Speakers

Peter Ortiz is a seasoned and highly accomplished executive in the restaurant and franchise industry, bringing over 20 years of expertise to his role as Chief Development Officer for Ascent Hospitality Management, the parent company of Perkins American Food Co. and Huddle House. Known for his strategic vision, leadership, and franchise development acumen, Ortiz has a proven track record of driving significant growth for some of the industry’s most recognizable brands. In his current role, Ortiz is instrumental in shaping the growth trajectory for Perkins and Huddle House. He leverages his expertise to design and implement franchise strategies that prioritize sustainable expansion, build strong franchisee relationships, and deliver long-term success for the Ascent brands.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.