From Persona To Personal

Ryan Lynn is the Senior Vice President of Brand Development and Marketing at The Dirty Buffalo, an award-winning restaurant that was featured on both the Food Network and the Travel Channel. Ryan specializes in public relations, community engagement, media relations, and social media marketing in the restaurant and music industries. As an eight-year US Navy veteran, Ryan has developed leadership s...

Jarrett McGovern is the Chief Creative Officer and Co-founder of RISE Brewing Co., which started in the kitchen of his Manhattan Apartment. Founded in 2014, Jarrett's mission was to create the best-tasting organic products on the planet and make them available to everyone. The brand has grown into a thriving company, and its beverages, including all-organic nitro cold brew coffee, tea, and organic...

Venae Watts is one of the two fifth-generation owners of Minerva Dairy, where she combines her aptitude for creating the richest, creamiest batch of butter with her knack for unmistakable branding and shrewd business instincts. She is responsible for overseeing production, sales strategy, and marketing. Thanks to Venae's vision, the 128-year-old Minerva is now known for its dynamic packaging and v...

Kathryn Moos is the Co-founder of OWYN, one of the fastest-growing plant-based health and nutrition companies in the US, whose name stands for "Only What You Need." She is also the Managing Partner at Groundswell Ventures, which addresses critical problems in the areas of health and wellness and climate and sustainability. A former professional soccer player, Kathryn has spent most of her post-ath...

Steve Kraus is Founder and Partner at Press Coffee, which he and his wife, Tram Mai, launched in 2008. Their passion and commitment for great coffee built a loyal customer base, and Press Coffee's care and preparation set it apart from the competition. Steve's wife is a local news anchor in Phoenix, and they are parents to twins Zak and Zoey. What you'll learn in this episode: Many business owners...

Steve Greer is the Chief Marketing Officer at Urban Plates, a chef-driven fast-casual restaurant chain in Southern California serving craveable and nutritious made-from-scratch plates, salads, sandwiches, and bowls. He uses creative and strategic thinking, extensive practical experience, and strong communication skills to engage a wide variety of internal and external stakeholders. Steve is a high...

David Eha is the Director of National Accounts at Restaurant Technologies (RT). With 25 years in the restaurant business, he is responsible for developing new partnerships with industry leaders and national restaurant chains to provide automated systems for some of the worst back-of-the-house processes. In his role, David takes the lead in implementing RT's Total Oil Management solution, which all...

Mindy Riesenberg is the Director of Marketing and Communications at Grand Canyon Conservancy, the official nonprofit partner of Grand Canyon National Park. She has over two decades of experience as a leader in nonprofit marketing at major art museums across the US, including the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland, and the Phoenix Art Museum in Ar...

Zach Hempen is the Director of Digital Marketing at Your Pie Franchising. Born in 2008 in Athens, Georgia, Your Pie offers a pizza with a crust created through traditional brick oven cooking with unique toppings, including avocado, pickles, and peaches. In the marketing space for over a decade, Zack possesses sales, management, strategy, social media, and advertising skills. His expertise ranges f...

Greg Thomsen retired as Managing Director at agron, Inc., the exclusive licensed dealer for adidas products, at the beginning of 2023. Greg is an outdoor industry icon who earned the Lifetime Outdoor Retailer Inspiration Award from  Outdoor Retailer  in 2019 for inspiring countless generations to embrace the outdoors. With his accomplishments at Nike, where he served as Director of Marketing, and...

Jeff Grogg is the Founder and Managing Director of JPG Resources and the Founder and President of Snackwerks. Previously, he was a member of the executive team responsible for growing the Kashi cereal brand from $25 million to $750 million within nine years. He founded JPG Resources to help build businesses across the food industry. JPG works to provide a vision for and manage smaller, growing bus...

Micha Magid is the Co-founder and Co-CEO of Mighty Quinn's Barbecue. A graduate of NYU Stern School of Business, Micha started his career as an Associate in the mergers and acquisitions department at JP Morgan Chase. He then moved on to the hedge fund industry and spent 10 years managing investments. What started as an investment later became a full-time position with Mighty Quinn's, which now has...

John Brunnquell is the President, CEO, and Founder of Egg Innovations, the nation's largest exclusive originator of 100% free-range and pasture-raised eggs. At age 53, he earned a PhD in avian ethology — the study of bird behavior. A third-generation farmer, John is on a mission to make the world a better place for chickens, people, and the planet. He pioneered Egg Innovations' launch of the first...

Richard Bangs is the Chief Adventure Officer at Steller, the Chief Creative Officer at White Nile Media, and the Co-founder of Mountain Travel (MT) Sobek. He was part of the co-founding team at Expedia and served as its editor-at-large. Richard authored 19 books, including his most recent,  The Art of Living Dangerously . In 2006, he launched a PBS series of specials called  Richard Bangs  Adventu...

Jeff Fenster is the Founder and CEO of Everbowl, a San Diego-based acai bowl and juice chain that makes healthy superfoods accessible and affordable for everyone. Focused on disruptive start-ups, Jeff is a pioneer in the quick-serve restaurant category. Having established Everbowl in 2016, he is driving its growth nationwide through retail and franchise initiatives.  As an inspiring mentor and tea...

Pete Levangie is the President and CEO of Bay State Milling Company, a business that provides access to healthy, delicious, and responsibly sourced and produced food ingredients. The company is 125 years old, spanning five generations of family ownership, with nearly $1 billion in sales. Over the last 30 years, Pete has accumulated a deep background in the ag food industry. Joining Bay State Milli...

Roger Hurni is the Managing Partner and Chief Creative Officer at Off Madison Ave. He brings a unique perspective as a behavior strategist, creative visionary, and branding expert to the clients he serves. Roger knows that unprecedented results are achieved by optimizing the three variables of human behavior. This basis is the foundation he uses to develop behavior-changing results for organizatio...

Betsy Hamm is the CEO at Duck Donuts, where she previously served as COO and Marketing Director. Known for her ability to motivate and engage teams to achieve positive results, Betsy leads the development and direction of Duck Donuts' short and long-term goals, oversees and guides the day-to-day operations and marketing, and is in charge of financial goal management. Responsible for all facets of...

Jonathan Weathington is the CEO of Shuckin' Shack Oyster Bar. Starting out of a 960-square-foot former hair salon, the Shuckin' Shack little beach bar hangout has expanded into seven states and multiple locations. Jonathan has been featured on television and in publications, including  FSR ,  The Wall Street Journal , and Good Morning America. When he joined Shuckin' Shack in 2014, Jonathan starte...

Paul Macaluso is the President and CEO of Another Broken Egg Cafe, a chef-inspired breakfast, brunch, and lunch restaurant with hand-crafted cocktails, spiked cold brews, mimosas, and a full bar. Before joining the team at Another Broken Egg in 2019, Paul held a variety of executive and senior-level positions throughout his 25-plus-year career and earned a reputation for driving results. He has be...

David Greenfeld is the Co-founder and CEO of Dream Pops, a plant-based, dairy-free, superfood popsicle in flavors like vanilla matcha, mango rosemary, and chocolate with lion's mane mushrooms. As an investment banker prone to late-night ice cream binges, David noticed a lack of ice cream options in the vegan section at the grocery store. As a believer in all things plant-based, he co-founded Dream...

Jeff Grass is Chairman and CEO at HUNGRY Marketplace. HUNGRY is an online marketplace that connects independent chefs with the office catering market and is the first platform to provide business catering and live events through a network of local chefs.  As a four-time entrepreneur, Jeff is an engaged business leader motivated by big, game-changing ideas that will make the world a better place. H...

Julie Wade is the Senior Director of Marketing at Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe. Her background includes franchise development, brand marketing, product development, and franchise relations in the food and beverage industry. At Taziki's, Julie uses two decades of experience in advertising, strategic planning, marketing, and social media to elevate digital and physical guest experiences. What you'll...

Dan Shapiro is the CEO of Krispy Krunchy Foods. He started his career as a third-shift cashier at a convenience store and worked his way up the ranks by getting promoted simply because he always showed up on time. Taking a leap of faith, Dan joined Krispy Krunchy Foods, taking the company to the top of the nationwide quick-service food industry. What you'll learn in this episode: How can you promo...

Chris Artinian is President and CEO at Condado Tacos. Established in 2014, Condado Tacos offers a full dining experience that includes tacos, margaritas, and tequilas at a great price. Adding to the 39 current locations, Chris has plans to open at least 12 new restaurants in 2023, of which six will be in new markets for the company, and by 2026 the ambitious goal is to open another 100.  An expert...