Airport Experience® News - Conference 2023

SPEAKERS & MODERATORS

dashboard for airport and advertising clients. Wideman was previously a business development executive at ReachTV, and also spent several years at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).

RICHARD SCHNEIDER CHIEF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT OFFICER AREAS USA

Richard Schneider is chief business development officer for Areas USA, responsible for implementing

SEAN WILLARD MENU ENGINEERS

operational strategies that maximize sales growth and cost optimization for the company’s 149 airport and turnpike locations across the United States. Prior to joining Areas in 2020, Schneider led the foodservice and hospitality efforts at Spectra in Philadelphia. Prior to that he served as COO of the Sportservice division at Delaware North.

Sean Willard is a menu engineer with Menu Engineers, a company that helps restaurateurs and hospitality operators globally to build better menus.

Through the combination of science, art, data, and industry expertise, Menu Engineering enables restaurateurs to develop and design more effective menus that drive profitability and enhance the guest experience. With a degree from Cornell’s Hotel School and extensive work in restaurants, Willard has been in the hospitality industry for more than 19 years and became a Menu Engineer under the tutelage of the late Gregg Rapp, who developed many of the processes and principles still utilized today.

JEFFREY STEELMAN VP CULINARY, NORTH AMERICA HMSHOST

Jeffrey Steelman is vice president of culinary, North America, at HMSHost, a global restaurateur and world

leader in delivering innovative dining solutions in travel venues. HMSHost operates locations all over North America and is part of Autogrill Group. Steelman is responsible for advising the executive team on culinary best practices to manage a range of chef-driven concepts to mature, legacy brands. He has more than 25 years of experience in culinary services and is known for his leadership on driving bottom line growth through supplier agreements, sustainability and food waste management initiatives. Prior to joining HMSHost, he was global vice president development/culinary at Todd English Enterprises.

EBONI WIMBUSH PRESIDENT AND CEO AMAC

Eboni Wimbush is the president and CEO of the Airport Minority Advisory Council (AMAC). In

this role, Wimbush continues AMAC’s nearly 40-year rich history and legacy of advancing equitable opportunities and maximum participation for minorities and women throughout the aviation and aerospace industries. She provides strategic leadership, oversees the national office, collaborates with committee chairs, and strengthens relationships withAMAC’s industry partners, advocacy organizations, local, state and federal governments, among other key stakeholders. Prior to her AMAC role, Wimbush served as the deputy director of the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Children & Family Success.

ANDREWWEDDIG EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ARRA

AndrewWeddig is the executive director of the Airport Restaurant & Retail Association (ARRA), the trade

association of U.S. airport restaurant and retail concessionaires. ARRA’s mission is to promote sound policies and practices that further the success of airport concessions businesses and elevate the travel experience. As ARRA’s chief policy, program, and administrative officer, Weddig works collaboratively with the association’s Board of Directors and members, as well as the broader airport community, on operational, financial, and policy matters of common interest to concessionaires, airports, and all stakeholders in the industry’s ecosystem. Weddig previously held executive positions at Paradies Lagardère and Unison Consulting.

JACQUELINE YAFT CEO AUSTIN DEPARTMENT OF AVIATION

As CEOof the City of AustinDepartment of Aviation, Jacqueline Yaft oversees all operations at Austin

Bergstrom International Airport (AUS). Yaft has more than 20 years of experience at some of the largest hub airports in the U.S., most recently at Los Angeles World Airports, where she served as deputy executive director of operations and emergency management and led airport operations throughout a series of major infrastructure projects at LAX. She has also held executive roles at Denver International Airport (DEN) and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).

KEVIN WESTLYE COO AND PRESIDENT HIGH FLYING FOODS

KevinWestlye is COO and president of High Flying Foods, leading the operations and human resource

teams managing menu and concept development, strategic initiatives, policy development and daily company operations. Westlye is a 40-plus year veteran in the restaurant/hospitality industry, in the past holding director-level positions at Borel Restaurant Group and the restaurant division of Kimpton Hotels. He was also a managing partner of the iconic Franciscan Restaurant and executive director at the Golden Gate Restaurant Association.

ANDREW ZIMMERN CHEF AND TV PERSONALITY INTUITIVE CONTENT AND PASSPORT HOSPITALITY

Andrew Zimmern is an Emmy-winning and four-time James Beard Award-winning TV personality, chef,

writer and social justice advocate. As the creator, executive producer and host of the Bizarre Foods franchise, Andrew Zimmern’s Driven by Food and Emmy-winning The Zimmern List , he has devoted his life to exploring and promoting cultural acceptance, tolerance and understanding through food. In 2020, Andrew returned to television with MSNBC’s What’s Eating America, and in 2021, he premiered Family Dinner onMagnolia Network. This year, he is a judge on Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend onNetflix and onOutdoor Channel’s Andrew Zimmern’s Wild Game Kitchen . Andrew is the founder and CEO of Intuitive Content, a production company, and Passport Hospitality, a restaurant and food service development company.

DEMETRIA WIDEMAN EVP, HEAD OF GROWTH REACHTV

As executive vice president, head of growth at ReachTV, Demetria Wideman focuses on increasing

ReachTV distribution in airports and other travel-related outlets globally. She leads the ReachTV team in leveraging internal data and other strategic partnerships to build a powerful data warehouse and

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