadership for the O’Charley’s and 99 Restaurant & Pub casual dining brands along with the Village Inn and Bakers Square family dining brands. ABRH owns 463 restaurants and franchises 97 franchised locations in 40 states. In addition, ABRH owns Legendary Baking which serves baked desserts and custom bakery items to restaurants, grocery retailers and others across the United States. Craig began his restaurant career in 1983 with Shoney’s, Inc. after six years with Ernst & Young. He left Shoney’s in 1997 after serving as Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Financial Officer with responsibility for all staff and administrative functions of $1.3 billion (revenues) (NYSE) restaurant company that operated and franchised over 1,475 (950 company-owned) multi-concept restaurants in 34 states.
Prior to ABRH, he most recently was a Denny’s franchisee and served for 10 years as Chair of the Denny’s Franchisee Association Board where he led a collaborative brand effort for alignment of priorities to create value and improve performance. Craig was born and raised in Nashville. His father served in the military for 43 years and was his mentor for leadership. | |
| Art Bell Partner Kinetic12 Art is a partner at Kinetic12, a Foodservice consulting firm based in Chicago. Art has more than 20 years of experience in consulting, client service and manufacturer marketing and sales and is one of the leaders of establishing best practices in collaborative planning within the Foodservice industry. As a partner with Kinetic12, Art works with leading Food companies to build new capabilities and organizations; develop and implement business strategies; and deliver positive enterprise value. Art has consulted with both B2B and B2C clients in areas such as new market evaluation, route-to-market strategy, customer & channel segmentation, category management, pricing & trade spend strategy and data analytics.
Prior to co-founding Kinetic12, Art was a partner at The Partnering Group. Earlier in his career, Art held various marketing and pricing/trade strategy roles at Sara Lee Foodservice and was a consultant at Deloitte Consulting.
Art has an MBA from the University of Michigan and received a BS in Commerce from the University of Virginia. Art is a registered Certified Public Accountant in Illinois.
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| TJ Brandenburg Sr. Principal Leader for Supply Planning and Logistics Chick-fil-A TJ Brandenburg is Sr. Principal Leader for Supply Planning and Logistics at Chick-fil-A. He has overall responsibility for Demand Planning, Inventory Management, and Inbound Logistics within the Supply Chain. Prior to coming to Chick-fil-A, he spent 10 years at the Coca-Cola Company working in various Supply Chain functions which include Network Strategy & Optimization, Data Segmentation, Distribution, and Field Operations. TJ has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Georgia State University. | |
| Chef Dan Coudreaut Managing Partner Coudreaut & Associates | Culinary Solutions Chef Dan Coudreaut has over 30 years’ experience in the restaurant industry and is a graduate from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America. From the white table cloth restaurants at the Four Seasons Hotel to the Drive-Thru at McDonald’s, Chef Dan has created and articulated a culinary vision that inspired real change in food quality, brand trust and all while driving the business. Chef Dan is a passionate, inspiring public speaker and advocate for Real Food and Honest Cooking. As a brand ambassador he has had countless media appearances both on a National and Global level. He has a proven track record of attracting and building high performance culinary teams in Menu Innovation, Product Development and Commercialization. Chef Dan is now the Managing Partner of Coudreaut & Associates | Culinary Solutions, a Culinary Consulting practice helping food Companies get the most out of their Culinary Teams. | |
| Craig C. Culver Co-Founder, Board Chairman, Brand Ambassador Culver Franchising System, LLC Raised in the small town of Sauk City, Wisconsin, Craig Culver never imagined he would become a leader in the food industry. Although he was raised in the business, Culver himself never planned for it to be his career. After graduating from University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh with a degree in biology, Culver was unsure about what to do with his life. Somewhat reluctantly, on the suggestion of his sister, he applied and was hired to manage a McDonalds. There he learned valuable lessons in successfully operating a restaurant. After a few years with McDonalds, Culver decided to embrace his entrepreneurial spirit to own his own restaurant. He approached his parents about purchasing an A&W restaurant the family had previously owned in Sauk City, WI. His father jumped at the opportunity. For the next six years, Craig and his family operated the business. In 1982, the Culver family sold the A&W restaurant one more time and purchased and operated a supper club for the next two years. However, Culver hoped that he would someday have the opportunity to own the A&W property again. In 1984, Culver and his family purchased the A&W property and gave the building a makeover. A blue roof was added; the walls were painted white, and a sign outside read “Culver’s Frozen Custard and ButterBurgers.” After a few years of hard work and worry, the company grew by word of mouth promotion, spurred on by quality products, passionate team members and a friendly atmosphere. There are now over 670 Culver’s franchises across 24 states and 25,000 team members. Culver retired as CEO in 2015 but is still involved in the business as board chairman and continues to be the face and champion of the brand. | |
| William Eudy Corporate Executive Chef McAlister’s Deli William Eudy brings more than 20 years of culinary experience to his current role as Corporate Executive Chef for McAlister’s Deli, where he oversees the menu concepts and kitchen operations for the company’s 440+ restaurants. Since joining McAlister’s in April 2015, Will has been responsible for bringing a wholesome, clean approach to crafting McAlister’s menu items from recipe development and sourcing, to the building of each dish. Along with a focus on handcrafted food and beverage offerings, Chef Will assists purchasing in the selection of quality products and strategic partners, while finding ways to improve current vendor relations and efficiency. Chef Will’s commitment to providing fresh ingredients and consistently high-quality food and service to McAlister’s guests has been integral as the brand continues to expand its footprint across the country. Before leading the culinary vision at McAlister’s, Will was the Executive Chef and Director of Research & Development for Best American Hospitality. While there, he led the creative advancement and menu development for Shoney’s restaurants, updated the buffet and a la Carte offerings and implemented fresh ingredients and original initiatives across all locations. Will was also a consulting chef for Le Vigne at Montaluce Winery, overseeing the property’s renovation and the development of a new seasonal, vineyard-inspired menu. In years prior, Will held executive chef roles at leading culinary and hospitality organizations including The Kimpton Group, Lettuce Entertain You, The Cafeteria Group, Buckhead Life Restaurant Group and Darden Restaurants.
An honors graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Chef Will remains an active member of the culinary community, participating in organizations including the American Culinary Federation, Chefs Collaborative and Culinary Institute of America Mentoring Association, supporting, educating and mentoring aspiring chefs.
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| LeAnne Garoutte Partner Kinetic12 LeAnne is a partner at Kinetic12, a Foodservice consulting firm based in Chicago. LeAnne has more than 25 years of marketing and communications experience within the foodservice industry including leadership positions at advertising agencies Darcy Masius Benton and Bowls, Earle Palmer Brown and prior to Kinetic12 LeAnne led the food division of Noble Communications. LeAnne has created go-to-market strategies, marketing and sales plans, brand architecture models, brand positioning, innovation pipelines and advertising and promotional programs for many of the top 100 food companies, including Tyson Foods, the J.M. Smucker Company, Heinz, Kraft, M&M Mars, Ventura Foods, Simplot, McCormick and many more.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Advertising from the University of Missouri, School of Journalism.
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| Mackenzie Gibson Senior Director of New Product Development SONIC®, Mackenzie Gibson serves as the senior director of New Product Development Marketing for the Oklahoma City-based national headquarters of SONIC®, America’s Drive-In®. She creates & leads the strategic product vision and new product development process for the SONIC® menu.
Mackenzie is industry recognized for her continued vision, creativity and expertise in menu development. She came to SONIC in 2008 as a Manager of Product Innovation where she developed SONIC’s signature beverages, ice cream treats, snacks, sides and breakfast items. Most recently, she has served as Sr. Director of Culinary Innovation, leading the culinary team in the day to day product development. During her time at SONIC, Mackenzie has had a long list of impressive accomplishments. She created and developed the Candy Slush line, featuring Nerds, SONIC’s real ice cream product line, the pickle juice snow cone slush and most recently, she worked on the Signature Slinger just to mention a few. She came to SONIC from Jack in the Box, where she held the title of senior research and development manager. Previous to that she worked in food manufacturing and held multiple positions at Gardenburger Authentic Foods, Inc.
Mackenzie starred in the Spike TV show Frankenfood and recently was a guest judge on the Great Food Truck Race with Tyler Florence.
While studying at Oklahoma State University, Gibson earned a bachelor’s degree in food product development with an additional focus in meat science and speech. She is certified as both a culinary arts for food technologist and advanced culinary arts for food technologist.
Born in Enid, Oklahoma, Gibson currently resides in Edmond, Oklahoma with her husband and two children.
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| Tim Hand Partner Kinetic12 Tim is a partner at Kinetic12, a Foodservice consulting firm based in Chicago. Tim has more than 25 years of experience in marketing and strategy and worked at Kraft Foods for 17 years where he managed the Canadian Kraft Foodservice business and was also head of strategy for the $2B North American Foodservice division.
Tim has worked as a consulting partner with IFMA on the development of best practices in category management planning with distributors, joint business planning with chain accounts and supply chain optimization.
He has an MBA from McMaster University in Ontario, and a Bachelor of Commerce degree in marketing.
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| General Russel Honoré Commander of Joint Task Force Katrina & Global Preparedness Authority Lt. General Russel L. Honoré helps organizations develop a culture of preparedness and problem solving with strategies for transforming individuals into take-charge leaders. As the commander of Joint Task Force Katrina, he became known as the “Category 5 General” for his striking leadership style in coordinating military relief efforts in post-hurricane New Orleans. A decorated 37-year army veteran and global authority on leadership, Gen. Honoré is the go-to expert on CNN, Fox, MSNBC and CBS on emergency and disaster preparedness and Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria crisis management. Drawing on his in-the-trenches experience managing conflicts of both the natural and man-made variety, his disciplined leadership takeaways inspire audiences in a range of fields, including business, management, government, military and education. His third book, Don’t Get Stuck on Stupid!, challenges society in the age of the new normal—a business environment where change and unpredictability are constants, and individual resilience is mandatory. Authentic and uplifting, Gen. Honoré delivers a bracing dose of candor in his talks with real-world leadership lessons that equip audiences with a preparedness mindset. Gen. Honoré shares his no-nonsense approach to getting the job done and instills confidence in tomorrow’s leaders. | |
| Katy Jones Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer FoodLogiQ Since joining FoodLogiQ in 2015, Katy Jones has served as a thought leader within the food industry, providing insight and education on the importance of supplier management and traceability across the food supply chain. She has held various leadership roles with increasing levels of responsibility at FoodLogiQ, including Vice President of Marketing, Chief Marketing Officer, and most recently, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer. In this position, Katy oversees all aspects of marketing and creates, communicates, executes, and sustains the strategic initiatives of the company’s cloud-based supplier transparency and traceability solution called FoodLogiQ Connect. Under Katy’s leadership, FoodLogiQ has consistently earned recognition and awards for innovation, performance and investor funding.
Katy holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a master’s degree in data marketing communications from West Virginia University. In addition to her membership in the Chief Marketing Officer Club, she is a 2017 recipient of the Triangle Business Journal C-Suite Award.
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| 0 | Lisa Kartzman Senior Director of Supply Chain Shake Shack Lisa has spent her entire career in the food industry, which now spans 35+ years. Beginning in the family deli and bakery business in Irvington, N.J., Lisa has always joked that she was born with corned beef grease in her blood and the smell of good rye bread in her nose. Lisa’s distribution background stems from 7 years as Director of Purchasing for Ciavarella Foodservice in Riverdale, N.J., and Senior Manager of Dry Grocery, Dairy and Non-Foods at A. Bohrer Foodservice in Moonachie, N.J. Lisa left distribution to work for American Roland Food Corp. to spend 15 years as their Director of Marketing and Public Relations. This well-rounded career allowed Lisa the opportunity to land a position with Shake Shack 4.5 years ago. She now serves as Senior Director of Supply Chain for all domestic U.S. locations. Arriving at Shake Shack when there were 24 locations, Lisa has participated in the expansion and significant growth for this dynamic chain, which currently has 135 U.S. locations. Lisa manages a team of four as part of Shake Shack’s Supply Chain Department encompassing food, beverage, disposables, equipment and smallwares. |
| Owen Klein VP of Global Culinary Innovation CKE Restaurants Owen Klein has been spearheading CKE Restaurants’ culinary innovation department for more than three years, ensuring creativity and excellent quality in each product for both Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. Owen came to CKE from Culinary Sales Support Inc., where he spent seven years leading a team of R&D chefs and running the consultancy’s first international outpost office in China. Prior to this, Owen worked as a fine-dining chef at numerous Michelin-rated restaurants. He has been spotlighted in national publications including Food & Wine, Fox News, Yahoo! and QSR Magazine, and has been a keynote speaker at industry-leading conferences. Owen obtained degrees in Professional Cooking and Baking from Baltimore International College and Microbiology from the University of Maryland. | |
| Nancy Kruse President The Kruse Company Nancy Kruse, President of The Kruse Company, 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. In demand on the speaking circuit, she has addressed groups throughout the U.S. and abroad. Nancy is an active member of the Women’s Foodservice Forum and Les Dames d’Escoffier International. 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. | |
| Gene Lee President & Chief Executive Officer Darden Restaurants, Inc. Gene Lee was named President and Chief Executive Officer of Darden Restaurants, Inc. in February 2015 after serving as Interim CEO since October 2014. Gene brings more than 30 years of restaurant operating experience to the role, which ranges from early stage high-growth concepts to large high-volume chains. Darden owns and operates more than 1,700 Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, Yard House, The Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Bahama Breeze and Eddie V’s restaurants in North America, employing more than 175,000 people and serving 380 million guests annually. Previously, Gene served as President and COO of Darden for one year. In his role, Gene had strategic and operational responsibility for more than 2,000 Red Lobster, Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse restaurants in North America with $7.5 billion in annual sales and 180,000 employees. He also had functional responsibility for restaurant operations, brand management, culinary, and business insights across all Darden brands. Prior to being named President and COO, Gene served as President of Darden’s Specialty Restaurant Group (SRG) for six years. Under Gene’s leadership, the Group grew from 60 to 175 restaurants, including the acquisition of two brands – Eddie V’s and Yard House – while delivering annualized sales growth of 17 percent and annual restaurant earnings growth of 26 percent. Gene, 56, joined Darden in October 2007 as part of the company’s acquisition of RARE Hospitality International, where he served as President and Chief Operating Officer. Gene had been with RARE since January 1997, serving initially as Executive Vice President of Operations for its Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse concept. He became Executive Vice President of Operations for RARE’s LongHorn Steakhouse division in October 1997 and was promoted to COO of RARE the following year. In 2001, he was named President of RARE and elected to its Board of Directors. In 2013, Gene was recognized with the People Report Workplace Legacy Award which is presented annually to the leader who has clearly demonstrated a commitment to balancing people and performance throughout his or her career in the foodservice industry. A native of Massachusetts, Gene earned an MBA from Suffolk University in Boston. | |
| Jack Li Haiku Master 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. | |
| Kyle Lindelof Senior Director of Food and Beverage Brinker International Kyle Lindelof is the Senior Director of Food and Beverage for Brinker International, parent company of Chili’s Grill & Bar and Maggiano’s Little Italy, a role he has held since joining the team in 2011. He oversees all food, produce, and beverage procurement for both concepts. With over 25 years of experience, Kyle has worked both on retail side with Associated Grocers and foodservice side with Applebee’s and Centralized Supply Chain Services. A Kansas native, Kyle holds a Bachelor’s degree in business from Dana College in Blair, NE and a Master’s degree in Science of Management with Baker University in Baldwin, KS. | |
| Matt Livesay Senior Director, Supply Chain Management Red Lobster Seafood Company Matt Livesay
Senior Director, Supply Chain Management - Red Lobster Seafood Company
Matt Livesay is Senior Director, Supply Chain Management for Red Lobster Seafood Company. In his current role he and his team are responsible for Red Lobster’s Foodservice Distribution and Inbound Logistics functions for commodities, seafood and perishable items as well as Produce Procurement for over 700 restaurants throughout the U.S. and Canada. Matt’s team also manages Sourcing and Logistics support for Red Lobster’s growing international restaurant business as well as key supply chain strategies focusing on improving restaurants’ interaction and experience with supply chain systems and services. Prior to his current role Matt held several leadership positions in Distribution, Logistics, Procurement and Supply Chain Strategy for Red Lobster and Darden Restaurants.
Matt holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Florida and earned his MBA from the University of Central Florida.
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| Charlie Lousignont Senior Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer Brinker International Charlie Lousignont is Senior Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer for Brinker International. In this role, he oversees all supply chain functions including procurement, food safety and quality assurance, distribution and logistics, brand program management and supply chain systems for Brinker’s corporate-owned restaurants. Charlie also ensures supply chain initiatives are consistent and supportive of the Chili’s® Grill & Bar and Maggiano’s Little Italy® brand vision and objectives.
Prior to joining Brinker in 2014, Charlie served as Chief Procurement Officer of P.F. Chang’s China Bistro. He also held positions as the Vice President of Supply Chain Management for ARAMARK North American Food and Hospitality Services and Chief Procurement Officer for Centralized Supply Chain Services.
Charlie currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the National Restaurant Association’s Supply Chain Management Executive Study Group and is a member of the Chain Restaurant Advisory Board for the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA).He holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Central Florida and an MBA from the University of Miami.
In his spare time Charlie enjoys traveling with his wife Kathy and their three children, running and cycling. | |
| David Maloni Executive Vice President of Analytics ArrowStream Before being acquired by ArrowStream, David was the President and founder of the American Restaurant Association. He has been advising food service clients about commodity markets and contracting since 1996 with his expertise being utilized by thousands of companies and media venues. | |
| Molly McGrath Chef and Culinary Director Roti Modern Mediterranean Molly McGrath has been the Chef and Culinary Director of Roti Modern Mediterranean since 2016. At Roti, she manages all things culinary, including menu innovation and optimization, beverage innovation, new product sourcing, food costing, and general food education for the RoTeam. Molly serves on the Menus of Change Sustainable Business Council and is a member of RCA. Prior to joining Roti, Molly was the Senior Director of Culinary Strategy for CSSI Marketing + Culinary, and also worked as a Senior Project Manager with The Culinary Edge. Molly earned a Bachelor of Science in Communications from Northwestern University and a Culinary Associates degree from The Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park. | |
| John Miller President and CEO Denny’s Corporation Mr. Miller, as President and Chief Executive Officer for Denny’s Corporation, is responsible for leading the strategic direction of the Company. Mr. Miller joined the company in February, 2011, and is an accomplished restaurant industry veteran, bringing over 40 years of restaurant operations and management experience to the national diner chain. Prior to joining Denny’s, Mr. Miller served as Chief Executive Officer of Taco Bueno Restaurants, Inc. (2005-2011). He also spent 17 years with Brinker International where he held numerous management positions, including President of Romano’s Macaroni Grill, President of Brinker’s Mexican Concepts, responsible for overseeing On the Border and Cozymel’s, and Vice President, Franchise, for the Chili’s brand. Earlier in his career, Mr. Miller held various operations and restaurant management positions at Unigate Restaurant/Casa Bonita in Dallas, Texas. Effective February 1, 2011, the Board appointed Mr. Miller to serve as a director of Denny’s Corporation. In keeping with Denny’s Purpose, “We love feeding people”, John has led the charge at Denny’s to partner with Share Our Strength/No Kid Hungry, and active in Denny’s Hungry for Education” program to increase access to scholarships for the underprivileged. John also serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of Wilberforce University, an historically Black College renowned for its work in this regard. John is actively involved with United Way of the Piedmont, Habitat for Humanity, The Promise House, a Dallas based non-profit providing shelter for runaway teens, and The Gatehouse, a newly established home in Grapevine, Texas for abused and battered women. Miller’s achievements include the TDn2k Best People Practices Award, the IFMA Silver and Gold Plate Awards, the MUFSO Golden Chain Award, the Urban League of the Upstate’s Whitney M. Young, Jr. Humanitarian Award, and The Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce Chairman’s Award. | |
| Marie Molde Account Manager, Registered Dietitian Datassential With a strong background in nutrition and business - she holds a combined MBA/RD from Dominican University - Marie brings Datassential a unique culinary perspective and health-driven point of view. For several years Marie has partnered with restaurant chains and suppliers on menu and product innovation, and represents Datassential on the Menus of Change Sustainable Business Leadership Council working to establish plant-forward dining as one of the main areas of focus for culinary innovation in the food industry. | |
| Patrick Mulhern CEO and President DMA Pat Mulhern is the CEO and President of DMA in Schaumburg, Illinois. DMA is the multi-unit foodservice distribution sales and marketing arm for 13 of the largest regional foodservice distributors in North America.
Prior to DMA, Pat spent 17 years at US Foodservice, his last two positions as President of Monarch Food Group and President of the North Star Foodservice. He also served on the Board of US Foodservice from 2006 - 2011. From 2002-06, he was a founding partner, Executive Vice President and member of the Board of Directors of Vistar Corporation (now part of Performance Food Group). Earlier in his career, Mulhern held senior leadership positions at both Kraft Foodservice and Alliant Foodservice, eventually acquired by US Foodservice.
For 30 years, Mr. Mulhern has been actively involved in the fight to end hunger. He is a past Chairman of the Board and current Board member at the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
Mulhern is an investor in FreshPath Advisory, a food and related products advisory business and holding company in Evanston, Illinois, and has served on several Company/Industry boards, including the Irish Dairy Board, Roland Foods and Diversified Foodservice International Foodservice Distributors Association (IFDA) and Unipro Foodservice.
Mr. Mulhern is a graduate of Michigan State University and holds an MBA from Loyola University Chicago.
He and his wife Kathy Shaw have two daughters and are active residents of Evanston, Illinois.
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| Kevin Otto Senior Director, Community Engagement GS1 US As Senior Director of Community Engagement at GS1 US, Kevin Otto is responsible for managing two collaborative industry groups—the Foodservice GS1 US Standards Initiative and the GS1 US Cross Industry Blockchain Discussion Group. In this dual role, he collaborates with foodservice leaders including top manufacturers, distributors, operators and solution providers to drive the adoption and adherence to GS1 Standards with the goal of addressing industry imperatives such as food safety, traceability and digital innovation. Mr. Otto also brings together stakeholders from various industries to discuss and evaluate the potential for blockchain technology to support supply chain challenges, use cases, and the critical role of GS1 Standards to enable more effective data sharing and interoperability between trading partners. Prior to joining GS1 US, Mr. Otto was the Director, Market Supply Logistics at L’Oréal, where he led the team responsible for the global supply of all Ralph Lauren Fragrances, as well as domestic supply of several top European cosmetics and fragrances. Additionally, during his seven-year tenure at Unilever, Mr. Otto held several customer facing roles. Most recently, he was Customer Supply Chain Manager, where he collaborated with companies including Walmart, Sam’s Club, Costco and BJs Wholesale Club to drive greater business and supply chain efficiencies. Mr. Otto received his Master of Business Administration from the University of Arkansas and received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Logistics from the Pennsylvania State University. | |
| Steve Pattison Chief Financial Officer and Vice-President Restaurant Services, Inc., (RSI) Steve Pattison is Chief Financial Officer and Vice-President, Business Analysis and Risk Management of Restaurant Services, Inc., (RSI) located in Miami, Florida. RSI is the exclusive purchasing agent and supply chain manager for the 7100+ Burger King restaurants in North America generating annual system sales of $10 Billion. In his capacity as Risk Officer, Steve is responsible for identifying, reporting and mitigating enterprise level risks for the RSI organization. Steve also serves as General Manager of RSI’s wholly owned for profit subsidiary, Supply Chain Services LLC, which provides supply chain services to restaurant and retail chains outside the scope of RSI’s operating agreement.
Prior to joining RSI, Steve held a number of progressive senior executive corporate finance roles at Burger King Corporation (“BKC”) for ten years. BKC operates over 15,000 restaurants in 100 countries around the world, and is now part of the Restaurant Brands International (RBI) portfolio which operates over 24,000 restaurants around the world generating annual system sales of over $30 billion.
Prior to Burger King Corporation, practiced as a CPA for 12 years with KPMG Peat Marwick LLC (KPMG) providing auditing, accounting and business advisory services to clients in a variety of industries, including non-profit organizations. KPMG is one of the “Big 4” global public accounting and consulting firms.
Steve has served in a variety of progressive leadership positions on a several non-profit boards throughout his career, principally involving the restaurant industry, higher education and serving the disabled population.
Steve recently completed a two year term as chairman of the board of the National Restaurant Association (NRA) Supply Chain Executive Study Group, and continues to serve on the ESG’s governing board. Steve is also a Trustee for the NRA Educational Foundation board, where he currently serves on the Governance Committee and previously served on the Audit & Finance Committee. Steve is also a member of a number of industry advisory boards, including Texas Christian University (TCU) Center for Supply Chain Innovation, the IFMA-sponsored Supply Chain Optimization (“SCO”) Advisory Board and South Florida Institute of CFO’s advisory board.
Steve serves as the RSI designee on the board of directors of the Burger King McLamore Foundation, which is the philanthropic vehicle for the Burger King system, funding over $30 million in collegiate scholarships over the last decade. In this capacity, he chairs the Finance Committee, which oversees the endowment investment policy and governance over audit activity.
In 2017, Steve completed a term as Chair of the national board of directors of the Florida State University (FSU) Alumni Association, representing the interests 340,000 living alumni around the world before the University administration and board of trustees. In that capacity, Steve represented the FSU alumni in developing the University’s 5 year strategic plan. Steve had previously served the alumni association as Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee, Treasurer, Chair of the Board Development Committee and a member of the ad hoc Strategic Planning and Bylaw Update Committees. He also continues to represent the alumni association as designee to the board of directors the FSU Real Estate Foundation, which he serves as board Vice-Chair.
Steve is a member of board and Treasurer of the Lambda Chi Alpha Educational Foundation. Pursuant to the bylaws of the Foundation, the Treasurer chairs the Foundation Audit & Finance Committee. In addition, Steve is a member of the governing board of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity, referred to as the “Grand High Zeta”.
Steve serves as a non-board member of the audit committee of the Community Foundation of Broward County (CFB), which oversees an investment portfolio of $140 million. Steve previously served on the CFB investment committee.
Steve previously served 16 years on the board of directors of ARC Broward, whose mission is to transform the community by providing opportunities for people with disabilities to achieve their full potential. In that capacity, Steve served as every board officer position, including two terms as Chairman. During his term as board chairman, Steve was recognized as non-profit board member of the year in Broward County, Florida.
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| Greg Pritchard Vice President – Quality Management Nestlé USA Inc. Greg Pritchard heads up the Quality and Food Safety team for Nestlé USA, a leading food and beverage company with a portfolio of well-known brands including CoffeeMate®, Dreyer’s®, Nesquik®, Nescafé® Taster’s Choice®, Stouffer’s®, Lean Cuisine®, DiGiorno® and Nestlé® Toll House®. An Australian Food Technologist, Greg has a passion for food & beverage manufacturing which has taken him to operations located in every corner of the globe. Greg’s career with Nestlé spans more than 20 years and includes quality leadership roles in Confectionery, Dairy & Infant Formula manufacturing facilities in Australia , Research & Development facilities in Switzerland and corporate support roles in South East Asia, Oceania and USA. Prior to moving to the US in 2014, Greg was Head of Quality Management for Nestlé Oceania based in Sydney, Australia. Greg holds an Associate Diploma in Applied Science, Food Technology from the Hawkesbury Agricultural College (University of Western Sydney). Greg is currently focused on driving simplicity in Quality and Food Safety systems via the application of pragmatism, risk awareness and capable autonomous teams. | |
| Raja Ramachandran CEO and Co-Founder Ripe.io Raja is the co-founder of ripe.io; a technology company creating the blockchain of food to help the food supply chain achieve transparency, efficiency and improved value to solve problems around traceability, food safety, quality assurance, regulatory compliance. Raja, a serial entrepreneur, was most recently on the founding team and headed product development at R3CEV, the world’s largest financial institutions consortium, to build and deploy distributed ledger and blockchain solutions. Raja has had 20-year career working at Bank of America, Citi, Silicon Valley Bank and Wells Fargo. Raja is passionate about connected technologies and how they can be utilized to revolutionize ways to create a more sustainable and healthier food business. | |
| Chris Reichard EVP Enterprise and Blockchain ArcTouch With a deep knowledge of blockchain technology, the market and ecosystem, I passionately believe blockchain will change everything we know about today’s technology landscape. My experience strategizing and developing blockchain technology for public and private implementation is driving my endless desire to advance the tech. My active (perhaps overactive) involvement in the cryptocurrency markets also keeps me well in tune with the pulse of the ICO landscape. I am currently leading strategic initiatives for enterprise blockchain implementations in the finance, logistics and consumer products sectors. As blockchain technology is experiencing tremendous growth, the technology landscape is changing faster than ever for all industries. | |
| Bruce Reinstein Partner Kinetic12 Bruce is a results-driven executive in the hospitality industry who is a partner at Kinetic12, a strategic management-consulting firm that specializes in the Foodservice industry. Bruce’s leadership experience in developing and growing multi-unit restaurant brands, concept operations, menu development and supply chain strengthen Kinetic12’s knowledge and problem-solving consulting offerings. Dedicated to systems development and implementation with an emphasis on value that stems from differentiation. He has had great success working with brand leaders and their teams on customized solutions to opportunities before they become problems. His hands-on approach to finding opportunities is to understand a team’s culture and break down walls that are impeding growth and causing decreased revenue and rising costs. High attention to detail in foodservice financial and operational arenas. An entrepreneurial spirit that allows the people around him to stay focused on doing what it takes to get lasting results. Bruce is a graduate of the Cornell University School of Hospitality Management.
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| 0 | Steve Rodgers Vice President of Sales HAVI |
| Marshall Scarborough Director – Culinary Innovation The Wendy’s Company He began working in foodservice in 23 years ago, and has since worked every position, both front and back of the house in: quick service, casual dining, full service, beverage, wellness personal chef, catering, private clubs, hotels, Michelin star fine dining and a USDA certified meat processing facility. In 2006 he graduated from Johnson & Wales University with an associate’s degree in Culinary Arts and a bachelor’s in Culinary Nutrition. Since then he’s worked at Archer Daniels Midland, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Jack in the Box Inc. and is currently at The Wendy’s Company in Dublin, OH. He has been volunteering with the Research Chefs Association since 2007 and with ProStart since 2011 and is committed to creating opportunities for students and restaurant industry professionals to connect with one another to build a community of passionate food industry professionals that are inspired by each other and the food they create. At Wendy’s he leads a team of chefs and food scientists that work to serve the best-tasting hamburgers, side items and value menu possible at every Wendy’s restaurant. | |
| Bill Schaeffer Vice President of Sales – Food Service and Ingredients Sargento Food Service Bill Schaeffer is the Vice President of Sales for Sargento Food Service and Ingredients Division where he leads a team of 10 sales professionals and is responsible for the strategic direction of the division. Sargento is an industry leader in creating new and innovative cheese-based solutions for customers in the Food Service and Ingredients channels. Bill has over 25 years of sales and executive management experience. He earned his Bachelor of Science Degree from Mankato State University and an MBA from St. Cloud State University – G.R. Herberger College of Business.
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| Michael Schwartz Vice President, Member Value IFMA | |
| Sarah Stewart-Schultze Vice President, Purchasing International Dairy Queen, Inc. Sarah Stewart-Schultze, vice president, purchasing, leads the purchasing team for International Dairy Queen, Inc. (IDQ). She has over 20 years of experience in supply chain management and purchasing. Together with her team, Stewart-Schultze develops and implements procurement strategies that support and promote IDQ business requirements throughout the U.S. She believes strategic relationships with suppliers are essential to meeting current and long-term goals. Her team is dedicated to ensuring reasonable and predictable costs for franchisees. Prior to starting with IDQ in 2014, Stewart-Schultze held leadership positions at Sonic Drive-In, The Steak ‘n Shake Company, and ABG, Inc. In these roles, she led teams working on demand planning for multiple LTOs, innovative commodity strategies, mergers and acquisitions, labor scheduling development, market research, and government lobbying. Stewart-Schultze earned a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural economics from the University of Illinois, Champaign, Ill. and a Master of Science in agricultural economics with a concentration in finance and marketing from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind. She currently lives in Edina, Minn. with her family and is still actively involved in production agriculture on her family farm. | |
| Thomas H. Talbert RD Vice President, Culinary Marketing CSSI, Culinary + Marketing A Marlin Network Agency Thomas H. Talbert, RD is the Vice President, Culinary Marketing at CSSI, a full-service culinary and marketing communications company serving both retail and food service market channels. As head of the culinary team, he leads a team of chefs and dietitians in creative culinary development for the foodservice industry.
Thomas has years of experience in the foodservice and healthcare industry, with a multidimensional background in culinary arts, product development, and dietetics. He is a graduate of Johnson & Wales University, and a graduate of the dietetics program through the University of Alabama Birmingham.
Thomas has worked at an assortment of fine and casual dining restaurants, and consulted with the industry’s leading manufacturers and operators.
At CSSI, Marketing + Culinary, Thomas has worked with food manufacturers and restaurant operators to increase sales in the foodservice industry in the U.S, South America, Asia and the Caribbean. He has presented new menu concepts and culinary trends to drive menu innovation at many of the top 200 U.S. restaurant chains.
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| Scott Uehlein Vice President of Product Innovation and Development Sonic Drive-in Scott Uehlein serves as vice president of product innovation and development for SONIC®, America’s Drive-In®, part of the Inspire Brands family of restaurants. Inspire is a multi-brand restaurant company whose portfolio includes more than 8,300 Arby’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, and SONIC locations worldwide. In his role, Uehlein oversees the SONIC team of culinary experts, managing the development of the brand’s innovative menu items. Uehlein previously served as vice president of food and beverage at the renowned Canyon Ranch Resorts based Tucson, Ariz. Prior to Canyon Ranch Resorts, he served as corporate chef at ILX Resorts, now a wholly owned division of Diamond Resorts International, where he was responsible for all menu development and implementation. Uehlein brings more than three decades of experience in the restaurant industry to SONIC’s culinary team. Scott serves as a member of the Business and Industry Leadership Council for Menus of Change, a health, wellness and sustainability initiative co-founded by The Culinary Institute of America and Harvard School of Public Health. He is also a member of the Society of Fellows and Healthy Menus Collaborative, that is also associated with the Culinary Institute of America. He is on the National Advisory Board for the culinary mentoring program Careers Through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) and serves as the chair of the Nutrition Committee for the Regional Food Bank of Central Oklahoma. | |
| Kevin Vandiver Vice President, Supply Chain Hooter’s Kevin Vandiver is the Vice President of Global Supply Chain for Hooters of America with responsibilities for purchasing, distribution & logistics and quality assurance. Since joining Hooters in August 2011, Kevin and his team have delivered cost savings in excess of $30M, reduced the number of distribution centers by 50% and launched a collaborative buying group with an annual spend of $220M. Prior to joining Hooters, Kevin spent five years as Senior Director of Supply Chain and Executive Team Member for Moe’s Southwest Grill. | |
