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Speakers
An exceptional list of experts and thought-provoking keynoters.

General Session Speakers

Susan
Adzick

Senior Vice President, Sales & Strategic Relationships
McLane Foodservice, Inc.

Frances
Allen

CEO
Boston Market

David
Barr

2019 IFA Chair, Managing Director & Partner, Franworth, and Chairman, PMTD Restaurants

Kevin
Bazner

President & CEO
A&W Restaurants, Inc.

Ray
Blanchette

CEO
TGI Fridays

Rozzi
Crane

BMI Featured Artist

Greg
Creed

CEO
Yum! Brands

Robert
Cresanti, CFE

President & CEO
International Franchise Association

Cindy
Culpepper

CEO & Chairperson
Galardi Group, Inc. (Wienerschnitzel)

Andrew
Davis

Global Marketing Influencer, Former Television Executive and Best Selling Author, "Brandscaping"

Sterling
Douglass

CEO
Chowly

Terry
Erdle

Chief Operating Officer
National Restaurant Association

Anne
Fink

President, Global Foodservice
PepsiCo, Inc.

Dr. Robert
Gates

Secretary of Defense (2006-2011) | New York Times Best-Selling Author

Rob
Gifford

President
National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation

Hattie
Hill

President & CEO
Women's Foodservice Forum

Lisa
Ingram

President and CEO
White Castle

Dirk
Izzo

Senior Vice President, Industry Solutions Group
NCR Corporation

Earvin "Magic"
Johnson

Chairman and CEO, Magic Johnson Enterprises
President of Basketball Operations, Los Angeles Lakers

Steve
Joyce

Chief Executive Officer
Dine Brands Global, Inc.

Chris
Keating

Group President, Restaurant Media & Events
Winsight, LLC

Roz
Mallet

President/CEO
PhaseNext Hospitality

Aaron
Marshall

Director, Business Development
McLane Foodservice, Inc.

Jed
Nachman

Chief Operating Officer
Yelp

Patrick
Noone

Executive Vice President
Technomic

Julia
Oswald

Senior Vice President - Strategy & Insights
Domino's Pizza, Inc.

Joe
Pawlak

Managing Principal
Technomic

Tim
Quinlan

Director, Senior Economist
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, Wells Fargo & Company

Jack
Quinn

Vice President, Industry Relations
Ecolab

Darren
Rebelez

President
IHOP Restaurants

Tonya
Robinson

Chief Financial Officer
Texas Roadhouse

Peter
Romeo

Editor-at-Large and Vice President of Content Innovation
Restaurant Business

Hugh
Roth

Senior Vice President, Chief Customer and Business Development Officer
PepsiCo Foodservice, Inc.

Sara
Rush Wirth

Content Director, Foodservice
Winsight Media

Susannah
Ryan

Vice President, Industry Relations and Business Development
PepsiCo Foodservice

Sarah
Thomas

First Female NFL Official

Michael
Verdesca

Chief Information Officer
FOCUS Brands Inc.

Melissa
Wilson

Principal
Technomic

Innovation Forum Speakers

Ryan
Achterhoff

Chief Administrative Officer
Pizza Ranch

Vishal
Agarwal

Founder & CEO
ItsaCheckmate Inc.

John
Aiken

Senior Director of Learning and Development,
Golden Corral

Joey
Alfano

Co-Founder & CPO
GoSpotCheck

Dana
Baggett

Executive Director, Client Marketing Restaurant Category
Valassis Inc

Gilbert
Bailey

VP Analytics & Customer Engagement
Xenial

Lauren
Bailey

Co-founder & CEO
Upward Projects

Jim
Balis

CEO
Buddy's Pizza

Christian
Barnard


T3

Brian
Best

VP, Digital and Marketing Technology
Tropical Smoothie Cafe LLC

Rusty
Bills

VP of Operations
Galardi Group, Inc.

David
Cantu

Co-Founder
HotSchedules

Jeff
Carr

CEO
Inkling

Karina
Coen

Director of Labor Productivity
Fourth

Vince
Crimaldi

Vice President, Retail
Capgemini

Neil
Culbertson

Founder & President
Growth Partners LLC

Paul
Damico

CEO
Naf Naf Grill

Roger
David

President & CEO
Gold Star Chili, Inc.

Amit
Deshpande

Senior Vice President, Analytics
Epsilon

Karen
Eadon

President /Chief Operating Officer
Farmer Boys Food, Inc.

Stephen
Farr-Jones

President
ADM Marketing

Kathryn
Fenner

Principal
Technomic

Saverio
Ferraro

Sales Director
Fourth

Larry M.
Fiel

VP of Marketing
PDQ Signature Systems

Scott
Finlow

CMO
PepsiCo Foodservice

Blake
Flores

National Sales Manager
Applegate Foodservice

Mitesh
Gala

Founder and CEO
Altametrics

Rob
Gifford

Executive Vice President
National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation

Trish
Giordano

Chief Sales and Marketing Officer
Earl Enterprises

Rob
Goldberg

Executive Vice President, Restaurants, Bars and Food Concepts
Tommy Bahama

Zach
Goldstein

Founder & CEO
Thanx

Cindy
Goody

Chief Nutritionist
McDonald's USA, LLC

Jim
Grandahl

Director-DIRECTV National Accounts, ATT
DIRECTV/AT&T

Helen
Griffith

VP of Marketing
S&D Coffee & Tea

Robert
Guarino

Chief Executive Officer
5 Napkin Burger

Tim
Hand

Partner
Kinetic12

Stefan
Hertzberg

Growth Manager
ItsaCheckmate Inc.

Amy
Hunt

Vice President, Strategic Consulting Group
Epsilon

William
Jenkins

VP Sales Technology, Restaurants
Epsilon

Donna
Josephson

SVP & CMO
Corner Bakery Café

Ed
Keller

Director of Off Premise Business Development
Corner Bakery Café

Alicia
Kruse

Procurement Agent, Indirect Supply Chain
Boeing

Patrick
LaCava

Executive Vice-President Operations
Syufy Enterprises

Seth
Larsen

Chief Relationship Officer
Cheba Hut

Scott
Lasher

Enterprise Sales Manager
GoSpotCheck

Scott
Lawton

Co-founder
bartaco

Martin
Lines

VP Beverage Marketing
Nestle Professional USA

Bill
Long

Chief Financial Officer
Snooze

Tony
Lutfi

President / Maritime Management Company
Franchisee, Arby’s, Church’s Chicken, Jack in the Box, Sizzler

Scott
Martin

Vice President, Restaurant Partnerships
Dinova, Inc.

David
Meiselman

Chief Marketing Officer
ezCater

Chris
Milisci

Founder and CEO
Romulus Restaurant Group

Jason
Morgan

Managing Partner
Hargett Hunter Capital Partners

Pamela
Nedwetzky

Director of Marketing
Grimaldi’s Pizzeria

Hope W.
Neiman

CMO
Tillster

Stephanie
O’Rourk

Partner
CohnReznick LLP

Bob
Paulsen

CEO & Co-founder
PlayerLync

Michael
Phalen

Managing Director and Head of Retail Investment Banking
Wells Fargo Securities

John
Poulos

President
DiscoverLink

Vincent
Purves

President
Consolidated Concepts

Venkat
Ramamurthy

Vice President and General Manager of Managed Services Product Management
NCR

Jim
Rand

Operating Partner, Off-Premises Sales
Act III Holdings

Shyam
Rao

Co-Founder and CEO
Punchh

Stephanie
Rice

Enterprise Marketing Manager
Yelp

John
Richards

COO
RPM Pizza

Vladik
Rikhter

CEO
Zenput

Brad
Rukstales

President & CEO
Cogensia

Rich
Shank

Vice President of Research & Insights, Technomic
Technomic

Eric
Sheen

Operations Specialist & CEO
Restaurant Partners Procurement

Christopher
Simms

Chief Executive Officer and Founder
The Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar

Brian
Slowik

SVP of Wage & Corporate Disbursements
rapid! Disbursements

Dylan
Swift

Senior Director, Enterprise Marketing
Yelp

Seth
Temko

VP Product Marketing
Xenial

Jayson
Tipp

CEO
PINCHO

Kelli
Valade

President & CEO
TDn2K

Jeff
Van Hanswyk

National Foodservice Category Business Development, Natural Colors Division
Chr. Hansen

Stephen
Van Note

Chief Operations Officer
RBM Restaurants

Michele
Vance

Chief Sales Officer
Service Management Group (SMG)

Mike
Vichich

Co-founder and CEO
Wisely

John
Wade

CEO
AES Restaurant Group, LLC

Kendall
Ware

President & COO
Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt

Charles
Watson

CEO
Tropical Smoothie Cafe, LLC

Chris
Westcott

President and CEO
Rosa Mexicano

Amy
Wilcox

Director, U.S. Quality Systems, U.S. Supply Chain Management
McDonald’s USA, LLC

Johnny
Wilkinson

Head of Workforce Management Technology
Fourth

Doug
Willmarth

CMO
Mongolian Concepts

Don
Zimmerman

Vice President, Global Hospitality Product Management
NCR

100+Speakers
2kAttendees

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