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Food Service Beat
Foodservice CEO's Make Up Multicultural Milestone


First Industry to Witness Appointment of 6 CEOs of African-American Heritage

This year's Black History Month was made more significant with a milestone achievement in the foodservice community:  6 Black CEOs at the helm of major companies -- Clarence Otis, Jr. - Darden; Steven A. Davis - Bob Evans; Don Thompson - McDonald's Corporation; Aylwin B. Lewis - Potbelly's; James D. White - Jamba Juice and Leonard A. Comma - Jack-in-the-Box.

 

While the appointment of these CEOs occurred over a period of time, the culminating point was reached this January 1, 2014, with the announcement of Leonard Comma's takeover of the top spot in his company.  

Part of Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance (MFHA)'s efforts to connect the multicultural community is to recognize leaders of Black/African-American, Asian Pacific-American and Hispanic/Latino heritage.  They are honored each year through a series of "Tribute" ads, appearing in full color, full page ads published in Nation's Restaurant News.  

Gerry A. Fernandez, MFHA president & founder states:  "We believe that the restaurant, foodservice, and lodging industries offer more opportunity for people of all different backgrounds than any other industry sector in America.    No other industry has gone further in terms of key leadership appointment for those with multicultural heritage."

Also featured in the ad are key Senior and other C-suite executives from member companies:  AdvancePierre Foods, the Coca-Cola Company, Compass Group North America, Darden, Focus Brands, Inc., General Mills, Kellogg Company, PepsiCo, Starbucks Coffee Company, Sodexo, and Yum! Brands.

The Tribute to Black Leadership in Hospitality can be found at: http://mfha.net/files/ads/MFHA_Black_Leadership_2014.pdf .

About The Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance (MFHA)

The mission of The Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance's (MFHA) is to bring the economic benefits of diversity and inclusion to the food and hospitality industry by building bridges and delivering solutions. MFHA commits to delivering more connections and opportunities to build its Members' Cultural Intelligence to effectively engage multicultural employees, customers, and communities. Learn more about how MFHA is helping its members in this growing multicultural market through e-learning trainings. For more information, visit www.mfha.net .

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