Stephen Moore
Senior Economics Writer for the Wall Street Journal,
Co-Author of The End of Prosperity

 From 1999-2004 Moore served as founder and President of the Club for Growth, a 25,000-member organization dedicated to helping elect free market, tax cutting candidates to Congress. In his tenure as president, the Club for Growth became one of the most influential and respected political organizations in the nation. In 2003-04 the Club for Growth raised nearly $22 million for Republican congressional and Senate candidates, making the Club the biggest single money raiser for Republican candidates outside the party itself.

Paul Begala
CNN Political Analyst

From the White House’s Situation Room to CNN’s news program of the same name, Paul Begala’s experience gives him an unmatched perspective on politics and the media. As a political strategist or pundit, Begala has been at the center of every election cycle of the last 25 years. 

 The CNN political analyst and former top aide to President Clinton was reportedly the first person to predict the Democratic takeover of the House in 2006. As senior strategist to the campaign of Pennsylvania Democrat Bob Casey, he helped unseat the third-ranking Republican in the US Senate, allowing the Democrats to take control of that chamber as well.

---

Stacy Perman
Business Week Reporter and Author,“In-N-Out Burger: A Behind The Counter Look At The Fast-Food Chain That Breaks All the Rules”

2009 Conference Speakers

Greg Apter, President, Hilco Real Estate LLC
Greg is president and a principal of Hilco Real Estate. He runs the disposition and restructuring practice, where his efforts are focused primarily on leasehold restructuring and mitigation, along with leased and owned property disposition. Greg has worked with such esteemed clients as Wal-Mart, Mervyn’s, Boscov’s, WorldCom, Starbuck’s, McDonald’s, The Oceanaire, A&P/Pathmark, Bally Total Fitness, Lone Star Steakhouse, Charlie Brown’s, and numerous others. Dean Zuccarello, CEO, The Cypress Group
Dean is the CEO and founder of The Cypress Group.  His background encompasses over 25 years of financial and transactional experience in mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, strategic planning, and financing in the restaurant industry.  Dean has structured and completed hundreds of restaurant transactions over his 25 year career and is well‐respected as a leading authority in the restaurant finance arena.

Brett Bishov, Managing Director, Trefethen & Co.
Brett is managing director at Trefethen & Co., a privately-owned, independent merchant banking firm focused on providing sound advice and transaction execution to middle market companies, investors and financial institutions.

John Brodersen, Franchisee, Popeyes Chicken, Brodersen Management Corp.
John has earned the right to be dubbed the “Turnaround King.” His 20 successful Popeyes restaurants all lie in markets that had a tarnished brand image and had previously gone bankrupt. For his amazing turnaround of the Detroit market, Brodersen won Popeyes’ Franchisee of the Year in 2001 and Developer of the Year in 2004.

Trey Brown, Sr. Managing Director, GE Capital, Franchise Finance
Trey is senior managing director and commercial leader of GE Capital, Franchise Finance.  Trey has been with Franchise Finance since 2005 and most recently led the structured finance sales team.  Prior to that he was general manager of GE's Global Electronics Solutions (GES) business where he successfully led the global Comdisco integration and stabilizing of GES as a newly formed business focused on meeting the asset management needs of the semi-conductor industry.

John Buchanan, President, Lettuce Consulting Group
John is the president and a founding partner of the Lettuce Consulting Group. In addition to leading the strategic growth and client services of the group, John provides oversight management to all operator and manufacturer engagements.

Bruce Clark, CFO, Hooters Management Corp.
Bruce is the CFO and 15-year veteran of the founding group that started the Hooters restaurant concept which has grown to approximately 450 units and $1 billion in system sales.  The group continues to develop and operate Hooters branded restaurants in Chicago, New York City and Tampa Bay regions, as well as evaluate strategic mergers/alliances and manage other diversified holdings, after selling the brand in 2001. 

Jason Denton, Owner, 'ino Restaurant
A true visionary with a passion for all things Italian, Jason Denton owns and operates some of New York City’s most successful restaurants. In 1998, armed with a simple panini press and only 400 square feet of space, Jason opened the diminutive but highly successful ‘ino in New York City’s West Village. Known for its robust Italian wine list and delicious menu, the award winning ‘ino has built a cult following and is often credited with creating the wine bar and panini craze here in the United States.

Richard P. (Rick) Dutkiewicz, CFO, Einstein Noah Restaurant Group
Rick is the chief financial officer of Lakewood, CO based Einstein Noah Restaurant Group, Inc. (NASDAQ – GM: BAGL) whose restaurant concepts include Einstein Bros. Bagels, Noah’s New York Bagels and Manhattan Bagel Bakery. Prior to joining New World, Rick held chief financial officer and other senior financial positions with Vari-L Company, Inc., Coleman Natural Products, Inc. and multiple divisions of United Technologies Corporation. Rick began his career with KPMG in Los Angeles, CA and was an audit manager at KPMG in Denver, CO.

David Epstein, Principal, J.H. Chapman Group, LLC
David is one of the nation's leading investment bankers in the food industry having completed more chain acquisitions and divestitures than any other intermediary. He is the founder and author of the annual Chain Restaurant Merger and Acquisition Census, a comprehensive guide to acquisition activity in the foodservice industry. He is widely quoted in business publications and has published several financial articles and case studies on effective financial management.

Randy Evans, Shareholder, Krass Monroe, P.A.
Randy is a senior shareholder in the corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions groups of Krass Monroe, P.A. He is a leader in the firm’s commercial and corporate finance practice areas. Representing buyers, sellers, equity investors, mezzanine funds and commercial lenders, Randy guides his clients in complex transactions including: structuring, negotiating, documenting and closing business sales and purchases, as well as commercial and corporate finance transactions including senior debt, subordinated debt, private equity, restructures, divestitures, valuations, joint ventures and similar transactions.

Ronald Feldman, CEO, Siegel Financial Group
Ronald has been with Siegel since 2003. Prior to his affiliation with Siegel, he was executive vice president and chief operating officer of Response USA, a publicly traded Alarm Systems Company. Ron was instrumental in both the public offering and ultimate sale of the Alarm Division. Ron also owned and operated a Goddard School Franchise from 1998 to 2007

John Geenen, First Vice President – Investments, UBS Financial Service
John is a first vice president – investments with UBS Financial Services, Inc. UBS is one of the world's largest asset manager and is present in all major financial centers worldwide with offices in more than 50 countries. John has more than 23 years experience in the financial services industry

Michael Gottlieb, Partner Americas Leader Restaurant Services, Ernst & Young LLP
Michael is the Americas leader of Ernst & Young’s Restaurants practice, Mike began his career in the restaurant industry as a restaurant operator—an invaluable experience that gave him an insider’s perspective on this unique industry. Thanks to his previous experience, Mike is able to view restaurant companies from the operators’ perspective, a key to understanding their significant challenges, whether it be real estate decisions from site identification to construction costs and structuring of leasing arrangements; operating efficiencies; human resource matters or effective income and employment tax planning.

Quinn Hall, Managing Director, Wells Fargo Restaurant Finance
Quinn is a managing director at Wells Fargo Restaurant Finance. They provide capital to owners of multi-unit branded retail businesses in the restaurant sector, including corporate restaurant brands, large franchisees, and landlords for multi-unit restaurant and retail companies.

Kevin Harron, President & CEO, Burtons Grill
Kevin is a restaurant industry veteran with over twenty-five years of extensive experience in restaurant development, operations, retailing and customer relationship management. Kevin’s full-service restaurant experience has provided him with the understanding and skills necessary to develop forward-thinking strategies in the food, beverage and hospitality industry.

Jerome Herman, Council of International Restaurant Real Estate Brokers (CIRB)
President, J.J. Herman & Associates, Inc.
Jerry is the founder and president of J.J. Herman & Associates. For more than 40 years, Jerry has been providing commercial real estate brokerage and consulting services for the retail and restaurant industries. Jerry is aboard member of CIRB (Council of International Restaurant Real Estate Brokers), as well as a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers, National Restaurant Association, Ohio Restaurant Association, and the Cleveland Area Restaurant Association.

JB Hewetson, Vice President, The Cypress Group
J.B. is a Vice President with The Cypress Group and has been with the firm for more than four years.  His background encompasses over eight years of M&A transaction advisory, capital placement, and private equity.  J.B. has structured and completed dozens of transactions in the middle and lower middle market across a wide variety of industries, but with an emphasis on the consumer and retail industries.

David Hill, Managing Director, Trefethen & Co.
David is managing director at Trefethen & Co., a privately-owned, independent merchant banking firm focused on providing sound advice and transaction execution to middle market companies, investors and financial institutions.

Christopher Hurn, President/CEO, Mercantile Capital Corporation
Chris Hurn is currently president, CEO, and cofounder of Mercantile Capital Corporation (MCC) where his firm specializes in providing the highest cash-on-cash return financing for business owners and entrepreneurs buying commercial property. His company was on the 2007 Inc. 500 list of America’s fastest growing companies, ranked # 245 with 951% growth over a 3-year period.

Lou Katz, Attorney, Ruberto, Israel & Weiner, P.C.
Lou Katz is a shareholder in the Boston law firm of Ruberto, Israel & Weiner PC. His practice is focused on corporate and partnership law, commercial transactions and commercial real estate transactions and includes mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance transactions, business disputes and succession planning for closely held companies, including many restaurant and hospitality businesses.

Keith Kinsey, COO/CFO, Noodles & Company
Keith Kinsey works closely with the president/CEO to shape the company’s strategic growth plans and restaurant operations infrastructure. Keith is a seasoned restaurant executive with 27 years of domestic and international operations, financial and executive experience. He most recently served in an operations leadership role at Chipotle, and has held key management positions at Big Sky Bread, Checker’s Restaurants, Kentucky Fried Chicken and McDonalds.

Jeffrey Kolton, Principal, Franchise Market Ventures, LLC
Jeff is highly regarded as one of the leaders and innovators in the franchising community. With more than 25 years’ experience at the highest levels within the legal, research, marketing and finance sectors, Jeff brings a unique perspective and an invaluable rolodex to every deal he works on.  He has been a partner in one of the leading franchise law firms in the country (Kaufmann Feiner) and he founded and built the leading franchise research firm in the country (FRANdata Corporation).

Steven Kron, Vice President, Goldman Sachs
Steven is vice president, joined Goldman Sachs in August 2000. He currently works in the Consumer Product and Retail Business Group, and covers the restaurant industry. Steven has also recently covered Packaged Food industry and spent four years as part of the Financial Services Group research effort covering life insurance companies at Goldman. Prior to joining the firm, Steven worked at Price Waterhouse LLP as an auditor in its financial services industry practice.

Gregory Landry, Managing Director, Trefethen & Co.
Greg is managing director at Trefethen & Co., a privately-owned, independent merchant banking firm focused on providing sound advice and transaction execution to middle market companies, investors and financial institutions.

David Mansbach, Co-President North America, HVS Executive Search
David is co-president, North America for HVS Executive Search, specializing in retained executive search and compensation and organizational development consulting for the lodging, restaurant, retail and gaming industries. He is a frequent lecturer on industry related issues and has written many articles.

Cameron Mitchell, President & Founder, Cameron Mitchell Restaurants
Cameron Mitchell is president and founder of Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.  A lifelong entrepreneur, Mitchell is an accomplished businessman, culinary expert and nationally recognized restaurateur.  His prominence in the industry increased exponentially in early 2008, when he guided the sale of two of his most popular concepts – Mitchell’s Fish Market and Mitchell’s/Cameron’s Steakhouse – to Ruth’s Chris for $92 million.

Dennis Monroe, Chair, Krass Monroe, P.A.
Dennis is chair and senior partner of the Minneapolis law firm of Krass Monroe, P.A., a firm he co-founded more than 20 years ago. A pioneer in the retail and franchise finance area, Dennis has developed a broad network of finance contacts and clients.  He assists many businesses, from emerging companies to multi-national firms, by providing creative ideas, identifying unique financing sources, and developing the financial tools necessary for their growth and development.  He also serves as special counsel to multi-national accounting firms in the areas of corporate finance and tax planning as they relate to multi-unit acquisition.

Navin Nagrani, Vice President, Hilco Real Estate, LLC
Navin Is primarily responsible for evaluating new real estate opportunities and deal structuring. Prior to joining Hilco’s Real Estate group, he was a team leader in Hilco’s Appraisal Services group where he managed a group of financial analysts and worked on dozens of debt restructuring transactions on behalf of equity sponsors, investment banks, lenders, and companies covering a vast variety of industries.

Jeff Omohundro, Managing Director, Wells Fargo Securities
Jeff is the restaurant analyst of Wells Fargo Securities. He has been selected by The Wall Street Journal six times as an All-Star analyst and ranked No. 1 stockpicker five times in the restaurant, food, and beverage industries.

John Pepper, CEO & Co-Founder, Boloco
John is the co-founder and CEO of Boloco (www.boloco.com), a 16-unit fast-casual Boston-based restaurant chain which opened its first location in 1997.   With locations open in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont, Boloco expects to have 20 company-owned units operating by year end 2009.  John also co-founded b.good, (www.bgood.com) a 4-unit fast-casual better-for-you burger restaurant concept also based in Boston.

Janet Pirus, CFO, Papa Murphy’s International
Janet has been chief financial officer of Papa Murphy’s International, a rapidly growing, predominantly franchised chain of over 1,100 take-and-bake pizza stores, operating in 31 states and Canada. During her tenure, the Company’s store counts have more than doubled and chain sales topped $585 million in 2008.  In 2009, 100 new stores are planned.     

Phil Roberts, CEO, Parasole Restaurant Holdings
Phil is CEO of Parasole Restaurant Holdings. He oversees operation of Parasole Restaurant Holdings, the Parasole Bakery, and idein, LLC, a consulting service for restaurant and retail clients nationwide.

Brad Saltz, Director of Restaurant Services, SS&G Financial Services
Brad is a leading authority in the restaurant industry. At SS&G, one of the nation’s fastest growing accounting, consulting and outsourcing firms, he leads the restaurant services group, representing hundreds of restaurants nationwide. Brad and his staff have extensive industry consulting experience and specialize in assisting companies not only with their audit and tax needs, but with their growth strategies, planning, return on investment, internal controls and manager bonus plans. The firm has gained national recognition for its award-winning Restaurant CFO Bootcamp and its Annual Restaurant Benchmarking Survey.

Mark Saltzbager, Consultant
Mark is dedicated to creating equity value in the restaurant industry. To that end, he is an active consultant and partner to leading restaurant companies, aiding them in managing and financing their development, and to prominent private equity firms looking to make restaurant industry investments. He previously co-founded and was a venture partner of Dorset Capital Management, LLC (www.dorsetcapital.com), a consumer-focused private equity firm, where he was responsible for evaluating, making and monitoring private equity investments in the restaurant industry.

Steve Silverstein, Founder/CEO, Not Your Average Joe’s
Steve was tired of bad food served in contrived, cookie-cutter environments and delivered by the surly and the indifferent. Most of all, he was tired of paying a lot of money for the privilege. So in 1994, despite his complete lack of restaurant experience, he opened a 90-seat restaurant. Capitalized for just $370,000, the original Not Your Average Joe's produced total first year sales of $1.5 million, nearly tripling the industry average for sales-per-seat.  Silverstein immediately recognized two things: The scale of the opportunity at hand and the simplicity of the formula required to expand it.

Hans Sohlen, President, Sohlen Franchise Advisors/Square Treasure Foods
Hans is president of Sohlen Franchise Advisors and has specialized in capital formation for franchised multi-unit restaurant businesses for the past twenty years. Hans is also a Wendy’s franchisee in Florida.

Russell N. Stein, Esq., Attorney, Ruberto, Israel & Weiner, P.C.
Russ is a shareholder of the firm and Chair of the Corporate & Business Group.  Mr. Stein represents businesses in a variety of corporate, employment and real estate matters including business formation, financings and mergers and acquisitions. His practice includes a substantial number of retail, food and hospitality clients including several growing restaurant chains. He also advises technology companies on intellectual property and licensing issues.

Nicholas Vojnovic, President, Beef O' Brady's
Nick was promoted to president of Family Sports Concepts, Inc., – the franchisor of Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Family Sports Pubs in January of 2005. Prior to this position, Nick serves as the company’s COO as well as its senior vice president of corporate development. His strong work ethic has helped Family Sports Concepts, Inc. build the chain to more than 260 units throughout the United States.

James Walsh, Managing Director, Jefferies & Company, Inc.
Jim is the Group Head for the Jefferies Consumer & Retail investment banking team with nearly 20 years of investment banking experience in the industry. Prior to joining Jefferies, Jim was head of the food industries investment banking group at Wachovia Securities, Inc. He has been a lead banker for numerous premier clients in the consumer & retail industry and has led the execution efforts of book-run equity and debt offerings for Texas Roadhouse, Inc., Jack in the Box, El Pollo Loco, Perkins, Caribbean Restaurants, Morton’s Restaurant Group, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc, McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurants, Inc, Ruth's Chris Steak House Inc. and Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc. 

Ben K. Wells, Executive Vice President/CFO, Burger King
Ben is executive vice president, chief financial officer for Burger King Corporation. He reports directly to CEO John Chidsey and serves as a key member of the executive leadership team. He has also served as senior vice president, treasurer at the company. He has more than 25 years experience in finance.

Mark Williams, Head of Development, North America, Best Western International, Inc.
Mark is vice president of North American Development for Best Western International, THE WORLD’S LARGEST HOTEL CHAIN®. In his fifteen years at Best Western, Williams has served as the development ambassador for the brand, helping to bring hundreds of American, Canadian and Caribbean hotels into the Best Western family, with a special emphasis on new construction and hotels located in primary markets.

Dean Zuccarello, CEO, The Cypress Group
Dean is the CEO and founder of The Cypress Group.  His background encompasses over 25 years of financial and transactional experience in mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, strategic planning, and financing in the restaurant industry.  Dean has structured and completed hundreds of restaurant transactions over his 25 year career and is well‐respected as a leading authority in the restaurant finance arena.

Sam Fox, President & CEO, Fox Restaurant Concepts

Brian Geraghty, Corporate Banking Head, Bank of America

Alan Mitzner, President, American Pie, LLC

Neil Newcomb, President, Brixx Franchise System

Bill Wildman, President, Pinnacle Commercial Capital