Nation’s Restaurant News (NRN) is excited to announce the four speakers who will be taking the stage as part of the inaugural CEO Conversations session at this year’s CREATE: The Event for Emerging Restaurateurs.
The chief executives who will take the main stage at CREATE are:
- Elisia Flores, CEO, L&L Hawaiian Barbecue
- Elizabeth Williams, CEO, El Pollo Loco
- Bob Wright, president & CEO, Potbelly
- Steve Kislow, CEO & president, Firebirds Wood Fired Grill
NRN’s executive editor, Alicia Kelso, will moderate the CEO Conversations session.
“CREATE has a lot of entrepreneurial energy and a lot of founders in the audience, but we wanted to introduce those folks to seasoned executives who demonstrate what it’s like to shepherd a brand they didn’t start with their own leadership style,” Kelso said. “These four CEOs bring a diversity of perspectives, as well as track records of successfully guiding companies through periods of growth.”
The CEO Conversations session follows a similar model as CREATE’s Founders Forum, which this year features the founders of Cooper’s Hawk, Swig, Bluestone Lane, and Cameron Mitchell Restaurants.
Like the Founders Forum, the CEO Conversations session is hosted like a late-night talk show, where the guests gradually join Kelso until they’re all on stage enjoying a conversation together. Each chief executive will share the story of how they joined their company, skills and experiences they brought with them from their career, and how they’re applying their unique leadership style to their systems.
“The four brands represented in CEO Conversations are thriving mid-market companies that offer a glimpse at what could be around the corner for CREATE attendees,” said Sam Oches, NRN’s editor in chief. “These four dynamic CEOs are the perfect representatives to empower restaurant leaders as they navigate their own companies through volatile times.”
CREATE will be hosted at the Omni Nashville hotel this Oct. 9-11. Restaurant leaders can register for CREATE for free by clicking here.
