Get to Know 2025’s Emerging Leaders

Meet five future changemakers, age 45 and under and from different segments of the industry, who are filled with a passion for foodservice. By enthusiastically facing the future head on, they’re helping drive the industry forward, ensuring its continued success.

They are:

JESSE STOCK

SENIOR DIRECTOR, FACILITIES AND DESIGN

Eat’n Park Hospitality Group

When Jesse Stock started at Eat’n Park, he didn’t have any experience in the foodservice industry. What he did have was a background in architecture, design and construction, plus a talent for getting along with people. One of his first projects was leading the rollout of pickup windows in the restaurants, which allowed for a lot of time observing kitchen operations, focusing on efficiencies and processes.

What helped you grow into the leadership role?
The succession planning incorporated into Eat’n Park’s growth strategy played a big role in my success. As I learned more about the industry and the company, I was provided with more opportunities for oversight and leadership roles. I also was able to work with others and learn from those around me who had so much knowledge to pass on. One of my proudest accomplishments is that in the year and a half since taking on the role of senior director, we didn’t have any reductions in projects or decreased productivity.

What opportunities do you see for improvement in how the industry approaches leadership?
Currently I see a void of leadership ready to move up in the trade sector. People who are important to our industry’s growth such as construction workers, plumbers and electricians are facing challenges in recruitment. There’s an opportunity for us to work together and take an active role in the succession planning of our contractors. Helping them helps ensure our success.

“From the time I first met Jesse, I was impressed with his willingness to learn and to find the why behind things,” says Andy Dunmire, vice president, design and construction, Eat’n Park Hospitality Group. “That, combined with his ability to engage with people, made him a great fit for our department head journey, which is a framework for leadership development to help strengthen the stability and growth of our company.”

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ALISON O’HEARN

PROJECT MANAGER

Cini-Little International

Alison O’Hearn fell in love with cooking at an early age, making dinner alongside her mother and experimenting with baking. A degree from Johnson & Wales University and experience in kitchens, from Disney World to a corporate campus, helped her realize that instead of working in professional kitchens, she would rather use her creativity to design those spaces. Thanks to some great mentors at Cini-Little International, she was able to learn the programs and tools of the trade to help make kitchens where people enjoy working.

What resources are important to young people looking to advance their career?

Finding ways to cultivate your soft skills is imperative to growth and success. It’s one thing to learn about a piece of equipment or the steps to a program, but being able to build a network of colleagues, communicate with clients and make presentations are just as important. Being a part of industry associations, attending trade shows and taking advantage of educational opportunities are key to professional growth. As chairperson for FCSI The Americas’ Emerging Professionals in Consulting, I’m excited to be a part of a community of colleagues to lean on and learn from.

What does the younger generation bring to the table?

Having grown up with technology, we are quick to understand and adapt as new equipment integrates features such as AI and connectivity. I see so many benefits, from ventilation hoods with sensors that ramp fans up or down while cooking, to ovens that adjust in real time based on the food. Right now, the technology is new and people are wary of using it, but AI is coming whether we’re ready or not. As consultants, we can educate operators and help move the industry forward.

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RYAN McPHAIL

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Curtis Restaurant Equipment

The foodservice industry runs deep in Ryan McPhail’s family. His dad was a chef, and McPhail spent many hours after school bussing tables after homework was done. In the summers he handled the foodservice aspect of his mom’s event production company. He moved on to a variety of other front-of-house jobs, including management positions, before entering college full time at the age of 30. After completing his degree, he was introduced to Curtis Restaurant Equipment’s former president, Dan Curtis, who immediately saw how the operations experience McPhail brought to the table, coupled with his time in construction and his education, could be an asset to the company.

What was one of the biggest challenges you faced in your career?

Early on, the size of this industry was somewhat overwhelming. Even after working in foodservice for more than two decades, I had no idea how big things were on the equipment side. So when I started with Curtis, I focused on trying to learn as much as possible. I attended training sessions, went to trade shows and really leveraged the industry knowledge of the people at Curtis who had been with the company 20, 30 and even 40 years. I worried they wouldn’t be supportive of someone younger coming in as a leader, but approaching the process with humility and curiosity, and taking the time to listen to their perspective, made all the difference. I not only learned a lot, but many of the veteran team members have become my biggest supporters.

What do you feel has made an impact on your leadership capabilities?

I was always taking classes, even while working full time after high school. When I knew I would be moving into the role of president, I decided to go for my MBA. It wasn’t easy, taking it on with a full-time job that includes lots of travel, but when things got hard I remembered I was doing this not just for me, but for the company. With every class I found things I was able to bring back and use in my career. And I feel it was good for everyone at Curtis to see that even as leaders, we are continually learning and evolving.

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CHRIS BREWER

PARTNER, KEY ACCOUNTS

Premier Foodservice Group

While majoring in hospitality at Purdue University, Chris Brewer had his eye on property management. While working for a couple different hotel brands as a student, he learned he enjoyed a career where the goal was making people happy and finding efficiencies in processes. His career path took a different trajectory when he met up with Dan Schorr, owner of Premier Foodservice Group, at a career fair. He found the foodservice equipment sector had many similarities to what he was looking for, and he joined the company soon after.

What have you learned from others that helped you grow in your career?

Dan, of course, has been instrumental in advancing my career. And also Lanny LeRoy, who’s now retired from Premier, modeled the art of building relationships. His customers were his friends, and he maintained that connection while balancing a full personal life. I’ve been fortunate to have great influences outside of our company as well. For example, during my tenure serving KaTom’s account with my factory partners, I found Patricia Bible to be an inspirational leader. She’s relentless about cultivating the customer experience and creating a team culture, which I’ve tried to emulate. She also puts a lot of emphasis on accountability. I know I have not always been perfect in my own actions, but she makes you understand that everyone makes mistakes, and it’s in how you recover that builds trust.

What excites you most about the future of foodservice?

I’m really interested in where automation can take our industry. Equipment that offers operators the opportunity to use more cooking techniques with less hood space, scale production capacity to meet demand at peak times, and produce consistent, quality food that customers love—often with no cooking expertise—helps mitigate the impact of rising labor costs on the success of a restaurant. A lot of people have a dream of owning a restaurant, and this will help make that more accessible, bringing more people into foodservice.

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LYNDSI PETITTI

SERVICE COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

Gary’s East Coast Service

While growing up around the business her mom, Angela, and dad, Gary, created, Lyndsi Petitti dreamed of a corporate job in TV or film in a big city. But while working for Gary’s East Coast Service in college, she came to realize the great culture her parents had built in their company and the impact they were able to make in the community. Petitti has found a way to bring her creative spirit to the business, working behind the scenes to improve operations and help others become better at their positions. You might find her helping a technician study for a CFESA test one day and creating a presentation the next, all while doing what she can to make people feel more connected.

Who has been the biggest influence in your career?

Both of my parents were great role models, but my mom is really just a powerhouse. She was never afraid to ask questions and speak up. She’s not shy about sharing her opinion. But at the same time, she’s great at listening and has helped nurture so many young people at our company. A lot of times women tend to hesitate when it comes to sharing their thoughts, especially in a group setting. I’m thankful my mom showed me to carry myself with confidence, and because of her I’m not afraid to go up to anyone, no matter who they are, and ask questions or talk to them to learn more about our industry.

What can the foodservice equipment industry do to support the next generation of leaders?

The pipeline of leadership is an evolving dynamic. It’s important to keep encouraging people coming up behind you while leaning on the people who have come before you. While I was co-chair of the Young Professionals Committee at CFESA, I spearheaded an event called Dispatch Through Time, which showed how things changed from the 1970s to the present. Learning how people did things in the past gave me a greater understanding of how our processes work now. I think we need to understand that no matter what generation you’re a part of, we can all learn from each other.

 

FER sends a special thank you to CFESA, FCSI, FEDA and MAFSI for helping select the Emerging Leaders 2025 panelists. The FER editors chose the operator panelist.