Latitude 360 Management and its advisors bring over 125+ years of combined experience in real estate, specialty restaurant, finance and business consulting to bear in creating these exciting first to market facilities. The complementing strengths and balance of its management and advisors coupled with that of its consultants will ensure that from start to finish, the attention to detail from architectural design & engineering, construction, interior design, marketing and venue operations will ensure timely decisions and flawless execution.
Latitude 360 Officers
Brent BrownFounder/CEO, Chairman of the Board
Brent started developing the Latitude concept in 2007. Over the past 5 years, he has built the Latitude Team which is now over 500 employees strong. The Latitude 360 team has designed, developed, constructed and now operates three Latitude venues around the country and has 3 new venues under construction and plan to open in 2015. The Latitude concept is considered one of the most exciting concepts in the restaurant industry in the country.
Brent brings valuable management, leadership and start-up finance, project development, and complex real estate development experience as he has worked in real estate acquisition, re-zoning, rental management and investment banking spanning 15 years. Brent is a member of the YLC Advisory Committee for the Manhattan Institute. He served on the South East Vision Committee for the City of Jacksonville as well as sat on the Board of Trustees for the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce.
AWARDS:
- 2008 Jacksonville Business Journal ranked Brent in the Top 40 Businessman under 40
- 2012 The Ultimate CEO for Northeast Florida by the Jacksonville Business Journal
- 2013 Entrepreneur of the year by Entrepreneur Anchor Magazine
- 2014 Latitude 360 awarded the Florida Fast 100 Companies for the top 100 growth companies in Florida
- 2015 Top 10 Industry Ranking in The Jacksonville Business Journal’s 2015 Book of Lists
- He also is a Co-Founder of H.A.T.U.A. International.
Brent is a graduate of the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. He lives in New York City with his wife and three children.
Brent has also been featured on the National Veteran-Owned Business Association Website. Click Here
Greg GarsonPresident and Board Member
Greg joined the Latitude team in February of 2010 and has managed all areas of corporate finance including refining the company’s capital structure, identifying and securing capital investments, assessing & predicting potential risks, negotiating and structuring all agreements with current and potential business partners, monitoring compliance with all financial covenants and all aspects of reporting needed.
During this tenure, his efforts helped to grow the company from just 3 employees to almost 600 today. Prior to joining Latitude 360, Greg spent 27 years in the securities business as an Investment Banker, Advisor, and Securities Broker. Over that time period, he has been involved with every aspect of raising capital, advising issuers and clients, both public and private, primarily in start-ups and small to medium sized companies. He has participated and contributed to IPO’s, private placements, secondaries, start-up capital, and debt transactions nearing $1B. He was most recently with Dawson James Securities as a Vice President of Investments and specialized in the healthcare and technology sectors. He brings valuable expertise in every aspect of securities and debt transactions in financing both public and private companies. He has been a sponsor and a member of the board of the Jacksonville Jaguars Soccer Club. He is a founding member of H.A.T.U.A. International. He is a graduate of Oglethorpe University with degrees in Business Administration and Economics. He resides in Jacksonville, Florida with his wife and 3 children.
Board Members
Mr. Gannon began his storied restaurant career in New Orleans and went on to co-found Outback Steakhouse (1988) where he developed its iconic “Bloomin’ Onion” recipe, which has generated over $1 billion in worldwide sales.
Under Mr. Gannon’s leadership, Outback Steakhouse significantly expanded its 360 footprint from one restaurant to over 1400 locations. In 2006, Gannon co-founded OSI Restaurant Partners, an operator of Outback, Carrabba’s Italian Grill. Bonefish Grill, Roy’s Restaurant and Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar units.Among his many honors, in 1994 Inc. Magazine named Mr. Gannon its ‘Entrepreneur of the Year.’ He was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by The Florida Restaurant Hall of Fame, was inducted into the US Business Hall of Fame and he is also a member of the Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce Business Hall of Fame. Approximately two years ago he launched “Kettle Comfort, Cooking for America,” a West Palm Beach, FL-based charitable organization that delivers Chef-inspired food to thousands of hungry or nutrition deprived people on a daily basis. Most recently he joined forces with former Outback co-founder Bob Basham to establish PDQ Palm Bay, a new restaurant dining concept featuring reasonably priced flavorful food, served fast.
Michael P. NorrisBoard Member
Mr. Norris is the chief operating officer and market president of Sodexo North America, the leading Quality of Life services company, with $8.8 billion in revenues and serving more than 15 million consumers daily.
Shortly after joining Sodexo in 2005, he became lead adviser and negotiator for the development of SodexoMAGIC, LLC, a joint venture partnership with Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Jr., and he serves on the SodexoMAGIC Board of Directors.
Throughout his career, Mr. Norris has served in various executive senior management roles, having had responsibility for marketing, brand positioning, theatre operations, real estate, concessions, design and construction, strategic planning, training and film acquisitions. Prior to Sodexo, Mr. Norris was President of Loews Cineplex Entertainment U.S. with annual revenues in excess of $1 billion. He joined Loews as senior vice president for operations and concessions and, during his tenure, Loews’ concession sales significantly increased. Mr. Norris oversaw the repositioning of the brand to become the leading theater chain in top markets across the globe. Mr. Norris also gained experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry, both domestically and internationally, as president and chief operating officer of WYWY PAC-AM Food Concepts PTE Ltd., the master franchise for Brinker International in Asia, where he managed more than $100 million in capital investments. Prior to this, Mr. Norris was with General Mills Restaurants, Inc., rising to become director of operations for the operating unit that included the Red Lobster and Olive Garden restaurants throughout the U.S. and Canada.
As Mr. Norris stated, “I am very pleased to join this organization that is young, creative and up and coming in the restaurant and entertainment world. The company’s concept has proven successful and has enormous growth potential, and I look forward to working closely with management on executing its rollout nationwide.” Brent Brown, CEO/Founder of Latitude 360, Inc., enthusiastically commented, “Having Michael Norris on our board and seeing us through key decisions will be valuable to our company. As we continue to embark upon our very aggressive growth strategy, Michael’s insight and expertise gained from impressive experiences in the restaurant, hospitality and entertainment industries will prove invaluable.” Mr. Norris holds an M.B.A from the University of East London, London, England.
Michael G. SimonBoard Member
Michael G. Simon has a diverse background in municipal/government law, business real estate and has been actively engaged in those areas since graduating from law school.
Mr. Simon is licensed to practice law in the States of Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. Mr. Simon has represented many business entities, both for profit and non-profit, in all capacities. Mr. Simon is currently a partner in the law firm of Frankovitch Anetakis Colantonio & Simon and has been engaged in the practice of law since 1990. In addition to his law practice, Mr. Simon is an NFLPA Certified Contractual Advisor and a certified Athletic Agent with the State of West Virginia. Mr. Simon is a partner in the sports agency, Vantage Management Group (hereinafter referred to as VMG), and Mr. Simon’s partners of VMG were formerly members of DeBartolo Sports. VMG represents numerous National Football League clients. Mr. Simon is licensed with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of State as a Boxing Manager. Mr. Simon graduated from Youngstown State University in 1987 and the University Dayton School of Law in 1990 and resides in Weirton, West Virginia.
Casey GunnellBoard Member
Mr. Gunnell has thirty-nine years of broad business management and executive/Board Member experience in entrepreneurial, startup, and rapid-growth sales-based companies.
In April 2010, Mr. Gunnell was appointed to the Board of Metropolitan Health Networks (NYSE: MDF). Since January 2009, he has also served as President and as a member of the Board of Directors of NeedleNurse, Inc., a privately owned startup medical device company that he co-founded. Since December 2005, he has also served as a Managing Director of Cornerstone Management, LLC, a private firm providing advisory, interim staffing and project management solutions to distressed companies. He has also served, since April 1998, as President of Gunnell Family Corp., a private firm focused on interim management solutions. Mr. Gunnell served as CFO of Holiday RV Superstores, Inc. d/b/a/ Recreation USA, a NASDAQ-listed retailer of recreational vehicles and marine products, from May 2001 to November 2001, Chief Operating Officer and President from November 2001 to May 2002, interim CEO from January 2003 to May 2003, and a director from November 2001 to May 2003. He also served from May 2000 to May 2001 as COO and CFO of PNV, Inc., a NASDAQ-listed cable television, communications, broadband wireless, internet service provider and portal to the trucking industry. From May 2007 to December 2010, Mr. Gunnell served as a member of the Board of Directors of Enable Holdings, Inc., an OTCBB-traded asset recovery solution provider. Mr. Gunnell earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Florida Atlantic University.
John has over 25 years of real estate development, construction management, business operations and extensive experience in oceanfront mid-rise condominium developments for residential, office, and commercial uses.
Projects include; The Oceanic, The Metropolitan and Beach Village all located in Jacksonville Beach, FL. John is founder and the current president of St. John’s Market Place Inc., a mixed use property located in St. Augustine, FL and is an active Florida real estate broker. John is a graduate of Michigan State University with degrees in Business Administration and Marketing. He currently resides in North Florida with his wife and daughter.
Latitude 360 Senior Team
Ken Adams – Chief Financial Officer
Ken Adams Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Adams, age 63, served as an executive in the hospitality and restaurant industry for almost 25 years. Most recently, from January 2014 to November 2014, he served as the General Manager and Chief Financial Officer of the Hospitality Development Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of United Development Company, based in Doha, Qatar. From June 2013 to June 2014, he served as the Chief Executive Officer and managing director of the Claremont Restaurant & Food Group in Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq, which had an international focus on fast casual, casual and fine dining restaurants and international hotel brands. From January 2013 to June 2013, Mr. Adamsserved as the Chief Operating Officer of the Kout Food Group/Al-Homaizi Group in Kuwait, which owned and operated over 300 restaurants in the Middle East and United Kingdom.
From July 2009 to December 2013, he served as the Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer for Franchise Partners International & Alarbash Advisors in Atlanta and Kuwait. From June 2008 to July 2009, Mr. Adams served as President and Partner of Hurricane Grill & Wings, a casual dine sports-focused concept consisting of over 40 restaurants. From 2001 to 2008, he served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Sunshine Restaurant Ventures LLC in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was involved as an advisor with several hundred restaurants, including Friendly’s, Bojangles, Denny’s, Hop’s, Original Roadhouse Grill, Up the Creek Fish Camp & Grill, Quaker Steak & Lube and Damon’s. From 1990 to 2001, he served as President and Chief Financial Officer of Southern King Enterprises in Atlanta, Georgia, where he created a multi-unit franchise group operating Burger Kings in three states. From 1984 to 1985, Mr. Adams was a supervising management consultant with Coopers & Lybrand’s International Financial Group in Washington, D.C.. He also served as a senior accountant with Copers & Lybrand from 1979 to 1981 in Miami, Florida. Mr. Adams served in the U.S. Navy and has also served as an adjunct professor in North Georgia College and State University, Western Carolina University and North Carolina State University. He graduated University of Central Florida with a B.S. in Accounting in 1978 and received his Executive MBA from the University of Miami in 1984.
Thomas Bass – VP of Finance
Tom joined the Latitude team in November 2009 tasked with the implementation and oversight of all aspects of the corporate accounting department. Tom was an integral part of the growth of the company from pre-construction of the first venue to the present growth in 4 states. Most recently, he has acted as Director of Accounting, where he supervised all areas of the accounting department, including venue level cash operations and procedures, accounts payable, corporate debt conversions, debt/equity financings, and corporate banking relationships. He also spearheaded and executed the company’s initial comprehensive employee health care program.
Prior to joining Latitude 360, Tom spent over 15 years in the securities and investment banking industry. Tom assisted in all aspects of branch operations, compliance, capital raises, commission accounting, and client retention. He spent his final 3 years as a Branch Manager for a regional investment banking firm and was responsible for all branch level operations. Tom graduated from the University of Florida with a Finance degree in Business Administration. He also completed additional post graduate educational training in Accounting from the University of North Florida. Tom is active in local youth sports and volunteers his accounting expertise as the Treasurer for a local Cub Scout pack. He resides in Saint Johns, FL with his wife and 2 children.
Joshua A. Cossey – General Counsel & Senior VP of Administration
Having represented Inc. 500 companies in commercial disputes, transactions, risk management, and strategic initiates, Joshua possess experience in both the board room and the courtroom. He has contributed to seven published articles in various legal digests and journals, such as the Drake Journal of Law, Florida Bar Journal, and the University of Florida’s Legal Digest on Property Rights. As an administrative and operations executive for global public and private companies, Joshua’s experience focuses on sectors and connections in real estate development, creditor/debtor issues, information technology, hospitality/entertainment, and government affairs.
He has led organizations through significant transitions including IPOs, spin-offs, M&As, and restructuring. 904 & The International Top 100 Magazine have recognized Joshua as one of the top business lawyers today. In 2014 Joshua left a position as the Senior Vice President of Operations for a Healthcare IT Consultancy to join Latitude’s leadership team. Prior to that, Joshua was managing a private practice focused on commercial litigation and transactions. For over 11 years now, Joshua continues to serve in the Florida Army National Guard, carrying military occupational specialties (MOS) for logistics, engineering, and ordnance branches. Joshua attended Florida State University, graduating summa cum laude, with a degree in Psychology & Political Science. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida, Levin College of Law. Joshua is member of several civic and national associations, such as the Association of Corporate Counsel.
Bob Davidson – Vice President Location Development
Bob Davidson has joined the Latitude 360 team as the Vice President of Location Development. Bob brings over 25 years of experience in real estate planning, development and construction to the team. Bob leads new location development as Latitude 360 continues to grow in major cities throughout the United States and abroad. His responsibilities include site selection, due diligence, pre-development and concept through construction of new locations. Bob was on the ground floor of Major League Soccer stadium development for new soccer specific stadia. Working closely with Lamar Hunt, MLS founder and owner of the NFL Kansas City Chiefs, he helped set the foundation for the league’s nationwide stadium expansion.
His background includes Engineering News Record award winning firms such as HASKELL, JE Dunn Construction, TranSystems and Walton Construction. His project list includes multiple restaurant chains, casinos, movie theaters, and retail chain stores, office buildings, parking garages, sports stadia, arenas and worship space totaling over $2 billion. Bob was a scholar athlete playing football at Missouri Western State University and the University of Missouri where he studied journalism and communications before founding a Real Estate Brokerage firm at the age of twenty-four. The firm successfully focused on Pari-mutuel and Riverboat gambling site selection and development. He has sat on the boards and been a Trustee for several Economic Development Commissions and is energetic in state and local policy making. Bob has enthusiastically worked with philanthropic and non-profit community organizations and youth sports programs. They include Champion’s Life, Big Brothers Big Sisters, American Heart Association, Shriners Hospitals for Children, Children’s Miracle Network, Masonic Charities, Derrick Thomas 3rd and Long Foundation and Chiefs Children’s Charities, Rising Stars Baseball, Ponte Vedra Athletic Association and Florida Falcons Football.
Mike Biagiotti – Director of Sales and Marketing
Mr. Biagiotti has more than 20 years of experience in sales, branding, marketing and franchising of restaurants and leading companies in other industries. Biagiotti’s experience in the food service industry has included the creation of new concepts as well as the rebranding and growth of established restaurant chains. His experience also includes restaurant operations, menu development, staff hospitality training, restaurant space planning and design, real estate selection, construction management and franchise sales. Previously Biagiotti served as a founding partner with BUBBA Burger Grill in Jacksonville, FL. Has also served as president of Madison Envoy, a full service agency based in Delray Beach, FL and Vice President of Communications Group a Delray Beach, FL-based marketing agency. His experience in the food service industry includes work with such brands as BUBBA Burger Grill, Subway, Blimpie Subs & Salads, Boston Market, Perkins Family Restaurants, Pizza Hut, Rotelli Pizza and Pasta and Salad Creations. In his role with Latitude 360 Mike spearheads the sales and marketing efforts of the individual venues as well as the overall Latitude brand including guest traffic driving, guest frequency and brand loyalty.
Kyle Brown – Director Of Venue Oversight
Kyle brings over 16 years experience in Real Estate Acquisitions, Investments, Development, Construction Management, Property Purchasing & Management, On-and Off Site Construction Supervision and Land Development. As founder of Brownstone Developers, Kyle has successfully Developed, Constructed, Completed and sold numerous Real Estate Projects throughout the State of Florida. He brings is leadership and entrepreneurial expertise to Latitude 360 where he oversees operations at all of the locations. Kyle is instrumental in all menu designs, promotions, entertainment, new concept development and coordination of all management. He is a graduate of University of Pittsburgh has owned operated and sold several businesses throughout the state of Florida.
Carlene Gnazzo – Vice President of Marketing
Carlene joined the Latitude team in March of 2011. She was responsible for the soft PR for the Latitude 360 Pittsburgh location prior to the opening in November, 2012 and continues to manage the local marketing efforts for the venue in her role as Vice President of Marketing. Carlene also assists in developing relationships with domestic and international investors, commercial property developers and real estate brokers. Carlene has served her community by participating in numerous charity & nonprofit events such as March of Dimes, Vocational Rehabilitation Center, Ladies for the Hospital Aid Society, Victory Family Church, Riding for the Handicapped, Children’s Hospital & Go Red for Women. Her prior experience has included work in sales and management for over 25 years including work with Xerox, J. Allan Steel, Bill Blass New York, Ecocci, Doncaster on Fifth.
Adam Kleinhenz – Director Of New Venue Operations
Adam joined Latitude 360 in October 2010 to assist with the opening of Latitude 30, our flagship location in Jacksonville, and has become a vital member of our team. Adam has over 18 years of experience in the hospitality industry, holding positions as Regional Manager for Trifecta Restaurant Group, General Manager for Rock Bottom Brewery (Seattle, WA) and J. Alexander’s (multiple locations) as well as various management positions nationwide with Gameworks (concept developed by Steven Spielberg, Universal Studios and SEGA). During his tenure with Trifecta, Adam oversaw operations at the Corner Alley (Cleveland, OH), Aloma Bowling Centers (Orlando, FL), Zocalo (Cleveland, OH) and consulted on Jewel City Bowl (Glendale, CA) and Stars & Strikes (Wyoming, MN). Adam graduated from Mercyhurst College with a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management. He is currently married resides in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Chuck Wheatly – Director of Audio Visual Technologies
Background: Chuck’s extensive background in Entertainment Technology is formidable. He is the President and Founder of Ultra Technologies, Incorporated – A Entertainment Logistics Production Company, specializing in large scale public and corporate events. UTI productions include the largest public gatherings on The National Mall in Washington DC, such as: 4 Presidential Inaugurals, The Dali Lama’s Congressional Gold Medal Ceremonies, The Million Man; The Million Family and Million’s More Movement Events, The Smithsonian’s 150 Anniversary, NASA’s live broadcast from the International Space Station and scores of other Special Events over the past 23 years. Corporate Special Events include the BAAN Company’s World Meetings in the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, the UK and the USA, Special productions for Walt Disney World and ESPN, The City of New York’s Year 2000 Centennial Celebration and The 911 Memorial Services. UTI’s Stadium Operations Division specializes in providing the “behinds the scenes” technical personnel necessary for Gameday Football. 12 years with the Washington Redskins, 4 years with the Jacksonville Jaguars and, for over 30 years, the Florida Gators! Chuck also served as the Technical Manager for the US Olympics and the FIFA World Cup Soccer Events at RFK Stadium in Washington DC. Prior to founding UTI, Chuck served as The Director of Technical Servicers at the University of Florida for 11 years.
Roy Williams – Director of Architecture & Design
Roy began working with the Latitude Group in 2007 on interior and exterior design concepts and joined Latitude 360 in 2013 as the Director of Architecture and Design. Roy oversees all aspects of site planning, design/concept development, building permit documents, engineering consultants and construction administration. Roy has over 30 years of industry experience and holds several state licenses including NCARB certification to practice Architecture nationally and internationally. Roy has worked with several national retail developers managing and designing over 20 million square feet of “Big Box” retail projects including tenants such as Sports Authority, Michaels, TJX, Kohl’s and Office Max. Roy has been the recipient of several design awards including the International Award for Exterior Award of Excellence for Latitude 30 in Jacksonville, Fl., the Crystal Interior Award for Latitude 39 in Indianapolis, Indiana, the AIA Honorable Mention for Phelps Laboratory at the University of Florida as well as several Aurora awards. Roy also was a previous board member for Habitat for Humanity. Roy graduated with an Architectural honors degree from the University of Florida and resides in St. Augustine, Florida.
Construction Expertise:
Construction partners include but are not limited to:
Food & Beverage Consultant
Tim Gannon & George Rhodes
Mr. Gannon began his storied restaurant career in New Orleans and went on to co-found Outback Steakhouse (1988) where he developed its iconic “Bloomin’ Onion” recipe, which has generated over $1 billion in worldwide sales.
Under Mr. Gannon’s leadership, Outback Steakhouse significantly expanded its 360 footprint from one restaurant to over 1400 locations. In 2006, Gannon co-founded OSI Restaurant Partners, an operator of Outback, Carrabba’s Italian Grill. Bonefish Grill, Roy’s Restaurant and Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar units.Among his many honors, in 1994 Inc. Magazine named Mr. Gannon its ‘Entrepreneur of the Year.’ He was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by The Florida Restaurant Hall of Fame, was inducted into the US Business Hall of Fame and he is also a member of the Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce Business Hall of Fame. Approximately two years ago he launched “Kettle Comfort, Cooking for America,” a West Palm Beach, FL-based charitable organization that delivers Chef-inspired food to thousands of hungry or nutrition deprived people on a daily basis. Most recently he joined forces with former Outback co-founder Bob Basham to establish PDQ Palm Bay, a new restaurant dining concept featuring reasonably priced flavorful food, served fast.
Trifecta Management Group
Trifecta Management Group (TMG), founded in 2005, provides innovative concepts, comprehensive management services and value added solutions/systems to the restaurant and retail entertainment industries.
Launched Gameworks, the acclaimed restaurant and interactive entertainment concept founded by Steven Spielberg, Universal Studios and Sega.
Restaurant Concepts: Mestizo, Pizzeria Villagio, Montgomery Grill, Zócalo Mexican Grill and Tequilería,
Entertainment Concepts: KDB, The Corner Alley, House of Blues, Bowllagio, Uptown Alley
Michael Auger
As a founding member of Trifecta Management Group, Michael Auger’s primary responsibilities include personnel management, operations, product development, training, technical and project management. Michael, a seasoned restaurant and entertainment industry professional, brings tremendous hands-on operational experience and conceptual development knowledge to the Trifecta Management Group.
In his most recent stint as GameWorks Executive VP of Operations, he spearheaded the development of the JAX Grill, Arena Sports Bar and Hopscotch Lounge concepts, as well as a companywide overhaul of the restaurant, bar and gaming programs and concepts. In his 8-year career with GameWorks, Mike led the operations group as it opened and operated 16 GameWorks flagship units, 7 GameWorks Studio units and 4 international licensed units, with complete operating responsibility and oversight for a total of more than 250 management personnel and 3,000 employees. During this tenure, he was responsible for managing all aspects of the field P&L, the creation of all operating systems, crewmember and management training programs (including innovative ‘Gen X/Y’ DVD training materials), international franchise operations, game/technical operations and food and beverage program development for all domestic and international locations. Before joining GameWorks, Auger gained valuable experience from eight years of operations management with the Paragon and Famous Restaurant Groups, operators of multi-themed restaurants in the United States. During his time with Paragon Restaurants, he was part of an executive team responsible for the acquisition and reorganization of a 60-unit restaurant chain, Garcia’s of Scottsdale. This reorganization included the development and national expansion of a new restaurant concept – Quila’s Fresh Mexican Cantina. Auger credits his ability to lead people effectively to his solid cultural training received when working at Paragon, one of the first national restaurant chains to implement an employee ‘empowerment’ program and an innovator in personnel development. Mike holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business Management from California Lutheran University. He is married with three children, residing in Thousand Oaks, California.
Ron Lam
As a founding member of Trifecta Management Group, Ron Lam’s primary responsibilities include strategy, concept development, brand management, marketing / group sales, and general management. Ron is a seasoned entertainment/restaurant professional, who most recently led the GameWorks strategic direction as CEO/President.
With over 16 years of industry experience, Ron has been credited with developing innovative retail entertainment concepts, successful restaurant and bar brands and marketing/entertainment programs – all with an eye towards creating exciting, captivating entertainment and dining destinations that appeal to a broad and diverse audience. These successful brands/programs include JAX Grill, Arena Sports Bar and Grill, GameDay@ GameWorks, Summer Fun Pass, Friday Night Live @ GameWorks and Rock ‘N Raoke, an interactive entertainment program believed to be the first of its kind in its region. During his tenure with GameWorks, Lam spearheaded the company’s turnaround/growth plan, which resulted in a financially healthy entity (with a fixed cost reduction of over 30%) and ultimately in the proactive sale of the company in a competitive auction. During Ron’s GameWorks tenure, the company expanded 360ly with four new domestic openings and three international franchise agreements. Lam joined GameWorks as its COO and CFO in 1999, and was promoted to CEO/President in 2001. Prior to GameWorks, Ron served as Senior Vice President and CFO of Universal Studios Hollywood and CityWalk, a critically acclaimed “one of a kind” retail/entertainment destination. As a senior executive of MCA Inc. (Universal Studios) from 1989 to 1995, Lam headed up the Corporate Planning function where he was responsible for business planning activities company-wide for the $6 billion entertainment conglomerate and was involved in numerous business development efforts in film, television, music, recreation, publishing and retail. Lam also worked for Price Waterhouse Management Consulting as a senior consultant, working on projects in strategic planning, reengineering, reorganizations, distribution planning and other executive management services. Since 1999 Lam has served on the Board of Directors of CentroMart Inc.
Ron holds a Business Administration degree from California State University, Sacramento, and an MBA with honors from the University of Southern California. He is married with two children, residing in Simi Valley, California.
Eric Lindfors – Facility Bowling Consultant
Mr. Lindfors spent fifteen years as Director of New Business Development with Brunswick Corporation (a Fortune 500 Company) during which he directed all aspects of the opening of 50 Luxury Bowling facilities.
Brunswick who is also one of the oldest companies traded on the New York Stock Exchange, making its first appearance on the exchange in 1925. Today Brunswick remains a strong fixture on the world’s financial scene with net sales approaching $5.2 billion per year. According to Brunswick the bowling industry is growing in popularity, providing attractive financial opportunities, on a worldwide basis. With revenues now reaching well over $10 billion a year and drawing over 100 million participants worldwide. With the application of new technologies, bowling has broadened its 360 customer base by offering a diversity of entertainment and recreational options. Internationally, bowling is tapping into the young adult market as a preferred recreational venue. Bowling has become the focal point for the renewed emphasis on family activities and traditional entertainment values in the United States.
Mitchell Cohen – Consultant
Mitch brings significant expertise in capital raising, mergers and acquisitions, capital formation, capital structure, capital management and all SEC and public company matters. Mitch has raised money in intricate PIPE transactions, a reverse merger, and public offerings.
Mitch routinely speaks to investors in groups, one and one settings, and road shows. Mitch has a 25 year history of success spanning with both public and private companies. Mitch most recently was the senior operations and finance officer for an international entertainment/media holding company and has served as the CFO or COO of five companies: a publicly traded multi-subsidiary company on the American Stock Exchange, a technology/digital media/service company which he guided through an IPO, a startup entertainment/media/artist management company, a NASDAQ financial services firm, and a NASDAQ specialty finance company.
Real Estate Consultant
CB Richard Ellis, 360 Retail Services Group
- John C. Maher – Executive Managing Director
- Susan Kurland – Executive Vice President
