EDNA MORRIS, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF AXUM CAPITAL PARTNERS, TO RECEIVE THE BEACON AWARD AT THE FLORIDA RESTAURANT & LODGING SHOW
Award to be Presented by the Foodservice Council for Women
Edna Morris, Managing Director of Axum Capital Partners and CEO and Partner of Range Restaurant Group, will receive the Beacon Award during the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show on Wednesday, September 28 at 1:00pm. The award is presented on behalf of the Foodservice Council for Women and recognizes the accomplishments, career and contributions of a woman in the restaurant or foodservice industry. Edna has over 35 years of leadership and industry experience, serving as President of several restaurant companies including Red Lobster and Quincy’s Family Steakhouse and earlier in her career, leading the Human Resources function where her teams were recognized for innovation and effectiveness in culture and other people strategies.
“The Beacon Award was created to recognize a leader who has taken strides for advancing the career path for women in the restaurant and foodservice industry. We are honored that Edna will accept this award and are excited to celebrate her innovation, leadership and contributions,” said Kathleen Wood, Chairwoman of the Foodservice Council for Women and Founder of Kathleen Wood Partners/Suzy’s Swirl. “The Beacon Award is a source of light and celebration for all of us and Edna exemplifies the qualities the Beacon Award honors.”
“Helping develop and advance the role of, and for, women in the foodservice industry remains one of the most important priorities I’ve set in my own career, so to be recognized for that is a tremendous and humbling honor. As I look back on the last 3 ½ decades, I am so proud of what women in our industry have accomplished and so grateful to all the people who have worked hard, achieved results, looked out for each other and have proven what a great industry this is. In those same 3 ½ decades, so many have shared, taught, listened, challenged, debated, supported me; they paid it forward. To continue to do the same, to pay it forward, is a must do and love to do,” said Edna Morris.
Edna Morris is Managing Director of Axum Capital Partners, leading the restaurant practice for the firm, which recently completed the acquisition of Wild Wing Café. Additionally, Edna is chief executive officer and partner in Range Restaurant Group, with two CityRange restaurants in upstate South Carolina. She previously led the James Beard Foundation as President and was a founding member and Chairwoman of the Women’s Foodservice Forum. She has served on the board of Einstein Noah Restaurant Group, Cosi, Inc., the Culinary Institute of America and is in her 12th year of service as a Board member of Tractor Supply Company.
“The Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show is proud to feature and celebrate so many talented and celebrated women leaders at our Foodservice events and provide a forum for women entrepreneurs from all aspects of the business to connect,” said Ron Mathews, Vice President, Restaurant and Foodservice Events Portfolio. “The Ferdinand Metz Foodservice Forum and the Foodservice Council for Women are exceptional opportunities to deliver on trend and relevant content for the industry.”
“The Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association welcomes the celebration of exceptional women in the restaurant industry through the Foodservice Council for Women’s Beacon Award. The overall success of the hospitality industry depends upon fostering diversity, developing talent and promoting numerous opportunities for career advancement,” said Carol Dover, President & CEO of the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association (FRLA).
About The Foodservice Council for Women
In 2011, Kathleen Wood, founder of Kathleen Wood Partners and Suzy’s Swirl, Ron Mathews, Vice President of Urban Expositions and Ferdinand Metz of Ferdinand Metz Foodservice Forum partnered to create the Foodservice Council for Women, a seminar series held during the three restaurant and foodservice events produced by Urban Expositions. The Foodservice Council for Women today is a networking organization that connects and promotes women leaders locally and builds connections nationally. In celebration of the five-year anniversary of the forum, this year’s event will feature the new Beacon Award presentation as well as an intimate one-on-one discussion with Edna followed by a panel discussion on Women Winning in Business.
About the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association
FRLA is Florida’s premier non-profit hospitality industry trade association. Our mission is to ‘Protect, Educate and Promote’ Florida’s $89.1 billion hospitality industry which represents 23% of Florida’s economy and more than 1.2 million employees – making it the state’s number one industry. We offer regulatory compliance and food safety training needs (RCS and SafeStaff®); industry developed career-building high school programs (FRLAEF); sponsor the only event in Florida exclusively serving the restaurant and foodservice industry (FR&L Show, September 27-29, 2016 in Orlando); and we safeguard the needs of the hospitality industry by providing legislative advocacy. We represent and serve more than 10,000 independent and household name members, suppliers, and theme parks. For more information, go towww.FRLA.org and find us on Twitter @FRLAnews, Facebook and YouTube.
About the 2016 Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show will take place Tuesday, September 27 -Thursday, September 29th at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. The Show is sponsored by the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association (www.frla.org). For more information on exhibiting or attending, visit the official Show website at www.flrestaurantandlodgingshow.com. The tradeshow and conference is managed and produced by Kennesaw, GA based Urban Expositions,www.urban-expo.com, owned by Clarion Events.
