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2007 Speaker Biographies |
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Breakfast Emcee |
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Dan T. Cathy
President and Chief Operating Officer
As president of one of the nation's largest family owned businesses, Chick-fil-A's Dan Cathy represents the next generation of leadership for the Atlanta-based quick-service chicken restaurant chain founded by his father, S. Truett Cathy. Eager to incorporate his own skills and talents into the business, Dan has taken an unconventional, yet personally and professionally rewarding approach to Chick-fil-A leadership.
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Since 2001, Dan has served as the president and chief operating officer of the 1,250-plus unit chain, but he also has personally challenged himself with upholding Chick-fil-A’s efforts to provide genuine, heartfelt hospitality, and ensuring that customers chain wide have an exceptional dining experience when visiting a Chick-fil-A restaurant. In his quest to provide customers with “second-mile” service (exceeding even the highest expectations of a typical fast-food restaurant), Dan has defined a special role for himself – humbly saying, “I work in customer service.”
Rather than leading from his corporate office in Atlanta, Dan chooses to spend the majority of his time traveling to the chain’s growing family of restaurants and interacting with Chick fil-A’s committed team of restaurant Operators and team members. His actions stem from a belief that working in the field provides a clearer understanding of the ever-evolving wants and needs of Chick-fil-A customers, and leading from the front line also enables him to personally convey his servant spirit to the chain’s 45,000-plus employees.
The majority of his travels include participating in grand opening ceremonies for new Chick-fil-A restaurants. In yet another example of how he keeps in tune with customers and employees, Dan attended more than 40 restaurant openings last year and spent 23 nights camping out in restaurant parking lots along with hundreds of customers vying for a chance to win free Chick-fil-A for a year as part of a special customer-focused promotion the chain conducts in conjunction with new restaurant openings … “I’m having the most fun I have ever had at Chick-fil-A.”
Four major marketplace awards recently have affirmed the commitment and performance of Chick-fil-A Operators and team members. In 2006 Chick-fil-A received Restaurant & Institutions magazine’s “Choice in Chains” award for the 12th time in 13 years. Additionally, in 2004, Chick-fil-A was recognized as the “Best Drive-Thru in America” in QSR Magazine’s Drive-Thru Time Study; was honored with Fast Company magazine’s inaugural “Customer First” award and was the highest rated quick-service chain in the South in J.D. Power and Associate’s Customer Satisfaction survey.
Dan's nearly lifelong career at Chick-fil-A began at age nine as he sang songs for customers and did radio commercials for the chain's original "Dwarf House" restaurant in Hapeville, Ga. After receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Georgia Southern University, Dan returned to Chick-fil-A where he served as director of operations – opening more than 50 new Chick-fil-A restaurants throughout the country. As Chick-fil-A continued to grow, so did Dan's responsibilities with the company. His steady rise through the ranks of senior director of operations, vice president of operations, executive vice president, and most recently, president, is a testament to his dedication to the Chick-fil-A brand and its long-held principles and traditions.
As dedicated to Chick-fil-A as he is, Dan also finds time to give generously of his time and efforts in the community. Following is just a partial list of his awards, affiliations and associations:
- Member, Board of Trustees, Berry College
- Member, Board of Advisors, Berry College's Campbell School of Business
- Member, Board of Councilors of The Carter Center
- Member of the New Hope Baptist Church (and trumpet player in the church band)
- Member, Foundation of Gordon College
- Member, Board of Advisors, Eagle Ranch
- Member of the International Society of Business Fellows
- Board Member, Junior Achievement of Georgia (and volunteer at Tri-Cities High School in College Park, Ga. since 1998)
- Recipient of the Buckhead Rotary Humanitarian Award – 2002
- Inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame – 2003
- Honorary Doctorate Degree from the State University of West Georgia
- Honorary Doctorate of Humanities Degree from Anderson College - 2005
And in his "spare" time, Dan has completed the owner/management course at Harvard Business School, is a type-rated pilot in both the CJ2+ and the Falcon 50-4. He is a member of the Chick-fil-A corporate flight department who regularly flies over 400 hours per year. He has run in and completed numerous marathons in Atlanta, Orlando, Los Angeles, Boston and New York. Additionally, Dan is a passionate trumpet player and an avid motorcyclist.
A native of Jonesboro, Georgia, Dan has been married to the former Rhonda Palmer (whom he met while in the 1st grade at age 6) for more than 30 years, and has two sons, Andrew and Ross.
His personal passion is to see the fulfillment of the Chick-fil-A Corporate Purpose: “To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.” |
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Breakfast Speakers |
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Bryan Moss
President Emeritus
Bryan Moss became President Emeritus of Gulfstream Aerospace on April 9, 2007, following a four-year appointment as President of the company and Executive Vice President, Aerospace Group, General Dynamics Corporation. Prior to this appointment he had served as Vice Chairman of the company since he joined in March 1995.
In 1966, Moss joined the Lockheed-Georgia Company, where he was assigned to the engineering administrative group. In 1968, he moved to JetStar Sales, becoming Sales Manager in 1975. In 1978, he became Sales Manager, Asia/Australasia, for various Lockheed aircraft. |
He joined Canadair in 1979, serving as Sales Manager, Southeastern United States. He was appointed Vice President, Sales, at Canadair Challenger Inc. in 1984; Executive Vice President, Sales in 1986 and President of Canadair Challenger in 1987. Moss became President of the Challenger Division, Canadair Group of Bombardier Inc. in 1989. He was appointed President of the Business Aircraft Division of Bombardier Aerospace Group in 1992.
Moss, who is a former member of the Associate Member Advisory Council of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), served as chairman of the council from 1994 to 1996. He is also a member of the International Board of the U.S./Middle East Project, and has served on the U.S.-Japan Business Council, the U.S.-China Business Council and the U.S.-Hong Kong Business Council. In 2006, Moss was elected a trustee on the Georgia Research Alliance Board. He is also a member of the Georgia Tech Advisory Board.
Born in Greenville, Pa. , Moss was educated at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he received his bachelor's degree in industrial management in 1962. |
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Growing Up Graham
“Just being the son of Billy Graham won’t get me into heaven.”
Franklin Graham, 1996
William Franklin Graham III, born July 14, 1952, is the fourth of five children of evangelist Billy Graham and his wife, Ruth Bell Graham. Raised in a log home in the Appalachian Mountains outside Asheville, N.C., Franklin now lives in the mountains of Boone, N.C.
At age 22, after a period of rebellion and traveling the world, Franklin committed his life to Jesus Christ while alone in a hotel room in Jerusalem. Soon after, Dr. Bob Pierce, founder of Samaritan’s Purse, invited Franklin to join him on a six-week mission to Asia. It was during that time that Franklin felt a calling to work with hurting people in areas of the world affected by war, famine, disease, poverty, and natural disaster. |
Franklin Graham the International Relief Worker
“I’ve been called to the slums of the streets and the ditches of the world.”
Franklin Graham, 1998
Franklin was elected to the Board of Samaritan’s Purse in 1978, and one year later, following the death of
Dr. Pierce, he was elected president of the organization. Today, he serves as president and CEO of the international relief organization headquartered in Boone, N.C. Samaritan’s Purse has an annual budget of $260 million and provides relief and assistance in more than 100 countries worldwide. It has international offices in Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, Australia plus field offices in more than 20 developing countries.
Franklin Graham the Evangelist
“Evangelistic preaching is what Daddy does, I never thought I would.”
Franklin Graham, 1995
Franklin conducted his first evangelistic event in 1989 and committed to spend 10 percent of his time preaching. Now he conducts Festivals around the world as an evangelist for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA). Since 1989, he has preached to more than 4 million people in cities from Johannesburg, South Africa to Tupelo, Mississippi. Franklin’s 2006 Festival schedule includes events in Manila, Philippines; New Orleans, La.; Angola Prison in Angola, La: Mobile, Ala.; Baltimore, Md.; Quito, Ecuador; Winnipeg, Canada; and Okinawa, Japan.
The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association appointed Franklin Graham CEO in 2000 and president of the organization in 2001. He has served as first vice-chairman of the BGEA since 1995.
Franklin has authored several books, including The Name (Thomas Nelson, 2002), All for Jesus (coauthored with Ross Rhoads, Thomas Nelson, 2003), Living Beyond the Limits: A Life in Sync with God (Thomas Nelson, 1998), and his autobiography, Rebel With a Cause: Finally Comfortable Being Graham (Thomas Nelson, 1995).
Franklin and his wife, Jane, live in North Carolina and have four children, Will, Roy, Edward, and Cissie, and four grandchildren.
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