Speakers

Recipient of the highest honors in the food industry (“Key Person Award,” “President’s Award,” “NRA’s Lifetime Achievement Award”), Ira Blumenthal was Visiting Professor at the University of Notre Dame’s Foodservice Institute and Michigan State University’s Food Industry Institute. He was the CMO of a $1-billion food brand, the President of a $300-million food manufacturing company and later, as a consultant, was the longest continually retained “lead consultant” to Coca-Cola, advising the beverage giant for 26 continuous years. Ira is the author of four books, one a “best seller”… a syndicated columnist… and a public speaker who addressed nearly 3000 audiences on 5 continents. Pertinent to the vending and kiosk industry… just as Ira is credited for being an innovator who helped extend restaurant brands onto college campuses… then later extending restaurant brands into supermarket frozen food cases… and now… so relevant to our conference here today… he is committed to again extending iconic restaurant brands but this time through vending… via his company, Automated Restaurant Solutions.

With over 25 years of experience in executive coaching and leadership development, Josh Rosenberg helps individuals and organizations unlock their full potential. Josh's career includes 18 years of Executive Leadership roles at The Coca-Cola Company in sales, operations, strategy, brand, and marketing, along with ll years in private equity as a business owner, director, consultant, and operating partner. Josh's coaching style combines a deep understanding of human behavior, organizational dynamics, and leadership principles. His tailored approach empowers executives to overcome challenges, enhance performance, and achieve professional goals. He works collaboratively with clients to identify strengths, address growth areas, and foster actionable insights that drive success. Specializing in team dynamics and organizational culture, Josh designs workshops and leadership programs that promote collaboration and inspire innovation. His clients span diverse industries, including retail, technology, consumer products, and professional services, with client references available upon request. Josh holds a bachelor's degree in marketing from Madison University and has completed leadership programs through the Ross School of Business and Cornell University. A passionate advocate for transformation, he continues professional development to stay at the forefront of his field.

Michael Beacham currently serves as President of California Pizza Kitchen (CPK), where he is driving a renewed focus on growth. A seasoned executive with decades of leadership experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry, Beacham joined CPK after leading international expansion and development strategies for several global brands. His career includes serving as President of Darden International, where he oversaw the company’s international portfolio, and as Chief Operating Officer of Hard Rock Cafe International, managing corporate and franchise operations across more than 70 countries. He has also held senior roles at CEC Entertainment (Chuck E. Cheese’s), Rosinter Restaurants, and Carlson Restaurants Worldwide (TGI Friday’s), where he helped guide growth across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Cherryh Cansler is VP of Events for Networld Media Group and publisher of FastCasual.com. She has been covering the restaurant industry since 2012. Her byline has appeared in Forbes, The Kansas City Star and American Fitness magazine, among many others.

Guy Carmeli is the founder and owner of Pasta di Guy, a fast-casual Italian restaurant concept known for its scratch-made pasta. After leaving a career in tech, he trained at Le Cordon Bleu in London, UK, and launched the brand in 2019 as a food truck in Tampa Bay. Today, Pasta di Guy has expanded to multiple locations across Florida and Indiana and is now actively franchising. Guy brings a unique blend of culinary expertise and operational insight, with a strong focus on delivering a great guest experience.

Sandra Carpenter is the editor of Kiosk Marketplace and Vending Times. She has been working in editorial and research roles for over a decade and has experience in print, blog, social media and peer-reviewed publications.

Jeremy Cauble, Director of Strategic Innovation for Canteen North America, has been exploring innovation in unattended retail for 15 years. Through his diversified background in marketing, digital commerce/SEO, field implementation and customer experience, Jeremy has learned how to leverage new technologies to continuously improve the shopping experience for customers in unattended retail.  Quick and easy checkout, interactive shopping tools, channels for consumer engagement and feedback, and operational technologies to ensure the right product in the right place at the right time—all of these and more combined to simplify the overall shopping process and elevate customer satisfaction.

Kelly Cleland MPA, MPH (she/her) has an extensive background in research, and spent 14 years at Princeton University focusing on projects related to contraception and medication abortion. As Executive Director of ASEC, Kelly creates guidelines and factsheets on challenging clinical questions, provides expert review of EC-related materials, and convenes the only EC-specific conference in the US. Prior to her work with ASEC, Kelly evaluated comprehensive sexuality education programs at the University of California, San Francisco and Planned Parenthood of New York City. Kelly received her MPA and MPH from Columbia University in 2002, where she concentrated in Population and Family Health. Kelly is a Fellow of the Society of Family Planning, a liaison to the Planned Parenthood National Medical Committee, and a member of the editorial board for the journal Contraception.

Roberto De Angelis is the Chief Experience Officer of BRIX Holdings, LLC. BRIX Holdings is a multi-brand franchising and restaurant management company whose portfolio includes iconic brands such as Friendly’s, Red Mango Café, Orange Leaf, Smoothie Factory + Kitchen, Humble Donut Co., Greenz, and Pizza JukeBox. Prior to joining BRIX Holdings, Roberto served in various roles for P.F. Chang’s over 18 years, most recently as the chief operating officer of global development. While there, he led the concept adaptation, development and opening of restaurants across 30 countries. Additionally, throughout his career, he has held positions in hospitality, training, food and beverage, culinary, operations, and international franchise development. He brings with him extensive knowledge of delivering on the guest experience and brand promise for fine dining restaurants, QSRs and luxury hotels.

Filippo Fiori, PhD is the Co-founder, CEO, and Head Chef of Due Cucina Italiana, a fast-casual restaurant concept dedicated to bringing authentic Italian cuisine to the U.S. A trained engineer with a PhD in Nuclear Science and Technology, Filippo applies his scientific expertise to perfecting pasta and baked goods, combining tradition with innovation. His journey spans from nuclear safety analysis to culinary consulting on a Chinese cooking TV show with over 400 million viewers. Passionate about making high-quality Italian food accessible, Filippo is a firm believer that cooking is an art refined by science and technology.

Ray Friedrich is a proven entrepreneurial leader with 35 years executive experience in the food and beverage industry. Ray started and grew a food service management company into one of the largest independent operators in Michigan when sold in 2019. Ray is a recognized national industry leader receiving many accolades for creating new and forward-thinking innovations related to the dining and convenience services industry. Ray now works with CEOs and business owners to help their organizations successfully identify, define and execute high-level strategic initiatives designed to meet their long-term goals. Ray is also experienced in executive team building and coaching. He helps to create a team culture of responsibility, collaboration and accountability. Throughout his career, Ray has demonstrated the power of new technologies to significantly transform an organization.

Benoit Herve is a visionary entrepreneur and accomplished executive with over 30 years of experience in technology design, marketing, and product innovation. He holds a master’s degree in robotics and has served at both Fortune 100 companies and high-growth startups. Benoit combined his technical expertise with a passion for French cuisine to design and introduce the ground-breaking Bake Xpress hot food kiosk in 2019. Under his leadership, LBX Food Robotics has become a leader in automated food service, delivering quality and innovation across its expanding national footprint.

Rebecca Kahn boasts a decade-long track record as a dynamic Franchise Business Leader. Her expertise lies in spearheading expansive operational field initiatives, orchestrating substantial portfolio acquisitions, overseeing restaurant development, and devising comprehensive operational strategies. Prior to joining the Gong cha team, Kahn served as the Franchise Business Partner overseeing the US Mid-Atlantic region at Burger King, where she played a pivotal role in steering the company's rebranding efforts and spearheading its digital transformation. Before her tenure at Burger King, Khan spent six years as a consultant specializing in enhancing operational efficiency and driving profitability for Subway franchisees.

Steven King is the CEO of Blue Sky Robotics, which uses computer vision and robotics to solve difficult problems in the supply chain, manufacturing, retail, and hospitality industries. He is also the Distinguished Professor of Innovation and Emerging Technologies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His lab, Blue Sky Innovations, develops groundbreaking research in applied technologies to solve complex problems for corporations such as Marriott and the Atlanta Falcons, while his company provides smart robotic solutions for companies like Eli Lilly and Mayo Clinic.

Eric Knott is a restaurant executive with a proven track record built upon operational excellence, driving revenues with favorable returns, and a passion for developing best in class teams. Currently leading the fast casual brand People Dedicated to Quality (PDQ) as the Chief Operating Office, Eric has committed over a decade to driving strategic growth across the business. Understanding the importance of a holistic vision, Eric is directly responsible for producing results through a vast array of incentives. Innovation across Operations, Technology, Real-Estate, and Marketing campaigns are a few examples of how Eric has created superior value to the organization.

Bruce Wayne Renard is a nationally recognized attorney, consultant, businessman, and trade association executive, with over four decades of experience in a broad variety of capacities and public/private sector settings. Mr. Renard currently serves as Executive Director of the National ATM Council, Inc. (“NAC”), the ATM industry trade association representing independent ATM providers and suppliers throughout the U.S. Mr. Renard previously served as Executive Director for the Alliance of Specialized Communications Providers (“ASCP”), a predecessor trade organization to NAC. In these roles, Mr. Renard has been closely involved over the past two decades with all the major issues involving the U.S. ATM industry, including implementation of ADA requirements for ATMs, passage of the Dodd-Frank financial reform legislation, congressional elimination of ATM fee sticker requirements, implementation of EMV chip technology at ATMs is the U.S., and significant recent revisions to the FFIEC Examination Manual covering the banking of Independent ATM organizations. Most recently Mr. Renard was invited to serve as a member of the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank’s Special Committee on Payments Inclusion, Chaired by Atlanta Fed Chair Raphael Bostick. In addition to managing NAC, Mr. Renard also maintains an active transactional legal practice, focusing on the payments and communications industries.

Chef Andre, as he is known, is a respected food service executive with a career that spans four decades of leadership excellence. He has created and managed some of the most exciting culinary concepts in America. Andy has held executive leadership and culinary positions for companies like Harrah's Entertainment where he led food service operations worldwide and was the recipient of their corporate excellence award. He was also SVP and ultimately one of the owners of both Steak & Ale and Bennigan’s restaurant chains. He was co-founder of the enormously successful Rainforest Café and owner-operator of BB King’s Blues Café (Memphis and LA)… with a long list of high profile, highly successful restaurant concepts to his credit. He was also one of the founders and the first president of the American Beverage Institute. He was also honored by Pillsbury with “The Foodservice Industry’s Creative Excellence Award.”Andy now serves as the culinary executive the Automated Restaurant Solutions group.

After a distinguished 20-year career in law enforcement, Jeff transitioned his commitment to community well-being into transforming the vending landscape. He owns BetterHealth Vending®, in Charleston, SC whose primary goal is to disrupt the vending industry by promoting healthier options and fostering a culture of wellness. Beyond local service, Jeff is also the force behind Daedalus Distribution, LLC, the master reseller bringing Vendekin Technologies' innovative, high-tech vending machines and software to the United States.

Christopher Sebes is a widely respected restaurant technology entrepreneur, CEO, Advisor, and Board Member. He has dedicated his career to hospitality management and technology. He graduated from Portsmouth University School of Hotel Management in 1975. He managed 5-star hotels in South Africa, Morocco, and Kenya before transitioning to the restaurant business, managing multi-unit restaurant operations in Europe and the United States. Having created Twenty20 Visual Systems, the first-ever Microsoft Windows POS company which was sold to Radiant Systems in 1998, he went on to found Xpient Solutions, where he served as CEO until its sale to Heartland Payments in late 2014. As President of Xenial (formerly Heartland Commerce) Sebes led the acquisition of several restaurant technology companies and created a cross-platform cloud solution which continues to provide technology to more than half the top 50 brands in the QSR and Fast-Casual segments. Having stepped away from Global Payments, the acquirer of Heartland, in mid 2019, Sebes has devoted his time to investing in and consulting for several technology companies. Sebes’ thought leadership as to the growing and future role of technology in the restaurant industry and his extensive knowledge of restaurant brands and strategy has led to several board and advisory roles in the Restech sector.

Rashid Siahpoosh is the founder of La Galere Markets, launched in 2014, which now operates 50+ self-checkout gourmet stores nationwide. Under his leadership, the company has partnered with top real estate developers and property managers to bring 24/7 retail concepts to luxury residential, office, and student housing communities. Previously, Rashid worked in real estate leasing with Cushman & Wakefield, Transwestern, and Newmark, and earlier served as Chief Marketing Officer of Foodtrader.com, a pioneering B2B food services platform. He holds a degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Bill Stutzman, Director of Strategic Initiatives is a networking industry change agent helping today’s Omnichannel Financial Institutions solve technology challenges and meet networking demand. Bill’s expertise in marketing and network services has allowed him to support FIs implementing the many transformational changes impacting the omnichannel branch and how it can positively enhance the customer experience. Bill holds an M.B.A from Columbia University and throughout his career, including senior roles at Time, Inc’s Fortune.com, Entertainment Weekly’s EW.com, and Sprint, he has demonstrated a talent for anticipating trends and capturing value at the right time.

Lonnie C Talbert is the current CEO of The ATM Industry Association (ATMIA) and ATM Security Association (ASA). For over three decades, Talbert has enjoyed an extensive and successful career in Financial Services, including leadership roles with large Fortune 500 companies, encompassing several high-level executive roles. He was most recently President of the New Mexico Bankers Association and has been a member of numerous ABA committees and the ePay Advisors, Board of Directors. Lonnie received his BS degree in Business Administration from Jacksonville University.

Nestor Tkachenko is the Founder and CEO of Corner Kitchen, a company that serves food from popular restaurants through robots and automated kiosks. Before starting the company, Nestor built robots at Harvard and spent time in Venture Capital at 8VC, investing in cutting edge technology companies. Since then he and his team have grown Corner Kitchen throughout Texas and California, taking aim to transform dining in workplaces across the country.

John Varner has been in the foodservice industry for 34 years. He has extensive experience in wholesale distribution and the manufacturers representative fields... most specifically in the area of foodservice equipment. John’s fields of expertise include chain restaurants, college and universities, hotels, hospitals, fine dining, and other areas of hospitality. John and his team at M&M focus on streamlining operations, building labor savings operating systems, reducing food waste, and improving food quality for an operation’s end users. John’s M&M team conducts training, menu development and assists in tailoring an equipment package to meet the client’s needs. Based in Atlanta with equipment distribution relationships in all channels of foodservice throughout the United States, John is highly respected as a “back of the house” specialist and foodservice equipment expert. Believing that an important future of the industry is in automation, technology and vending, John’s company also specializes in vending installation, maintenance and service.

As Chief Revenue Officer of Farmer's Fridge, John Walsh brings more than 15 years of expertise across strategy, marketing, sales, and operations to the rapidly growing food-tech company. He has led go-to-market teams across both B2C and B2B organizations, with leadership roles at Mindbody, Groupon, Kearney, and EY. Most recently, John led Mindbody’s growth team in the lead-up to its IPO. Earlier in his career, he launched and scaled ShopYourWay, one of the largest coalition loyalty programs in the U.S. A graduate of Miami University, John holds dual master’s degrees in economics and international business.

Ben Wheeler “The Kiosk Guy” the Founder of The Kiosk Guy is a Senior Executive with proven ability to lead companies in the process of new product development. He thrives on the challenges of new making ideas come to life! Since his involvement in some of the most groundbreaking self-service products in the past twenty-five years – Skittles Remix (Incredivend), CraveBot (Crave Robotics), Just Baked, PyePOS, Redbox (Flextronics), Kodak Picture Maker (Flextronics), NCR Fastlane (Flextronics), Wendy’s QSR (RedyRef), and MinuteKey (Flextronics) among many others – finds himself hunting for new challenges and meeting their demands. He has dedicated his life to mastering any role necessary at every company he has worked for, gaining vast experience in New Product Development, Lean Six Sigma Manufacturing, Consumer Electronics, Self-Service devices, and supporting engineering/manufacturing teams and goals. In 2017 he was inducted into the Kiosk Industry Hall of Fame with the Lifetime Achievement Award.