Kathleen is the founder of Kathleen Wood Partners, LLC, an innovative growth strategy and business development firm, specializing in building and turning around businesses for new levels of success and profitability. Kathleen and her partners offer consulting services, career coaching, keynote presentations and result driven solutions for hospitality, healthcare, service, manufacturing and retail clients. Her firm consistently works with Fortune 500 leaders, INC 1000 founders and entrepreneurs.

She is a nationally recognized growth strategist, motivational speaker, author, and a proven leader in business and non-profits. She blends her corporate sensibility and rigor with entrepreneurial vigor and innovation to deliver sustainable solutions. Over the past twenty-years Kathleen has been a growth strategist with industry leaders and leading brands such as Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers, Buffalo Wild Wings, Famous Dave's, McAlister's Deli, Checker's/Rally's, Interim HealthCare, PeopleMatter, Last In Concepts, and Marie Callender's. In 2010 she published her first book, The BEST Shift of Your Life - The Restaurant Manager's Guide for Success Outside the Restaurant.

Kathleen is also a featured speaker and keynote presenter at corporate events, association meetings and at multiple industry functions. All of Kathleen's presentations are developed to specifically meet the needs of her clients and their audiences. Kathleen's presentation style is a blend of inspirational and motivational, combined with real-world operations and served with practical tips, techniques and tools. Participants leave her sessions renewed, reinvigorated and ready to shift to new levels of success.

The following is a sample of her recent presentation platforms: The People Report Quick Service Symposium, Raising Cane's Operational Meeting, Perkins Leadership Meeting, Marie Calendar's Leadership Meeting, Self Opportunity Annual Conference, Florida Restaurant and Lodging Show, Interim Healthcare National Conference, International Restaurant and Foodservice Show of New York, Fast Casual Summit, Association of Healthcare Foodservice, Taco John's Annual General Manager Conference, the Council of Hotel And Restaurant Trainers Annual Conference, Women's Foodservice Forum and more.

Before founding her own company, Kathleen served as the President and COO of Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers from 2005 - 2007. Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers is an award winning, one hundred million dollar company, operating over 100 restaurants in fourteen states with over 2,100 employees. During her tenure, she led the organization through the impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the extensive recovery process that followed, and through unprecedented 100% growth in two years.

Kathleen is currently a member of the Strategic Advisory Board of the People Report, the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Women's Foodservice Forum, and the Strategic Advisory Committee for PeopleMatter. She is also the co-founder of the Foodservice Council for Women. Kathleen is a past President and Board Member of Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers.

She holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Hotel Restaurant and Management from University of Wisconsin - Stout and Master in Business Administration from Loyola University of Chicago.

MOST REQUESTED KEYNOTE TOPICS:

* The Ultimate in Business Prosperity: Eight Non-Negotiables for any Successful Business * Build an Unstoppable Brand: A Blueprint for Competitive Greatness * Success on One Page: Plan Your Growth without the Pain of Planning * Your Network is Equal to Your Net Worth: How to Build a Multi-Million Dollar Business Network 

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