Contributors
Phil Kafarakis
Bringing you provocative perspective from inside the food industry. For more than 40 years I have been operating at the cross-roads of the global food ecosystem. An executive insider from the food manufacturing community and an industry advocate, I cover the amazing transformation taking place in the food industry. The comprehensive and unique perspective on what moves food companies to success or failure that I share, is driven by confidential access - from emerging innovators to the board rooms of multinationals, and everyone in between.
Sean Keith
Sean Keith is the Director of New Business Development at Eagle Eye, a leading SaaS technology company that enables businesses to create real-time connections with their customers. Sean helps brands in the F&B and hospitality industries implement digital transformation initiatives to better understand customer behaviors and drive revenue growth
Jen Kern
Jen Kern is the CMO at Qu, the responsible restaurant tech company evolving disjointed POS solutions of the past with a unified commerce platform for the future. Ms. Kern has been a writer, blogger, foodie, and passionate marketing mama for over 20 years, specializing in heart-led leadership and digital transformation for enterprise companies. She lives in West Virginia with her hubby and shepherd beagle mix.
Saskia Ketz
I run MojoMox, an NYC-based branding agency that’s worked with world-class brands like Netflix, Ikea, Timberland as well as plenty of startups. I’m also the founder and editor-in-chief of A Women’s Thing, a print and digital publication reshaping what society’s views of “women’s things” are, and I write for other sites about branding, positioning, and design topics for startups.
Zayn King- Dollie
Zayn King-Dollie is the Product Officer for Ordrslip, a Bitwise Industries company. Under Zayn's leadership, the Ordrslip team supports restaurants and coffee shops across the country by providing a streamlined online ordering process. With his strategic vision and years of experience in customer success, Zayn looks to rapidly grow and scale Ordrslip, while creating lasting partnerships with business owners and companies.
Jim Knight
Jim Knight is the Founder and CEO of Knight Speaker, as a thought leader, keynote speaker and 3x bestselling author on the topics of company culture, customer service, rock star leadership and employee engagement. With a music degree and a 21-year career as head of Training and Development for Hard Rock International, Jim now uses all of his experience and expertise, helping companies and individuals amp up their results with proven best practices and real impact. Jim Knight can be reached at www.KnightSpeaker.com.
Tim Koch
As President and COO of Franchise FastLane, I lead growth initiatives to help emerging franchise brands scale successfully. With over 21 years in franchising—including roles at CKE Restaurants and Gala Capital Partners—I focus on operational turnarounds, change management, and M&A. I also oversee programs that empower franchisors and franchisees to meet today’s business challenges, with a commitment to mentoring and innovation.
John Krebs
None
Adam Leff
Adam Leff is the co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer for Merchant Centric, a leading reputation management solution that caters to the restaurant, veterinary and automotive industries. Leff and his co-founder David Bay started Merchant Centric in 2010 to help companies take advantage of online and social media technologies to market and build their business.
Bob Leonard
None
David Leonardo
David Leonardo is the CEO and equity partner of Chill-N Nitrogen Ice Cream, a fast-growing franchise brand with 17 locations across 4 states. He began his career in investment banking at J.P. Morgan and went on to hold executive roles at Burger King, Wendy’s, Arby’s, and Pet Supplies Plus, leading franchise development and strategic growth. A former Division I college athlete, David brings a competitive edge and deep passion for entrepreneurship, brand building, and helping others grow through franchising.
Ido levanon
Ido Levanon has 20+ years' experience and a proven track record in successful management and turnaround of various international companies. He was CEO and a seed investor in several technology start-ups and a Financial Planning Manager for Fujitsu USA.Stephanie Lind
Stephanie Lind founded ESA (Elohi Strategic Advisors) in 2015. Though best known for leading the global sales initiatives for Impossible Foods during its 2018 break-out year, Stephanie spent 20+ years working for large and small, private equity and publicly held companies, including PepsiCo, Sysco, and Kerry. Her cross-functional experience in sales, marketing and supply chain, coupled with her cross-channel experience in retail, foodservice and ingredient (industrial) channels gives her a unique perspective on the food industry.
Pam Lindemoen
Pam Lindemoen serves as the Chief Security Officer and Vice President of Strategy at RH-ISAC, a global nonprofit dedicated to enhancing cybersecurity in consumer-facing industries. She oversees security operations, strategic planning, and partner engagement, leveraging nearly 30 years of expertise in information security, application development, and infrastructure. Previously, Pam was a CISO Advisor at Cisco and Deputy CISO at Anthem, Inc. (now Elevance Health).
Jennifer Loper
Jennifer Loper is president of C3, a Kansas City-based marketing and design agency that brings brands to life for families with children through experiences and entertainment. C3 uses insights, strategy and expertise to produce award-winning programs and custom products to help major restaurant, hospitality and service industry partners connect with families wherever they are—in person, at home or in the community at large. More information about how C3 creates connections that grow sales and get results can be found at www.c3brandmarketing.com.
Andy Lowder
Since then, Andy has launched numerous delivery programs and campaigns to help spur revenue growth and improve margins for restaurants with their own fleet and through nationwide partners Uber and DoorDash. Andy has been with Menufy for seven years and is now part of the HungerRush team since Menufy's acquisition by HungerRush in October 2021.
Matthew Lukosavich
Matt earned his BS in Business Administration from the University of Michigan-Dearborn and is the recipient of multiple career Innovation and Client Focus award nominations. He loves spending time with his family – wife Alie, son Camden, plus three dogs – and is an avid golfer.
Raju Malhotra
Raju Malhotra is Chief Product and Technology Officer at PAR Technology. In his role, he is responsible for the unified product and technology strategy and operations. He leads Engineering, DevOps, Product Management, and User Experience. Raju joined PAR through the acquisition of PAR Punchh, an omnichannel loyalty and engagement startup based in San Mateo, CA.
Lila Margalit
Lila Margalit is a former lawyer and current content writer at leading location analytics firm Placer.ai. You can find her analyses on everything from specialty coffee drinks to full-service dining trends at Placer.ai/blog
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