Deborah L. Holand, President
Food Sense, Inc

Deborah Holand founded her own strategic business consultant company, Food Sense in June 2000. She has over 20 years of successful food industry experience, with specialized expertise in new concept development and turn-around operations strategies. Her diverse background spans across major trade channels: Restaurant Multi-Chain Concepts; Conventional Supermarkets; Specialty Gourmet Retailers; Convenience Stores; Niche Kiosk Concepts; Franchise Joint Venture Operations; Bakery and Prepared Foods Commissary Production and Manufacturing Operations; Catering Businesses; Supply Chain Distribution; E-Commerce.

Ms. Holand consults at both the corporate and business unit levels, from single unit operations to multi-unit national chains and global operations. She engages in short-term and long-term assignments customizing services from initial strategic counsel, organization and operations assessments, to full concept development / revitalizations, start-ups, management training, initiative implementation and interim management. Her innovative results oriented business models and growth strategies, have significantly improved business performance, for the organizations with which she has been affiliated.

Ms. Holand’s restaurant background includes premier restaurant multi-concept chain operators, Metro Media, Inc. and Brinker International, Inc., where she played a key role as a core team member of Brinker’s New Concept Development team. Deborah was instrumental in the team’s execution of “Eatzi’s Market & Bakery,” a Brinker / Phil Romano Joint Venture, receiving the NRA’s innovative “New Concept of the Year” award. Her foodservice experience spans across a wide range of casual and fine dining full-service, fast casual, quick-service and self-service concepts, with extensive business innovation, product development, cost management systems, procurement and profit analysis experience.

Ms. Holand’s retail background includes supermarket perishables and foodservice business growth and product development, for elite national specialty supermarket retailer, Whole Foods Markets, Inc. and international conventional supermarket retailer Ahold, USA division. Deborah held Ahold USA’s Merchandising Marketing Synergy Chairperson position, coordinating five multi-chain divisional leadership groups in perishable growth initiatives. She has developed fresh food concepts with best in class convenient store retailers such as: Store 24 Company’s City Oasis Concept; Chevron Texaco’s Bread Garden Bakery Café Concept; Family Express’s Cravin’s Market and Java Wave Concepts.

Deborah’s formal education is in business management and finance. She is actively involved in: Industry Roundtables/Summits; Trade Leadership and Educational Training Seminars; Speaking Engagements; Publication editorial contributions (alias “The Food Gal”). She is a member of the NRA-National Restaurant Association, IDDBA-International Dairy Deli Bakery Association, NACS-National Association of Convenient Stores, NCSAG-National Convenient Store Advisory Group, among others.