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Leading Caterers of America Executive Summit
November 8-10, 2026
Hilton New Orleans Riverside HotelNew Orleans, LA
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2026 Schedule

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All Sessions Speakers

Scaling Your Business: “Hiring Up”, Concentric Diversification and Financing Growth

Andrew Gerstel  (Founder & Principal, Gerstel Advisory)
Solomon Kafoure  (Founder, CEO and Senior Advisor, Compass Executive Group)
Leslie Janssen  (CeXP, Founder, COO and Senior Advisor, Compass Executive Group)
Location: Chart A-B-C
Date: Tuesday, November 10
Time: 1:15 pm - 2:15 pm
Track: Principals Network Group (PNG), Financial Insight Group (FIG)
Vault Recording: TBD
Andrew Gerstel
Solomon Kafoure
Leslie Janssen

Smart growth takes patience, due diligence, strategic planning, and risk management. In this session, you’ll learn how to assess and master four key decisions: people, strategy, execution, and cash. We’ll cover strategic hiring, financing options, adding new lines of business such as venues, drop-off catering, rentals, corporate contract food service, and more. We’ll also explore succession planning and its implications for expansion planning. Owners alone cannot scale a business. Building a leadership team that is healthy, aligned, and motivated is paramount. Explore with your peers what scaling a catering business looks like in the real world.