Suzy Badaracco is the President of Culinary Tides, Inc. and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminalistics, Associate degree in Culinary Arts, and Master of Science degree in Human Nutrition. Suzy has been trained in military intelligence, Chaos theory, and predictive analysis techniques and has been practicing trends intelligence and predictive forecasting for more than 18 years. Using these techniques, she has been able to successfully predict and profile government, technology, adversary and ally, food, flavor, consumer, industry, and health trends. Culinary Tides, Inc. helps food industry partners navigate trends by revealing relevant patterns so they can create products that connect with customers. They specialize in foretelling a trend’s birth and forecasting its origin, trajectory, and longevity. The forecast results are used to create entrance, navigation, and exit strategies.

Francesco Brachetti is the Founder and CEO of AVO, a seasonally inspired, fast-casual restaurant with five locations throughout New York City. A seasoned entrepreneur, author, and business leader, he boasts a prestigious academic background and extensive experience in hospitality and finance. Francesco began his career at Dafiti, Rocket Internet in Mexico City, where he led the Business Intelligence department for several years before founding AVO. He holds a Double Master’s degree in International Management from ESADE Business School and in Finance from RSM Erasmus University, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Bocconi University.

Before joining Networld Media Group as Vice President of Events, Cherryh Cansler spent several years as VP of Editorial managing the Networld’s nine B2B publications. Throughout her 20-year career as a journalist, she’s written about a variety of topics, ranging from the restaurant industry and technology to health and fitness news. Her byline has appeared in a plethora of newspapers, magazines and websites, including Forbes, The Kansas City Star and American Fitness magazine. She also serves as the managing editor for FastCasual.com.

Carl Comeaux is the CEO of Crust Pizza Co., a fast-growing franchise known for its classic tavern-style Chicago pizza served in a nostalgic, family-friendly atmosphere. With over 22 years of experience, Carl has led Crust's transformation from a local pizzeria to a franchise with 29 locations and plans for 250 more in the Southeast U.S. Under his leadership, the company has improved efficiency, developed proprietary technology, and reduced costs. Carl has successfully scaled two previous franchises and is known for his strategic, hands-on leadership style. Committed to giving back, he partners with charities like St. Jude’s. Carl lives in Lake Charles, LA with his family.

Jerome Dees Jr. is an award-winning sales leader with nearly 20 years of experience in the restaurant and CPG industries. Recipient of the National Restaurant Association’s Advanced Leadership Award in 2024 and named among the Most Influential Restaurant Executives in 2021 and 2022, Jerome has driven growth at brands like Bagel Brands, Le Boulanger, Wise Sons, and Tacolicious. Passionate about empowering others, Jerome mentors aspiring entrepreneurs and has sold millions of bagels and tacos while fostering community impact through leadership and education.

Geoff Henry is a seasoned executive with over 20 years of experience leading many of the world’s most recognized consumer brands, including Jamba, Coca-Cola, Dasani, Dunkin’ bottled coffee, and Gold Peak and Honest teas. Geoff joined Gong cha in 2023 as President of the Americas region. Under his leadership, Gong cha grew its U.S. store count by 19% YOY, and was ranked #1 in Tea on Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500® list. Prior to joining Gong cha, Geoff was President of Jamba, and a senior executive with Coca-Cola for twelve years, where he oversaw their portfolio of water, tea, and coffee brands.

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.

Jim Mizes is the founder/entrepreneur’s best friend and partner as he spent 20+ years working to scale and build new brands. After an initial career in finance, Jim moved to Operations in the late 80’s with Taco Bell. At Taco Bell, Jim pioneered the 59/79/99 cent menu of the early 90’s that changed the value equation for fast food. In the early 90’s, Jim shifted to working with founders, first with Noah’s Bagels for 4 years as the chain grew from 8 to 80 restaurants. He later moved to Jamba Juice and supported growth from 50 to 450 restaurants over 5 years. Jim joined Blaze Pizza with 2 restaurants in 2013 and led the team to 340+ restaurants before retiring in 2019. Since retiring, Jim has joined 2 Boards and serves as an advisor to 5 other tech start-ups supporting restaurants.

Zack Oates is an author, husband, father, entrepreneur, and hot tub aficionado (but not in that order, necessarily). He grew up in restaurants before getting into startups. He was voted Top 100 Entrepreneurs, rang the NASDAQ bell, won the world’s biggest business competition, has been to 50 countries, and started 3 companies. He went on over 1,000 dates before he got married and wrote a book, “Dating Never Works…Until it Does.” He currently is Founder and CEO of Ovation, the no. 1 restaurant feedback platform in America, voted Top 50 Most Influential Supplier by Nation’s Restaurant News, and host of “Give an Ovation: A Podcast for Restaurants.”

Kelly Roddy is Chief Executive Officer and President of WOWorks, a position he has held since the company’s inception in 2020. Before assuming this role, Kelly held C-suite and other leadership positions as Chief Executive Officer and President of Saladworks, LLC and Garbanzo Franchising Co., LLC; President of Schlotzsky's Franchisor SPV, LLC; and President of Schlotzsky's Franchise, LLC. Kelly has 21 years of additional executive management experience at HEB, Scholastic, and Walmart. Kelly is an active member in the restaurant industry and has spoken multiple times at International Franchise Association (IFA), International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA), Franchise Springboard, Fast Casual, Restaurant Finance and the IFMA Chain Operators Exchange (COEX). Under his vision, WOWorks has grown to six thriving better-for-you restaurant brands that share the value of fresh, clean, healthy-halo ingredients that can be customized to any taste: Saladworks, Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh, Frutta Bowls, The Simple Greek, Barberitos, and Z!Eats.

Clean Eatz co-founder Evonne Varady launched the business alongside her husband, Don, in 2013 with a mission to “Change Livez” through clean, balanced food, thought-provoking education and motivational support that inspires results. As a personal trainer who wondered why her clients in her kickboxing group were working so hard and not losing weight the idea of creating Clean Eatz was born. She began prepping and packaging healthy meals for them, and six weeks later, they had all lost weight. The prepared meals were wildly successful and before long, she was making hundreds of meals in her home kitchen. She soon realized she needed to rent space to keep up with the demand, and that was the beginning of Clean Eatz. Today, Clean Eatz is a health-focused cafe and meal prep service offering a range of options including dine-in, takeout and meal plans with customizable menus catering to various dietary needs. With 100+ restaurants open in 23 states, Clean Eatz is now one of the fastest-growing franchises on the East Coast.

Doug Willmarth joined Beans & Brews Coffeehouse in 2024 as CEO, bringing nearly three decades of experience in multi-unit restaurant leadership. He was previously brand president at MOOYAH Burgers, Fries and Shakes, where he reinvigorated the brand famous for the best cheeseburgers in America. Throughout his career, Doug has specialized in building iconic brands and creating profitable sales growth in franchised restaurant businesses. Prior to MOOYAH, Doug’s restaurant experience includes roles as Chief Brand Officer for Mongolian Concepts, Chief Marketing Officer for Wingstop, and Director of National Marketing at Pizza Hut. Doug’s passion for best-in-class franchisee support and understanding of key sales and profit levers for restaurants are key to the success of franchisees at Beans & Brews.