Contributors
Donna Cobb
Donna Cobb is the executive director, Enterprise Marketing for Comcast Business, responsible for the development and implementation of winning marketing strategies and integrated sales and marketing programs. She is an accomplished marketing executive and business leader, experienced in developing strategic partnerships, implementing organizational change, and managing projects designed to transform the enterprise.
Michelle Connolly
Michelle Connolly is a seasoned sales leader with over 28 years of experience in the electronics industry, currently serving as Director of Sales at Panasonic North America. Throughout her career, Michelle has demonstrated a consistent ability to drive growth, lead high-performing teams, and develop innovative go-to-market strategies across multiple verticals — including education, transportation, logistics, food Service and retail.
Jeremy Cooper
Jeremy Cooper serves as Manager of Professional Services/Hospitality at NCR . He manages a large team of Client Services Managers who work to ensure client satisfaction with the NCR Back Office Software suite. NCR is the technology provider of choice for restaurants around the world and Jeremy and his team are focused on delivering the next-generation software, hardware and services that delivers on what customers want, when they want it.Chad Coulter
Chad Coulter is the co-founder and CEO of Biscuit Belly, a fast-growing “craft-casual” breakfast and brunch franchise known for its bold flavors and Southern hospitality. Coulter began his hospitality career by launching LouVino, a successful wine bar and small-plates concept that expanded across the Midwest. Building on that success, he created Biscuit Belly to modernize Southern comfort food through strong branding, efficient operations, and franchise scalability.
Jeff Cowan
Jeffrey Cowan is Senior Director, Community Engagement at GS1 US. In this role, he leads the Foodservice GS1 US Standards Initiative, a foodservice industry group that collaborates to improve supply chain visibility, product traceability and food safety by applying GS1 Standards to business processes.
Erik Cox
Erik is the Vice President of Product Strategy at Crunch Time. After spending two decades as a restaurant operator, Erik joined CrunchTime in 2008 to help build the tools he wished he had during his time in the restaurant industry. Today he leads the strategic planning and development of systems designed to innovate restaurant operations. For more than 20 years, Crunch Time has helped some of the world's top restaurant brands streamline back office operations, optimize food and labor costs, and increase profitability.
Trevor Crivello
Trevor Crivello is the founder and president of Iron Mountain Refrigeration and has a decade of experience in commercial refrigeration. Iron Mountain Refrigeration supplies commercial refrigeration equipment to fast-casual restaurants ranging from small operations to large national chains. Trevor leads Iron Mountain Refrigeration with a passion for quality and a devotion to providing the highest level of customer service.Nina Daigle
Nina M. Daigle is a Tax Partner specializing in Restaurant, Franchise, and Hospitality services, with a focus on quick-service restaurants and fine-dining establishments at Aprio, LLP. Nina provides unparalleled support to business owners, CFOs, and CEOs, covering various strategic business services. These include tax preparation and planning, account reconciliation, financial planning, and general ledger management.
Richard Delvallee
Richard Delvallee is Senior Vice President of Consulting for Revenue Management Solutions.
Gerri Detweiler
Gerri Detweiler is the education director at Nav, a fintech company that matches small business owners with financing options, and provides free business and personal credit reports. A recognized credit expert, Gerri has been answering credit and financial questions for more than 20 years, is the author or coauthor of 5 books on credit and financial topics and has been interviewed in more than 4,000 news articles.
Alicia DiStefano
Alicia DiStefano is Vice President, Practice Leader of QSR and Dining, bringing nearly 20 years of experience across real-time marketing and measurement, data as a service (DaaS), programmatic, and self-service media. Since joining InMarket in 2022, Alicia has helped leading restaurant brands power and measure digital marketing experiences, empowering advertisers to maximize campaign impact. Prior to joining InMarket, Alicia held numerous leadership roles in the adtech space including Mobilewalla’s VP of Sales and GroundTruth’s VP, Head of Industry for Retail & Restaurants.
John Dorer
Headquartered in New York City, eb3.work has positioned itself as the premier solutions provider in tackling the United States’ persistent and growing shortage of unskilled and entry-level labor. Founded on the principle of streamlining the complexities of the U.S. immigration system, the company serves as a crucial bridge between employers in need of labor and foreign nationals seeking lawful employment in the United States.
Kyle Drenon
Kyle is a lifelong fan of delicious food. He loves working with restaurants and manufacturers to tell their unique stories through media. He has been a marketing consultant and specialist for more than 12 years.
Matt Drewes
He previously worked in various CPG Brand Management positions at Campbell Soup Company and M&M/Mars including a year developing business in Russia. Matt holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Auburn University and an MBA from the Columbia Business School at Columbia University. He’s married with four children and an active volunteer coach at his YMCA.
Brian Duncan
Brian Duncan is the President of me&u USA. With over a decade of leadership experience in hospitality, Brian is a veteran in the industry with an unrivaled resume that demonstrates disruption through technology. He holds a strong passion for the industry and is determined to build a better future for hospitality.
Kenny Dunn
Kenny Dunn, Founder of Eating Europe, discovered his passion for cuisine while living in Rome, introducing travelers to local eateries and culinary personalities. What began as casual strolls evolved into Eating Italy Food Tours in 2011, soon expanding to multiple cities as Eating Europe. Kenny and his growing team continue to share the taste of local life and unforgettable food stories across the continent.
Blas Escarcega
Blas Escarcega serves as Pollo Campero's VP of Franchise Development. Escarcega, a restaurant financial executive, spent the bulk of his career guiding those in the restaurant industry to a path of growth and profitability. Escarcega held the position of CFO at a beverage distributorship before transitioning to Campero USA, where he first held the position of Corporate Controller for over two years and then Corporate Business Partner and Director of Finance for over 13 years. As VP of Franchise Development, Escarcega leverages his experience and drive to accelerate franchise development.Kelly Esten
Kelly Sennatt Esten is Vice President of Product Marketing of Toast, the all-in-one platform built for restaurants.Chen Feller
Chen Feller is Digital Marketing Manager for GKI Group. GKI Group is a home for technologies and innovations, bringing even the craziest and most ambitious ideas to life. With a strong team of engineers, marketers, and years of experience in the startup business, the group owns, manages, and founded over 16 companies, scaling from patent-pending technologies to robotics to single malt whiskies.
