From the NRA Show: Moddelmog Addresses WFF

The former Church’s Chicken executive turned nonprofit leader shares lessons that suit both roles.

By Mary Boltz Chapman, Editor-in-Chief -- Chain Leader, 5/19/2008 5:01:00 PM

Former restaurant chain executive Hala Moddelmog, president and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, spoke to industry leaders about how her former and current roles compare at the Women’s Foodservice Forum’s Annual Leadership Luncheon.

Among the similarities she noted between running Church’s Chicken and a non-profit was the importance of inclusion. Komen is often seen as an organization for affluent white women, she said, and the organization is aggressively reaching out to other women.

She noted that Komen’s 125 local affiliates are very similar to franchisees. Seventy-five percent of funds raised within a market stay in that market, and the rest goes to a fund for research and marketing. In an interview with Chain Leader after her presentation, Moddelmog expanded the comparison, noting they both have bought into the brand and must follow guidelines set by the brand. “But it’s more about having to do things that further the brand,” she said. “And when you dream something up, you have to prove to them that it works.”

Moddelmog added that she’s learned more about the emotional connection that affiliates have with Komen, and understands better that connection franchisees have with a chain brand.

Among the differences in the two roles, Moddelmog found that defining a vision and mission is easier at a non-profit but measuring progress is more challenging, while the opposite is true at a restaurant chain.

She closed her presentation with a message to attendees wanting to make a difference in whatever position they are in: “As you think about the cultural change you want to make, reach beyond what you’re comfortable with.”

Moddelmog spoke with Chain Leader in October about making the change to nonprofits. 

During the event, held Monday during the National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show in Chicago, WFF also awarded the Jackie B. Trujillo SOAR Award to Sodexho. The company was lauded for its diversity and inclusion efforts.