Rycroft has an impressive 25 year track record in the restaurant industry across a variety of roles. He started his career with Norman Brinker at Steak and Ale Restaurants and spent the majority of his career with Carlson Restaurants Worldwide.

• He has held Executive Level positions in the following areas:
• Compensation & Benefits
• Real Estate Development
• Marketing
• Financial Planning & Analysis
• Strategic Business Development
• Operations

In this newly created position as Executive Consultant Partner, Rycroft’s primary role will be to work with organizations throughout the industry using data and analytics from not only their internal systems, but also from the insights provided using People Report and Black Box Intelligence technology. Some of the projects he will lead include: Implementing “Best-Practice” compensation programs at the field and corporate levels. Identifying links between human capital metrics and financial performance and developing strategies around them.

• Business Analysis and Forecasting for organizations in need of a resource across areas such as:
• Evaluating effectiveness of advertising, promotion and discount initiatives
• Best-practices benchmarking for sales and other key performance indicators
• Loyalty and gift card program evaluation – costs vs. benefits

• Financial planning and analysis in a variety of areas:
• Market Development
• Market build-out and expansion strategies
• Demographic analysis: identifying factors that impact sales

“Bob understands restaurants from a corporate and operations perspective. He has a knack for simplifying complex issues. He has spent his career analyzing data, identifying opportunities and implementing practical solutions that improve profitability. I’ve worked with Bob in many capacities and to have his talent and skills helping our members and non-members alike is a fantastic opportunity for our organization and the industry we serve”, stated Wally Doolin, Chairman and Founder of Black Box Intelligence.

To learn more about how Bob can assist your organization, please contact him at bob.rycroft(at)prbbi(dot)com or visit his LinkedIn Profile

During Wednesday’s tweet-a-thon we will raise funds, collect frequent flier miles, give away some great prizes, raise awareness for Milo and have a whole lot of fun!

If you missed the Best Practices Conference, you can watch Milo’s message here or check out his website

Here are ways you can help:

Participate in the Tweet-a-thon on Wednesday 12/5 (and raise awareness leading up to it!)

Sample tweet: SAVE THE DATE! 12/5 Tweet-a-thon for @BeStrawFree & Milo’s international speaking tour. #BeStrawFree #BeTheChange http://bit.ly/11hc4xz

Sample tweet: Help send Milo of @BeStrawFree on his 2013 international speaking tour empowering kids to take action! http://bit.ly/RxNuqk #BeStrawFree

Sample tweet: Milo from @BeStrawFree wants to empower kids to take action and improve our planet. Will you help him? http://bit.ly/RxNuqk #BeStrawFree

Sample Facebook Post: Milo Cress of Be Straw Free is an 11 year old that’s changing the world and improving our planet’s future. Help send him on his first international speaking tour “Let’s Create the Future Tour 2013″ Details here: http://bit.ly/RxNuqk (Don’t forget to tag the Be Straw Free Facebook page!)

You can also use content from the Be Straw Free Twitter and Facebook pages we’ll be posting leading up to and on Wednesday. A simple “share” or “RT” will go a long way!

Make a monetary donation. Even if it’s just $1! You’ll be able to make your tax deductible donation in any amount on this website. Contributors of $100 + or airline miles that cover a leg of his trip will receive a personal postcard from Milo during his trip!

Milo is also looking for donations of frequent flier miles. To pledge your miles please send an email to milo@bestrawfree.org

Remember, “the best way to predict the future is to help create it” help Milo create a better future for us.

See you in the twittersphere on Weds and THANK YOU in advance for your support!

Cheers!

Thank you to GlassDharma, O’Charley’s, Boston’s, Movie Tavern, Chili’s, Macaroni Grill, On The Border, Maggiano’s and Texas Roadhouse for your generous prize donations for Wednesday’s Tweet -a-thon!

Community Service That Rocks- This was our 5th visit to the North Texas Food Bank as a conference team. 75 Brave and sleepy attendees got up early on Tuesday morning to sort and pack over 55,000 pounds of food! This was a record for the group and certainly shows the power of many coming together for a common goal. With 1 in 5 children struggle with hunger, Bill Shore, the Founder and CEO of Share our Strength and speaker this year expressed his gratitude and belief that the restaurant industry is stepping up in a huge way in the fight to end childhood hunger in the US. Our service event leader Jim Knight, president of Hospitality On Point, challenged our volunteers to own this issue, and be the champions for the children who need our help. We certainly have a great start.

We were lucky to have La Madeleine, Raising Cane’s, American Express and Image Solutions to help us make this service event a success!

What Surrounds You, Helps- For the last three years Coca Cola has participated in a recycling program at our conference. Together, we were able to recycle every bottle used during the conference and every little bit counts!

Speaking of drinks, there was not one straw served at our conference thanks to speaker Milo Cress who also inspired us that every little thing matters! I know we all walked away re-thinking that straw that we get with our drinks. Check out his web site here: www.BeStrawFree.org

Also, that great coffee you drank? It is made by a fantastic company, Pangeo Coffee. Pangeo is a fair trade coffee company which supports villages in 3rd world countries in harvesting coffee beans that can provide the villagers a way to support their community. http://pangeocoffee.com

Now how about that stage? Yes, that was a LIVING wall that created the back drop of the Best Practices stage. With the help and creativity of our production team, Zoom 7, we made a wall of living plants that after the conference were then donated to United Methodist Church in Garland. This week, the plants are being delivered to the elderly around the area. Check out Ina Thompson from Garland’s smile! Ina is 85, widowed and lives alone. She was thrilled to receive the donated plant and plans to keep it in her living room.

Many of you also used your time at conference to do a little Christmas shopping. All your donations were made to Share our Strength and Global Hope International. We sold out so a BIG thank you to all who bought a scarves or a bear. We raised over $3,500!

The Red Jackets- It has been a tradition for years now to make sure the conference doesn’t feel like the average conference. We recruit our own “do-good” cheerleaders from City Year. This year San Antonio corps members drove up to lead and inspire us. This group of young citizens spends a year of their life working in inner city schools, helping students to stay in school and graduate. Check out this great organization and find out how you can support your local Corp here.

Changers of Commerce- There were some passionate innovators with unique platforms and big hearts who stayed an extra morning after conference to attend the Changers of Commerce Meeting. There were some incredible stories of companies and individuals who have created platforms to mix money with meaning in really big ways! Many of you asked- what is this all about? A great place to start to learn more is here: http://www.changersofcommerce.com/ There is even a pledge you can take to get more involved. Stay tuned at Summer Brand Camp on June 5 – 7 2013 for even more.

So yes, it was that traditional conference where we took away new ideas and contacts but for many, there was a lot more taken away- the idea that we all can make a difference, that every act matters and that in numbers, there are some pretty powerful movements out there that are transforming our shared world.

“These companies are evaluated based on turnover, compensation, and diversity, as well as other workforce practices including community involvement and green initiatives. As our consortium has continued to grow, we felt it was time to differentiate between performers in both the Fast Casual and Family Dining segments. As a result, this is the first time we have had the honor of presenting five companies with the prestigious best practices award. They are all best in class companies with best in class performance and we are honored to recognize them” stated Joni Doolin, Founder of People Report.

The Catalyst award, which is given to the People Report member that outpaces the industry norms and significantly improves performance in people practices over the prior year, was presented to Domino’s Pizza. The Heart of the Workplace award is presented to the company that demonstrates top results in their human capital metrics, but also demonstrates significant commitment to and investment in their employees and communities. The 2012 winner is Red Robin Gourmet Burgers.

The winners have risen to the top of a very competitive field that represents more than 115 companies who track, analyze and benchmark their human capital data with People Report.

“We are proud to honor these companies; they are each leaders in the industry, demonstrated not only through the results we celebrate, but also in the way their companies appeal to customers and employees alike.”, said Bill Schaffler COO of People Report and Black Box Intelligence.

The following eight companies were the finalists and were recognized for their achievements in creating workplaces that are thriving and making a difference: The Capital Grille Restaurant, Corner Bakery Cafe, Le Pain Quotidien, K&N Management, a franchisee of Rudy’s BBQ, Maggiano’s Little Italy, McDonald’s, Monical’s Pizza Restaurant and Red Lobster Seafood Restaurants.

“These companies show that people and profits have a direct correlation. They invest in their people and all of our winners have thriving and growing businesses that are best in class,” said Wally Doolin, Founder & Chairman of Black Box Intelligence and People Report. “Every one of them believes that the commitment to their people and their communities are key reasons for their success.”

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For more information, pictures or interviews with specific company contacts, please contact Sarah Atkinson at Sarah.Atkinson@prbbi.com

There was a message for everyone at this years People Report Best Practices Conference. Here are seven that should be repeated over and over and over again.

1. Stay restless: Never stop searching for who or what inspires you, your people and your brand. Always be searching for the next great idea, the next way to tell someone you appreciate them and the next step toward your personal or professional fulfillment. Work hard to stay awake, lead with your eyes open and never stay satisfied. Read, Live, learn, teach, and never stop striving for nothing but the best.

2. Change is here. Choose to be part of it: We have all been faced at times with the decision to be part of the change or catch another wave. Choose to embrace transformation no matter how uncomfortable it may get. If you embrace the change and have a plan for the outcome if it, you have an opportunity to direct how the it will impact you and your brand rather than how you’re going to catch up in its aftermath.

3. Build a culture that reflects your brand vision, values and mission: Joni Doolin said it best when she quoted Peter Drucker’s statement: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” You may have the best strategy in the business, but without the vision, values and mission to back it up your strategy will remain flat. Take the time to know what your brand vision is, understand the values driving it and take the time to clarify and communicate its mission. Building a strong brand culture and maintaining that culture every day requires the discipline walk the talk. If you do it and be it then the results will speak for themselves.

4. People Profits Planet: One thing has been abundantly clear over the past two days, and while the idea seems basic in nature, it’s all too easily forgotten: Take care of the people and things that take of you and the rewards will speak for themselves. People are so important to all of our businesses and yet they’re the first thing that get forgotten. Remember who support you, how they support you and why, and make sure you show your appreciation for that support every single day.

5. #Bethechange: It takes more than a hashtag to create the kind of change you want to see in the world. It takes thought, passion and one simple act each day designed to motivate and/or inspire others. This can start at home or at the office, but no matter where it begins make sure it starts with you.

6. Have no fear: The emotion of fear can either propel us forward or paralyze our momentum. Based on the number of changes impacting the restaurant industry, choosing paralysis by fear will be the difference between success and failure. Make the decision to use fear as a way push pash obstacles. Face it and then walk over it. By facing the fears and moving through them, we not only step into the future, but we leave the past far behind.

7. Don’t be afraid to lead with heart.

As a first-year attendee of the People Report Best Practices Conferences, I was full of anxious anticipation in regard to this year’s event. Several colleagues have talked about the warm environment Joni and Wally Doolin had been able to create over the years, and they certainly did not disappoint.

One of the most humbling experiences I had was during the conference community service event at the North Texas Food Bank. Just imagine upwards of 60 conference attendees packing boxes full of nutritious meals designed to feed both Dallas-bases senior citizens and school-aged children.

Hunger is a huge challenge in the United States – as it is in many countries – and the fact Tuesday’s volunteer group prepared 55,300 meals is staggering. Each week, the food bank stuffs 12,000 back packs full of nutritious meals for children to take and eat over the weekend. And that is in the Dallas community alone. I could not think of a better way to spend my time.

The experience was more humbling and personal than what I can put into words. What if I was packing that bag for my own child? When you see operations such as that one, you realize the importance of community and what serving that community is all about. I was not the only one that walked away from the experience with a deeper sense of appreciation for what truly matters in life.

It’s been said that inspiration is found in the strangest of places. So far at PRBPC, I have found inspiration everywhere.

I am always amazed by the stories of other people. People are so fascinating and everyone has a story to share. On opening day of the People Report Best Practices Conference, not only did a majority of speakers share their stories, they did so in a way that connected with and inspired so many others.

Eleven-year-old Milo Cress said it best with his comment “The best way to predict the future is to help create it.” Through his Be Straw Free campaign, Cress is creating the type of future planet his grandchildren will want to be part of. And he’s doing this by taking positive action based on the changes he wants to make today.

As operators in the restaurant industry, representing brands from across all segments, a great opportunity exists to create the kind of future forefathers such as Norm Brinker and Ray Croc would be proud of. Restaurant operators have the ability to build upon what they’ve already created by taking the necessary steps today to:

1. Recognize and reward talent
2. Build a brand culture everyone can support
3. Do what’s right for the planet

After all, it is about People Profits Planet and without any one, you can’t have the others.

William has been blogging about human resources related issues since 2007 and is considered on of the country’s leading thinkers on social media application for human resources, an expert on adoption of human resources technology and a “damn fine marketer”. In addition, he co hosts a daily human resources podcast called DriveThruHR. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama of Birmingham and resides with his wife and two children in Arlington, Texas.

“We got lucky during our first Summer Camp when we met William. His thought leadership in the HCM space, as well as his strategic marketing expertise makes him an invaluable advisor says Joni Doolin, CEO and Founder of People Report.

If you are attending this week’s 18th Best Practices Conference in Dallas TX be sure to look William up. Thank you William for contributing your time and talents to our team. We are honored to add you to our advisory board team.

Getting “bored” or “burned out” with various interests, professional and personal over the last 20 years just happens. I’m not unique, but uniquely I’ve been able to fall back in love with a professional interest from a former chapter in my life from 12 years ago: multi-unit business/operations. Please pull up a bar stool….as I’ve not told this story in writing before.
I stumbled into an operations role called “working-the-counter” with a small privately held industrial temp-agency based in Tacoma, Washington named Labor Ready. The figures after all these years are only somewhat accurate so no “official” figures but they are close enough. In 1994 the company was privately held and did about $6 million in revenue on 16 or 17 units/locations.

We set a bunch of records putting our unit management on the map BIG time. So being a young gun in operations I of course jumped at the first crappy opportunity offered, it was to fix a market in Indianapolis, IN. It ended up being one of the biggest mistakes I’d made so I returned a little beat up. Then the real opportunity revealed itself and that was a move to Atlanta, GA, before the 1996 Olympics in a market that was about to explode with growth. I made the right decision this time.
The real education started, I was competing in a major market with no reputation, no name recognition, no much of anything. So the first couple of months were beyond frustrating, growing a location from $0 revenue was new to me.

So, here is the timeline: it’s 1994 I’m a 25 year-old new General Manager in a major market with the first location on the east coast with no revenue trying to make it happen. Fast-forward to 1999 and the company has now gone public and I’ve lived in Portland, San Francisco, Atlanta and spent time in Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom over large operations. We (the company) have operated over 600 units in 6 years and grew from $6 million to over $600 million in revenue. I was still working to fix things in troubled markets and was able to recruit and work with an amazing group of people in operations; I cherish those relationships still today. (Thank you). I departed the company at the end of 1999 as a 29 year-old RVP and Corporate Officer of a publically traded company totally burned out and wanted nothing to do with multi-unit anything, was tired of Excel because I lived in it with P/L and trend analysis and projections for years…and countless hours.

I’m good at operations and know a lot about it but just closed that chapter of my life chalking it up to a great experience and worked with some great people. Then I came across this niche company called People Report based in Dallas, TX. They did research or something along those lines with the restaurant industry which I worked in for 3 years.

I attended my first Summer Camp conference a couple of years ago and did DriveThruHR our internet radio show. What surprised me was how much I would miss talking and sharing with people, who love, respect and have passion about multi-unit operations. It’s like being an alumnus of something extraordinary to share stories (good and bad) and innovations with a bunch of ops people who work hard and play hard. I was starting to fall back in love with operations but didn’t realize it.

I really enjoyed myself and stayed in touch with Joni Doolin, CEO & Founder of People Report. Candidly I was enamored with her passion for this industry and the people from the industry. Next was Best Practices conference, this was a little different mix of people from Summer Camp and a different vibe but still all hard-core operations people working hard to make people’s lives better (employees, customers, investors). This conference proved to be amazing as I started to see some familiar faces from People Report and restaurant brands…I was hooked.

The upcoming People Report Best Practices is my favorite of the year for several reasons starting with: I get to spend time with the People Report team, who has been very gracious, inspiring and fun over the last 3 years that I’ve gotten to know them. This conference has assembled $ billions of dollars of revenue represented from the restaurant brands that employ hundreds of thousands of people and serve millions of people with wonderful experiences every single day.

I have many dear friends and I’ve officially fallen back in love with operations and multi-unit management. It’s one of the toughest and most exciting parts of business that I can possibly think of it. My 25,000 hours in multi-unit back in the 90’s is still relevant today as the basics haven’t changed, technology has improved luckily but finding GREAT people, to deliver GREAT service is the same! Thank you People Report Team and Joni Doolin for inspiring me back to something I love.

She began serving on the National Restaurant Association’s Board of Directors in 2004, and is also a member of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation Board of Trustees.

Mallet is a seasoned leader with extensive and diverse experience in enterprise strategy, turnarounds, transition planning, systems implementation, human capital development and franchise operations. She is recognized in the industry for her innovative approaches, financial and organizational development results, the ability to build sustainable talent pipelines and a commitment to impacting her industry and community.

Previously, as President and Interim CEO of Caribou Coffee (a publicly traded company), Mallet continued her track record of effectively implementing new strategic initiatives while balancing financial results, organizational and talent development to deliver shareholder value.

She has a comprehensive background in several restaurant segments, having worked in casual dining (Applebee’s and TGI Friday’s), quick casual (la Madeleine Bistro/Café) and quick service (Caribou). Her extensive general management experience includes overseeing all functional areas, with an emphasis on operations, portfolio management, human resources, franchise systems development and financial analysis.

Mallet also serves on the boards of Share Our Strength and People Report.

You may be asking why Black Box Intelligence and People Report would host an International Symposium? After all aren’t our members domestic operators?

Well, our impressive consortium of restaurant 150+ brands is made up of local, national and global restaurant companies. Last year we decided that we wanted to connect and build a community of the talented hard working international road warriors and to help them enjoy some time shared off the road.

Secretly I guess I must miss running an international restaurant business! It was the most challenging and satisfying job I have ever had! I loved spending time
with people who are out there on the front line of exporting one of our true national assets. The US restaurant industry is the leader in the world for developing organizations that can create, manage and deploy multi-unit brands around the world. We have knowhow and we are leaders in leveraging that knowhow into explosive growth worldwide.

Our industry is unique in another way. We are an industry of competitors coming together to share “Best Practices”. It is so appropriate that this is the third year we focus on People, Profits and Planet. Believe me, nowhere else do the complexity and demands of balancing people in multiple cultures with making profits for the operators and the owners require the kind of talents our speakers demonstrate. Additionally, we are all global citizens and you can only imagine the unique perspective these executives have of how business, communities, nations and our mother earth planet work in unison or at odds.

I am looking forward to learning more about our industry, cultures and challenging performance lessons in this special pre-conference session from our talented speakers and audience. As I have personally learned, it is the wisdom gained by travel that challenges your perspective and makes your WORLD more interesting!

If you would like a peak into our guests WORLD and the future of growth in our industry, please join me and your colleagues on November 6th for our second annual International Symposium.

I can’t wait to see you there,

Wally

@BoomerCEO

Jessica is a sought after speaker about human resource and its business role with social media. She has spoken at SHRM’s Leadership Conference, HR Southwest Conference, SHRM’s Annual Conference. Recently listed as the 2nd most influential recruiter on the Internet and 11th most influential woman on Twitter, she writes a leadership column for SmartBrief, a publication with more than 4 million subscribers.

Her company, Xceptional HR provides businesses with social media, recruitment strategies, and human resources consulting. Jessica received her Senior Professional in Human Resource designation in 2008. She holds a Bachelors degree in Anthropology and Business from Kansas State University. Jessica has been quoted in publications as an expert including
CIO Magazine, CBS, Entrepreneur Magazine, and SHRM’s HR Magazine.

To learn more about Jessica or her company, visit her blog www.blogging4jobs.com or her company’s website at www.xceptionalhr.com.

John joined the company in 1992 as a coordinator in the International Division and five years later moved to the Human Resources department as Training Manager. He was promoted to Director of Training in 2000 and to Senior Director of Training and Human Resources in early 2001. With the promotion to VP and CPO, he is now responsible for, training, organizational development, employee relations, compensation, corporate services and is a co-leader of the executive council for White Castle. As a 4th generation family member, John’s natural passion for the business translates to a commitment to fostering the company culture of loyalty and putting people first.

John graduated with a B.S. in elementary education from Wilmington College, and earned a MBA from Ohio Dominican University and is a certified senior professional of human resources (SPHR), and a member of and current Board President of the Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers (CHART). In the Columbus community, he is a member of the board of Directors of several local agencies and organizations including A Kid Again, The Board of Trustees of Ohio Dominican University, The Godman Guild and is the chair of the Ohio Dominican Alumni Council.

John is an avid reader, likes traveling, biking and has dabbled in the fine art of glass blowing and crafting his own stained glass creations.

He has authored 4 books, including his 2012 release ‘S.M.A.R.T. Restaurant Guide to Effective Restaurant Operations’ and ‘Send Flowers to the Living! Rewards, Contests and Incentives to Build Employee Loyalty’. Visit www.smartrestaurantguides.com for more information on the books.

He is a well-respected speaker and present at numerous trade shows, industry events and manager/franchise conventions. In addition, TJ is often quoted or featured in publications on the topic of motivating today’s employees, training today’s generation and delivering outstanding guest service.

Businesses, Doug believes, can outperform their competitors by building more authentic customer relationships. He sees marketing as a powerful but largely untapped force, undermined by the prevalent orientation of persuasion.

Through his agency and his writing, Doug is showing companies and their leaders that the most successful marketing draws on a different mindset – an orientation around fostering authentic and sustainable relationships. Simply put, he’s helping companies thrive in an environment where the winning formula has changed.

Doug and his nearly agency serve some of the world’s most well-known brands, including Procter & Gamble, The Coca-Cola Company, Pizza Hut, Louisville Slugger, Dannon, and Sallie Mae.

Doug is the father of two girls, Jordan and Taylor, and enjoys tennis and the outdoors. He’s an active member of the board of Conscious Capitalism, Inc, and chair of the organization’s annual CEO Summit.

As Vice President of Human Resources, Bill oversees the day to day functions for all areas of Human Resources. He believes it is important to organize and utilize key strategies and procedures to build the foundation for the entire Human Resources function. Bill has implemented and refined systems and administrative procedures throughout the company with an emphasis on benefits, compensation, recruiting and employee relations.

With over 25 years of experience in the human resources field, Bill has directed Human Resources and recruiting functions at numerous restaurant chains including BJ’s Restaurants, The Cheesecake Factory and Brinker International. He is a graduate of the University of Central Florida and currently resides in Denver, Colorado.

About DriveThruHR: DriveThruHR talks about Human Resources with HR professionals, HR vendors and thought-leaders who support HR. We’re on every day at lunch time for 30 minutes. Give us a listen at (347) 996-5600 and share your thoughts on twitter using #dthr or @drivethruhr. We talk HR along with lots of clever bantor and thoughts every day at 12 Noon Central time at “DTHR”.