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Welcome to Tomorrow

We believe that effective leaders don't simply seek "jobs"; they seek organizations with a compelling story, exceptional leaders, and room for continued growth. As you scroll through this page, you will gain a better understanding of Restaurant Technologies' narrative, where the company has been, and where it is going.

Business Director; Total Oil Management ($600M)

RESTAURANT TECHNOLOGIES (RT)

Restaurant Technologies (RT) is a high-growth integrator of automated safety and efficiency solutions, and complex peripheral services, for the commercial kitchens of restaurants (independent, QSR, fast food), convenient stores, retail outlets, grocers, delis, casinos, hotels, and other food services organizations.  Owned by Energy Capital Partners, a ~$20B ESG investment firm, RT employs over 1,500 people and is generating roughly $1B in annual revenue, with steady long-term, double digit year-over-year growth, and an extraordinarily high-performing bottom line. Founded by entrepreneurial spirits tied to the McDonald's organization in the 1990's, RT is a well-established organization with an impressive executive team that is currently driving transformation, innovation, scalability, and major growth across the US. 

With lofty aspirations to reach $2B by end of 2027, RT's executive team has made it a top priority to significantly invest in product innovation alongside enterprise business processes, creating a much stronger, more scalable infrastructure. RT also introduced a more sophisticated product management organization a few years ago, which has made a tremendous impact on the success of the organization.  The team now realizes the need to shift from purely a "product owner" model to more of a "business leadership" model, seeking a strong category leader to drive full P&L performance via VOC/CX initiatives, product innovation opportunities, commercial and go-to-market strategy and execution, partnerships and joint ventures, etc.  Reporting to the Head of Marketing & Product Innovation, this leader will have full P&L ownership over the ~$600M Total Oil Management business, setting the vision and purpose for the rapidly growing product category that eliminates the burden and risks of cooking oil handling for restaurant operators while converting used oil into clean burning biofuel.

A Foundation you can build on

Getting a sense of the foundation that has been built prior to your arrival offers a lens through which you can see where your career may go.

Restaurant Technologies (RT)

Restaurant Technologies (RT) is a ~$1 billion, privately held, vertically integrated full service integrator of automated safety solutions and services for commercial kitchens across the United States.  RT is the fastest-growing provider of cooking oil management, and back-of-house hood and exhaust cleaning solutions, in the country.  It services well over 45,000 national quick-service and full-service restaurant chains, independent restaurants, grocery delis, hotels, casinos, convenience stores, universities, and hospitals and has grown tremendously year-over-year for decades.

RT's History

RT was founded in the late 1990's by a group of entrepreneurial spirited leaders from the food service industry who had strong ties to the McDonald's organization and recognized a serious challenge in the way that cooking oil was managed in commercial kitchens.  They realized that the lack of automation in the handling of oil - its replenishment, monitoring, filtration, and even the logistical movement of the product - was exposing many workers to serious danger, enormous amounts of labor intensive and costly work, and creating an absolute mess in kitchens across the US.  So they started Restaurant Technologies in 1997 to solve this problem on the foundation of a single, incredibly well-engineered system and service model, which is branded today as "Total Oil Management" - an all-encompassing solution for cooking oil delivery, filtration, grease removal, automated replenishment, and recycling at the push of a single button.  Having developed a proprietary, evolutionary system that was non-existent and remains without much competition, the company has grown immensely at a very rapid pace.

A Stand Out In Food Service

Restaurant Technologies is a stand out in food service as it operates in a niche space with little competition.  With its incredibly well-operated, vertically integrated structure, RT owns its proprietary systems and technology, and has intelligently built peripheral service structures around these equipment solutions to drive "vertical integration", which includes its own delivery teams, storage facilities (depots), installation services, and customer support/field service groups.  Recognizing its strength of position in the space, RT has embarked on a transformation to drive continued growth of the existing "core" product portfolio while introducing new products and services in an effort to continue diversifying the organization in the greater food services space within which RT is only 1% penetrated.

Scale

RT is the most efficient and fastest growing provider of oil management solutions in the food services industry today, employing over 1,500 people across the United States whose efforts are generating roughly $1B in annual revenue.  RT operates 41 distribution centers in 33 states, and services over 45,000 customers across restaurant and hospitality industries, including some of the most formidable brands in the business like McDonald's, Burger King, HyVee, Dairy Queen, Jack In The Box, Denny's, Kwik Trip, and many more.

Our Take On RT

Performance

RT is an explosively growing organization.  Its leadership team is not interested in status quo or maintenance.  Rather, they wish to continue the intelligent expansion of the business from a top and bottom line perspective, personnel and team growth, and product portfolio diversification and growth.  RT hires aspirational, high-performing leaders who align with the company's expectation for continued change and healthy growth.

Integrity

RT's leadership team embodies strength in character.  From the CEO through the entire organization, this team is constantly encouraged and expected to do what is right with candor, without compromise.  The executive team is honest, forthcoming, and transparent and fully understands the value in establishing trust inside and outside the organization.

Speed

RT's leadership team moves quickly.  Decisions and progress are made with tremendous velocity, an imperative characteristic of a high-growth, vertically integrated organization.  RT embodies an entrepreneurial culture, where leaders have the autonomy to drive the business forward in the most nimble and agile way.

What You Will Be A Part Of

As a senior leader at RT, you will position the organization for its future, which requires an understanding of those around you, what they collectively stand for, and how they positively impact the world.

ESG - FRENCH FRIES TO FUEL

RT has partnered with Chevron Renewable Energy Group to turn used cooking oil into low carbon fuel furthering aligning with their ESG initiatives. 

TOTAL OIL MANAGEMENT, RT'S FLAGSHIP PRODUCT

A thorough explanation of Restaurant Technologies' flagship product, Total Oil Management.

ONE OF AMERICA'S GREATEST WORKPLACES

RT was recently recognized on Newsweek's 2024 list of America's Greatest Workplaces.

Burger King Testimonial - Total Oil Management

Mike Dole, the Director of Operations for the Trinity Corp. Burger King franchises, switches from manual to automated oil management and realizes the significant impact on food quality, workplace safety, and the bottom line. 

A DAY IN THE LIFE

The field force driver team describes what it is like working at Restaurant Technologies.

CAREER PROGRESSION - CEO SPEAKS WITH BILL MOODY

Restaurant Technologies' CEO, Jeff Kiesel, spends time with long-time RT employee, Bill Moody, speaking about Bill's career progression and experience working at the company.

The Company You’ll Keep

Who you’ll work with is often more important than the work itself.  Get to know the Restaurant Technologies leadership team you will be engaging with and supporting in this role.

Ryan Bowlds

Head of Product Innovation and Marketing (Direct Manager)

Ryan is an aspirational, down-to-earth leader with nearly 20 years of experience across production, engineering, product management, and business unit leadership in notable organizations including Cargill, Emerson, and Amesbury Truth.  In short order, Ryan has made an incredible impact on RT's business building out a centralized and commerically-focused product management function.  While RT was beginning to diversify and introduce new product lines and services to the market, Ryan developed a comprehensive product strategy and roadmap capitalizing on existing product enhancement opportunities, specifically with the Automist product category.  He is a savvy communicator, a strong relationship builder, and demonstrates the rare balance of technical engineering and new product development acumen with very strong commercial and marketing acuity. 

Alissa Partee

Chief Operations Officer

Alissa joined Restaurant Technologies roughly 4 years ago as the Chief People Officer, providing HR advisory services in a variety of areas including coaching, diversity & inclusion, employee experience, and leading organizational change through unprecedented times of growth and maturity. She grew up in northern MN, specifically the Iron Range, which plays a significant role in her down-to-earth, midwestern nature. Prior to joining RT, Alissa was a part of iconic brands such as Caribou Coffee, Marvin Windows, and Buffalo Wild Wings, exposing her to first-class, authentic, people-driven cultures as well as high-growth environments. After a highly successful run in the CPO chair, RT recently announced Alissa's succession to Chief Operations Officer, where she will assume full accountability over field operations (execution), operations excellence, safety, depot facilities/QA, and centralization. Alissa's "no-fear" mindset and core purpose of "contributing to someone else's success" are the perfect intangibles to lead RT through its' next phase of growth and maturity. 

Josh Renihan

Vice President of Field Sales

Josh is the Vice President of Field Sales with 20+ years of experience working for notable companies including Kimberly-Clark, Essity, and Abbott. Before joining RT, Josh developed foundational experience leading commercially-focused B2B sales teams and successfully partnered and aligned with other functions in the business inclusive of operations, manufacturing, marketing, and finance. Over the course of his career, Josh has worked for market-leading organizations with clearly defined frameworks and processes, but also has needed to tap into his entrepreneurial skills turning around under-performing business units to position for long-term, sustainable growth. Josh is known for his down-to-earth and collaborative nature, which has positioned the sales organization extremely well for future growth and maturation. Josh's leadership style is focused on empowering his team, giving them the trust and space to develop new ideas through collaboration and make critical decisions to grow the business intelligently. 

Chris Hellmann

Chief Commercial Officer

Jeff Kiesel

Chief Executive Officer

Barry Danckert

EVP - Strategic, National and Retail Accounts

A Day in the Life

Given RT's impressive growth and innovation over the last two decades, they now find themselves at a pivotal phase of product innovation alongside an emphasis on operational transformation in order to drive continued success and growth. This Business Director will assume full P&L responsibility over the ~$600M Total Oil Management (TOM) product line, and will be critical in empowering a team of direct reports responsible for product strategy, roadmaps, business case development, forecasting, product requirements, cost targets, and product launches, ensuring strategic alignment of the product line with overarching company goals. This leader will also need to partner and influence cross-functionally with other groups such as strategic pricing, sales, operations, marketing, and engineering to develop winning strategies that drive existing customer account penetration, attract new business, and maximize profitable growth. Reporting into the commercial group, this leader will be the 'face' of the TOM business driving new areas of opportunity for the product focused on aligning the right products for the right segments, refining the customer experience for specific clients, and ensuring the necessary capabilities to land new, notable logos. This leader will be responsible for top line growth and bottom line performance of a product line with a vast existing customer base currently exceeding 45,000 driving roughly $600M in annual revenue, with a history of double-digit year over year growth.

Responsibilities

  • Full ownership of Total Oil Management P&L – responsible for top line growth and achievement of EBITDA targets
  • Customer-in approach and deep understanding of market dynamics including competitive landscape, macro trends, competitor and supplier offerings, and customer needs
  • Use external customer needs as inspiration for setting priorities across all functional groups in the business 
  • Hold accountable and indirectly influence cross functional groups to achieve targets
  • Manage Product Management direct report(s) responsible for product strategy, roadmaps, business case development, forecasting, product requirements, cost targets and product launches

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  • Work collaboratively with Strategic Pricing and Sales to develop winning strategies that drive existing customer account penetration, attract new business, and maximize profitable growth
  • Partner with Marketing to establish Total Oil Management as the US Foodservice industry standard for oil management and recycling
  • Work closely with Engineering to drive innovation that addresses customer pain points, creates competitive advantages, and improves profitability
  • Working with Operations - establish consistent success criteria for install, service, and customer communication across all depots
  • Explore new opportunities to partner with OEMs and sales channel partners to expand our customer reach and accelerate growth
  • Present Product Line financials to entire organization at Monthly Business Updates
  • Deliver financial summaries and forecasts to Board of Directors on monthly & quarterly intervals

Requirements

  • Customer-In approach to setting and achieving business objectives
  • Strong financial acumen and direct experience managing a P&L
  • Cross-functional leadership – indirectly influence stakeholders across multiple functions and locations
  • Strategic mindset with a focus on execution and delivery of results
  • Experience compiling customer requirements, developing new or improved products/services, and successfully introducing into marketplace
  • Experience with a stage gate product development process that incorporates both waterfall and agile methodologies

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  • Specific experience defining requirements for and launching a digital customer portal – providing customers with service, billing, and operational data/features
  • Ability to analyze data and recommend action based on the information 
  • Strong communication and presentation skills
  • Customer account management experience preferred
  • Bachelor's degree in business administration, finance, marketing or engineering
  • 10+ years professional experience
  • MBA Preferred
  • Willingness to travel domestically – up to 25% of the time

What You Bring to the Table

Insights Driven

As the 'face' of Total Oil Management, this leader will be skilled with pulling P&L levers, understanding financial data, and drive data-driven decisions to propel the business forward. 

Customer-In Mindset

RT is a unique service-oriented business with a high degree of focus on the post-sale customer experience. This leader will drive a 'customer-in' mindset; consistently delivering ongoing services to products in order to exceed customer expectations on what they were sold. 

Relational & Influential

Given RT's new "business leadership" model, this leader will need to swiftly establish credibility across the commercial group, and into the engineering and innovation side of the organization. This leader will also need to drive strategy and influence with the IT organization to enable new digital capabilities enhancing the client experience. 

We believe this opportunity has the potential to be your next best thing. What do you think?