President, Illinois Restaurant Association Chairman of the Board & Executive Committee

Transcription

1 Position Title: Reporting To: Location: President, Illinois Restaurant Association Chairman of the Board & Executive Committee Chicago, Illinois Presidential Search Committee Members: John Colletti Ken Raskin Patrick Donelly Nick Wagner Everett Rand Gary Salvestrini Dan Costello Billy Lawless Sr. Ed Mugnani Jay Stieber Application Information: Applications accepted beginning Tuesday, April 17, 2012 until Friday, April 27, 2012 to John Colletti 1050 N. State Street Chicago, Illinois History of the Illinois Restaurant Association: On the sixth day of February in 1914, a group of Chicago restaurateurs came together to elect what was first known as the Restaurant and Lunch Room Men, and to establish dues of $5.00 per house. The Restaurant and Lunch Room Men Association continued to change and evolve over the years, expanding its missions and objectives until the early 1980 s when the Illinois Restaurant Association, serving 2,500 members and representing 6,000 units throughout the state, came into being. In the first year, a dues structure of $1.00 per month per member, and fifty cents per month for additional stores was passed-which in those times was expensive. The forming of the Association was based primarily on government affairs. One of the first courses of action was to form a Government Affairs Committee made up of, amongst others, Mr. Pixly, Chairman, Mr. Phillip Henrici, and Mr. John R. Thompson, to work toward the abolishment of free luncheons in saloons at the City Council level. By 1926, the Association had evolved into the Chicago Association of Restaurateurs and had 112 members operating 177 restaurants. Among other services offered there was an employment service that, in 1926, furnished 5,047 dishwashers and yardmen, 2,903 waiters and 1,787 co-ops from what appeared to be a daily call room. In May 1927, another key event occurred when the officers of the National Restaurant Association (NRA) requested that the Association cooperate in holding a regional N.R.A.

2 convention in Chicago. The Chicago Association agreed that every assistance would be rendered to the National body to ensure the success of that sectional Convention. Based upon this assurance, the National Restaurant Association held what was known as the Middle State Restaurant convention in Chicago in In fulfilling its pledge of cooperation, the Chicago Restaurant Association distributed 7,200 pieces of mail to Chicago area operators and to operators located in the six surrounding states. For the first time in the history of the National Restaurant Association, the same site (Chicago) was selected as the convention site in the consecutive years due to the record breaking attendance experienced. So was born a great love affair between the National Restaurant Association and Chicago. With Chicago s favorite hobbies being eating, drinking, and politics, the Association played an active role in shaping the city s and state s decisions affecting the restaurant industry. The Association s State Government Affairs Committee expanded through the 30 s and 40 s. Labor relations in the 30 s became a major function of the Association and those specialized labor activities remained important through the 1970 s. Through the years, famous Chicago restaurant names like Harding, Roth, Marquis, Klingeman, Berghoff, Binyon, and hundreds of other key restaurant families, generation after generation, have supported the Association s effort to protect and promote the industry s interests. In the last decade the Association changed its name form the Chicago Restaurant Association to the Illinois Restaurant Association, in order to enhance the Association s statewide legislative and membership programs. The Government affairs staff increased from two regional lobbyists in 1978 to four registered lobbyists today. The increase indicates the shift of legislation from the national scene to the state and local level that took place in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1982, the Association for the first time created its own annual Regional Trade Show which attracted close to 10,000 attendees, thereby providing the Foodservice Industry in Illinois a forum to discuss common interests. In 1988, the IRA combined this show with the Annual National Restaurant Association Show attracting over 75,000 attendees to this Chicago based event each May. In 1984, the Association resurrected the Taste of Chicago through a management contract with the City of Chicago. Under the joint management of the City and the Association, the Taste has grown to the country s largest outdoor food festival and one of Chicago s premiere tourism events. In 2008, The Illinois Restaurant Association founded Chicago Gourmet. Chicago Gourmet is a premier food and wine festival showcasing the City of Chicago s culinary talent and drawing attention to the City as a world class dining destination. The 2000s brought the development of a full line of member services and benefits, exciting new programs and the strongest political action in our Association s history. We look forward to expanded services and continued membership growth in the future.

3 Position Summary: The Executive Committee and Board of Directors govern the Illinois Restaurant Association. The Executive Committee, consisting of the Officers and At Large Board of Directors, is responsible for making all governmental and long-term strategic decisions. The President makes the day-to-day management decisions and is considered the Association s chief of staff. The President recommends and participates in the Board s formulation of Association missions, goals, objectives, and related policies. Within the framework, the President plans, coordinates, and organizes the programs and activities of the Association through the existing inside and outside staff personnel, and through involvement of volunteer talent. The President receives instructions from the Board, translating these into actions, activities, and programs, which the overall staff conducts statewide. Position Description according to the Illinois Restaurant Association By-Laws: Report to: The Officers and Directors of the Illinois Restaurant Association Internal Relationships: a) Serves as ex-officio member of all committees and serves as liaison between Committees and the Board of Directors. b) The Vice President of Operations, Director of Membership Development, the Director of Education, Director of Government Relations, Director of Special Events, Executive Director of the Educational Foundation and the Legislative Counsel report directly to the President. The Controller reports directly to the President and Treasurer. External Relationships: a) Maintains a close relationship with other national, state, and local Foodservice/Lodging and Business Associations, governmental agencies-both legislative and regulatory, public service and tourism organizations, educational groups, and vendors in order to enhance the Association s image and to work toward attainment of the Association s goals. b) Develops key relationships with state legislative leaders, state municipalities and member of the state and local Executive Branches of government. c) Maintains close regular contact with Association elected officers, Directors, Committee Chairmen, Chapter Officers, and members. Specific Responsibilities: a) Develops and maintains an effective Government Relations program to represent Association interest to state and local government agencies/lawmakers, acting as liaison with NRA regarding NRA issues. b) Serves as primary spokesman for the Industry, to the media, to government agencies, to legislative bodies, and to the public, as well as other segments of the Industry. c) Recommends changes or new policies to the Board for the Association operations and for the industry in anticipation of political, economic, and social changes and

4 pressures. Interprets the continuing changes in our industry and translates those interpretations into recommendations for action to the Board of Directors. d) Develops for approval by the Board of Directors, the organizational structure/policies for the Association. e) Recruits, hires, and trains staff. Administers an effective personnel program that includes position responsibilities, performance standards, written appraisals, and a compensation system. f) Collaborates, with the assistance of the Controller and the department heads, to develop operating and capital budgets for the approval of the Finance Committee and the Board of Directors. g) Conceives of and develops cooperative programs with other local, state, regional and national associations to effectively position the Illinois Restaurant Association. h) Plans and coordinates meetings of the officers of the Board of Directors and committees of the Association. i) Ensures the legal integrity of the Association. j) Provides periodic reports to the Board of Directors. k) Serves as ex-officio member of the established committees, directs corporate secretarial activities, serves as treasurer of IRPAC, and serves as a trustee of the Association s Scholarship Fund. l) Works with the NRA on annual Trade Show. m) Develops recommendations for financial policies and decisions to insure the Association s long term financial growth and security. n) Develops training programs and orientation programs for new officers, new committee members and new Chairmen. o) Develops and maintains effective internal/external public relations. p) Develops and maintains publication programs that meet industry needs. q) Develops, maintains, and oversees educational programs to advance the professional and managerial skills of the membership. Selection Criteria: Marketing and Brand Development Prior experience and track record in marketing, specifically in developing marketing plans, defining its mission, objectives, strategies and tactics and prioritizing its elements, staffing and implementing the plan. Familiar with Chicago and Illinois political landscape and accustomed to working in or navigating within a political environment. Association/Non-Profit Management Extensive experience and prior success in working with diverse business, political organizations and individuals. Working with or in an association and/or with volunteers especially with a board of directors, either as a chairman, president or high level staff leader Revenue and membership development are a major component of the position. He/she must be extremely comfortable with such external roles and possess the self-confidence and salesmanship to succeed Proven track record of building an organization s reputation, staff and revenues.

5 Professional attributes Proven strategic and tactical thinker; able to anticipate challenges and trends. Experienced in strategic planning. Excellent communication skills in written, oral and presentation formats. Able to manage in an assertive, competitive environment sometime plagued with chaotic operations and rapid change. Leadership Skills: A strong effective communicator; will be listened to by even those who disagree. Articulate; outstanding speaking and writing skills; comfortable, easy rapport with all. An enthusiastic advocate for Illinois Restaurant Association interests. Provide strong operating leadership and workplace environment that engages and motivates Illinois Restaurant Association staff to be responsive and to provide first-class programs that address members needs; able to establish priorities. Established consensus and coalition builder a team builder and facilitator; has dealt successfully with hot issues and/or competing members; a diplomat and negotiator par excellence. Personal Attributes Required: The environment at Illinois Restaurant Association emphasizes collegiality and team among the staff, Board and members. The ideal candidate is someone who seeks out strong team members and has the ability to invite divergent opinions; resolve conflicts in a diplomatic and timely fashion; has demonstrated strong financial, business and personal leadership; execute decisions; and building a consensus will be critical for success. Unimpeachable integrity is paramount. A leader who understands and has the demonstrated capacity to advance every aspect of the Association s goals and operations. In addition, this leader has a hands-on management style, extraordinary business development skills, strong financial background and personality that allows the talents within this largely volunteer organization to flourish. A person dedicated to the principle of further developing a strong organization to meet future demands; and a capacity to build new networks in the business and not-for-profit community. A visionary who anticipates obstacles and opportunities, maintains a long term, big picture view; has a clear vision for the Association; and is results-oriented. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills (charm, wit) are essential. A high energy, bright, creative, innovative, articulate; a calculated risk taker; tenacious in meeting deadlines; well organized and adept at managing peak workloads. This individual must have a reputation for uncompromising personal integrity and abovereproach ethics, as well as a high-level of respect for all individuals. A dynamic, fast thinking, hard working individual who leads by example; is flexible and understands that there is more than one way to accomplish a goal. Education: Undergraduate degree is required but a graduate degree would be a plus. Directly related work experience is most desirable, at least 5 years.