For Immediate Release: Sept. 26, 2008
Contact: Lisa McPheron
Director of Communications and External Relations
The Collins College of Hospitality Management
(909) 869-3151, lcmcpheron@csupomona.edu
Collins1004
CEO of Dunkin’ Brands to Speak About ‘Lessons on Leadership’
The 2008 Richard N. Frank Distinguished Lectureship Series Set For Oct. 14
Jon L. Luther, a veteran in the food-service industry, will be the featured speaker in the 2008 Richard N. Frank Distinguished Lectureship Series on Tuesday, Oct. 14. The CEO and chairman of Dunkin' Brands will give a free presentation titled “Lessons on Leadership” from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in The Collins College of Hospitality Management’s Building 79-A.
Luther is a proven leader at creative brand development and at satisfying consumers who seek quality, convenience, and value in a quick-service restaurant setting. He was named chief executive officer of Dunkin' Brands in January 2003 and chairman in March 2006. From February 1997 until December 2002, Luther was president of Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits, a division of AFC Enterprises. During his term, the company's store count grew 67 percent to 1,672 units, while average annual unit volume grew to over $1 million, the highest in the chicken QSR category. With Luther at the helm, Popeyes won industry awards for menu strategy, store re-design, and customer satisfaction.
Prior to Popeyes, Luther was president of CA One Services, a subsidiary of Delaware North Companies, Inc. He has also held leadership positions in the contract food-service division of the Marriott Corporation and at ARAMARK in Philadelphia, PA., where he rose from vending sales director to become president of Davre’s, ARAMARK’s luxury restaurant subsidiary. Luther also founded Benchmark Services, Inc., a food-service management firm specializing in business dining for corporations, growing the business into a strong regional competitor.
The Richard N. Frank Lectureship Series was established in 1988 to allow students a unique opportunity to hear directly from the industry's leaders and legends as they bring hospitality management to life through their own real-world experiences. Lawry's Restaurants Inc. Chairman Richard N. Frank, a long-standing advocate and supporter of the Collins College, donated a grant to establish an endowment creating the lectureship series.
Founded in 1973, The Collins College of Hospitality Management is the first and largest four-year hospitality management degree program in California and the only hospitality management college on the West Coast. More than 850 undergraduate students receive a superior education in the state-of-the-art Collins College facilities, where they learn to apply hospitality management theories and concepts to real-world settings. Part of this unique academic experience includes managing and operating the full-service Restaurant at Kellogg Ranch.
Please RSVP to Randi Kirshbaum by Oct. 7 at rlkirshbaum@csupomona.edu or (909) 869-4786.
About Dunkin’ Brands
With more than 13,000 franchises in 50 countries worldwide, Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. is renowned for its leadership in the quick quality category. At the end of 2006, there were 7,293 Dunkin’ Donuts franchised restaurants and 5,838 Baskin-Robbins franchised restaurants and the company had system-wide sales of approximately $6.4 billion. Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. is headquartered in Canton, Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.dunkinbrands.com.
Jon L. Luther
CEO and chairman of Dunkin' Brands