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Square 1 Burgers names CEO

October 7, 2013

Square 1 Burgers & Bar, has appointed the company's owner and founder Joanie Corneil to the position of CEO.

The concept for Square 1 began in 2005, when Corneil's partner Bill Shumate talked of getting back into the burger business after a successful run in Oklahoma, according to a company press release. Corneil established the "cowboy chic" interior design and created the menu, which features all-natural, humanely raised, hormone- antibiotic- and preservative-free Meyer's Natural Red Angus beef and meats for 28 burger items. Today, their idea has evolved into a six-restaurant burger chain. Corneil and Shumate, who moved to Tampa Bay, Fla., from Oklahoma nearly three decades ago, also founded Tampa Bay's Italian restaurant, Bella's Italian Café.

Current Square 1 Burgers & Bar CEO Ray Leich will assume the role of managing member.

"The Square 1 brand has taken the burger craze to a whole new level," said Corneil, who is also a finalist for the Tampa Bay Business Journal's 2013 "BusinessWoman of the Year" award. "It's exciting to offer multiple all-organic proteins, from Red Angus to Salmon to Buffalo to exotics such as ostrich, venison and gator; while at the same time offering portobello and (housemade) vegan burgers."

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