Contributors
Tomia Smith
Tomia Smith is an experienced sales professional. With a commitment to drive positive results and goal achievement, she takes pride in providing the best service possible to meet her customers' objectives. In addition to her professional role functions, Tomia has been recognized for her involvement and leadership within the restaurant industry and her community.
Tony Smith
He earned his bachelor’s degree in business management and information systems, magna cum laude, from Brigham Young University. Tony enjoys life while trying out new restaurants, spending time with his girls – wife and 4 daughters, singing and watching college football.
Lon Southerland
None
Dmytro Spilka
Dmytro is a tech and finance writer based in London. Founder of Solvid and Pridicto. His work has been published in Investing.com, IBM, FXStreet, Entrepreneur and FXEmpire.
Greg Staley
Greg Staley is the CEO of SynergySuite, a back-of-house restaurant management platform. Greg focuses on facilitating better visibility and increased profitability for restaurant chains through the use of intelligent, integrated back-of-house technology.
Sasha Staton
Sasha Staton is the Marketing Director at Parker Stark, a full-service hospitality management company founding and creating new restaurant concepts for a new generation. If there's a pretzel on the menu, she's getting it.
leith steel
As a Senior Strategist and Head of Insights at Carbonate, Leith spearheads the creation of the agency’s annual hospitality trends report, contributes regularly to industry publications and client marketing programs, and executes strategic communications campaigns rooted in industry insights. With over 20 years in the culinary arts, media relations, and brand strategy, Leith offers a wealth of experience. Leith holds a B.S. in Design & Environmental Analysis from Cornell University and a Culinary Arts from Le Cordon Bleu.
William Stutzman
William is Vice President Strategic Initiatives for Ventus.
Chuck Tanowitz
Andrew Robbins is CEO of Paytronix Systems, Inc. A product visionary, team leader, and a trained rocket scientist with an acute business acumen, Andrew has spent more than 20 years advising brands like Jimmy John's, Panera Bread, Caribou Coffee, QDOBA, and a long list of others, about their loyalty programs and customer experience technology. As a leader, Andrew motivates his team to bring innovative products to market that enhance the restaurant customer experience.Marla Topliff
Marla Topliff is leading Franchise Consulting at Kathleen Wood Partners, with over 20 years of franchise executive experience. Previously she was President of Rosati’s Pizza for 22 years, where she led the company’s franchising and growth program taking them from a local regional concept to an internationally known brand. Marla currently leads KWP’s Franchise Accelerator Program working with growing brands such as Cornbread Farm to Soul, Bango Bowls, and Big Chicken. She was recognized as one of the top 24 women in franchising by Franchise Update Magazine.Denise Tran
Denise Tran, a former attorney, is the founder and CEO of Bun Mee Vietnamese Sandwich Eatery, a gourmet fast casual restaurant concept with five locations in San Francisco—Pacific Heights, Financial District, SFO Terminals 1 & 3, and the Marina—and a plan to franchise nationwide.
Penni Tsavaris
Penni Tsavaris is a Brand Communications Manager at Tork, an Essity brand, where she focuses on the hospitality industry. Tork offers professional hygiene products, including napkins, paper towels and dispensers, to businesses worldwide such as restaurants. Through expertise in hygiene and sustainability, Tork supports customers to think ahead so they’re always ready for business.
Carl Udler
With over 25 years of professional experience,15 of which has focused on the franchise industry, Carl Udler possesses a rare blend of technology expertise combined with Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) and Certified Foodservice Technology Professional (CFTP) industry credentials. As a senior director at Hughes, Carl provides valuable guidance to Franchisors and retailers on a broad range of technologies, processes, networking best practices, and cybersecurity solutions, enabling them to solve the types of concrete challenges that impact business, customers and ROI.
Carl Van Ostrand
Carl Van Ostrand is Vice President of Consumer Insights for DISQO, an LA-based company, empowering clients with previously inaccessible behavioral and attitudinal data solutions.
Alex Vasilkin
As a business leader and entrepreneur with over ten years in the delivery space, Alex Vasilkin has a passion for transformative technology that fuels business success. Vasilkin is co-founder and CEO of Cartwheel, the leading technology provider powering the catering and delivery operations of top restaurants like Portillo’s, P.F. Chang’s and Potbelly, where he is responsible for the strategic vision and day-to-day operations that drive Cartwheel’s impressive growth.
Brittany Ward
As the Director of Customer Success at Back Office by Buyers Edge Platform, a leading digital procurement network for the foodservice industry, Brittany Ward works with restaurant operators to help streamline operations and create sustainable growth. Today at Back Office by Buyers Edge Platform, which counts 17 other unique national/international companies under the brand and analyzes more more than 170 million food operator purchases daily, Brittany’s expertise in training and operations serves restaurant operator goals by lowering costs, increasing sales and maximizing profit.
Mark Wasilefsky
Mark Wasilefsky is Head of Restaurant & Franchise Finance at TD Bank, where he leads the bank’s efforts to support growth, acquisitions, and innovation in the restaurant and franchise sectors. He brings over two decades of experience in investment and commercial banking, with a deep specialization in franchise finance. Before joining TD, he was senior vice president at RBS Greenwich Capital and prior to that, senior vice president at Bank of America. Mark holds an MBA in Finance from Western New England University and a BA in economics from the University of Connecticut.
