Doug Benham

President and Chief Executive Officer
DNB Advisors, LLC

Doug Benham is president and chief executive officer of DNB Advisors, LLC, a consulting firm providing services to the restaurant industry. Benham currently serves on the Board of Directors and is a member of the audit committee of three SEC filing companies: O’Charley’s, Inc., Sonic Corp., and Global Income Trust and is a member of the Board of Directors of five privately owned companies: Quiznos, Sunshine Restaurant Group (the largest IHOP franchisee), ACG Pizza Partners (Stevi-B’s pizza), Flip Burger Boutique, and Lanier Parking Systems, Inc. From 2004 to 2006, Benham was president and CEO of Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc., the tenth largest domestic restaurant company comprising 3,500 total restaurants including 1,000, which were company operated. During his tenure at Arby’s, the system enjoyed enhanced sales and operational performance, a superior level of franchisor/franchisee relationships and renewed growth.

Previously, Benham was chief financial officer and a member of the board of directors for the RTM Restaurant Group, the largest franchisee in the Arby’s system and the largest franchisee of any nature in the United States. Benham was instrumental in leading the strategic and financial planning for RTM, and was a strong force behind their community outreach programs. During his tenure, RTM increased the number of restaurants it operated from 212 to 773.

Benham has previously served on the Board of Directors for Boys & Girls Club of Metro Atlanta, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Atlanta, Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and Yes! Atlanta.

A certified public accountant, Benham graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of West Florida. He lives in Atlanta with his wife Carey; they are members of the First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta.

Ben Eason

Ben Eason is former president, CEO and chairman of the board of Creative Loafing Inc., the nation’s second largest alternative newspaper company. With newspapers in Atlanta, Chicago, Washington DC, Tampa Bay, Charlotte, and Sarasota, the combined circulation is 500,000 and reaches close to 1,250,000 young, educated readers. Eason founded Creative Loafing newspaper of Charlotte, North Carolina in 1987 and the Weekly Planet in Tampa in 1988.

Eason serves on the boards of Speak Up Tampa Bay Public Access Television, Inc., the Yale Club of Tampa Bay; Lastinger Center for Learning; College of Education, University of Florida; and the Saint Elmo Society at Yale University.

Eason is a member of the Young Presidents Organization, the Ybor City Rotary Club, the Committee on Foreign Relations – Tampa Bay Chapter, and Renaissance Weekends.

Eason was a finalist for Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year award for Florida, 2003. He received the Brotherhood/Sisterhood Award, 2000 from The National Conference of Christians & Jews.

Tommy Hills

Chief Financial Officer
State of Georgia

Tommy Hills is Chief Financial Officer for the state of Georgia and author of the recent book “Red State Rising,” available through Stroud & Hall Publishers.

From 1965-2001, Tommy Hills had a long and distinguished career at Wachovia Bank, N.A., in corporate banking, retail banking, systems planning, loan administration and financial analysis and providing oversight of the bank’s management development program. In his final position at Wachovia, Hills served as the bank’s Executive Vice President and Atlanta City President.

From 2002 to present, Hills served as Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer and Campaign Director for Coxe, Curry & Associates. In this role, Hills had oversight responsibility for administration of human resources, finance, research and records, office management, technology, campaign communications, marketing and new business development.

Hills extensive civic and community involvement has included the Board of the Hospital Authority of Fulton County, Georgia Council on Economic Education, Atlanta Historical Society, YWCA of Greater Atlanta, Atlanta Business Community Development Corporation, Leadership Atlanta, The Atlanta Opera, Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau.

His professional memberships include the State Bar of Georgia, American Bankers Association Alumni Council and the Rotary Club of Atlanta. Hill is a graduate of Emory University’s undergraduate and law schools. He is currently a candidate for a Masters in Arts in Southern History at Georgia State University.

Spurgeon Richardson

President & CEO (retired)
Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau

Spurgeon Richardson is an icon in Metro Atlanta’s hospitality industry. In 2008, he retired following 17 years as President and CEO of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, which oversees Atlanta’s $11 billion convention industry. Upon his retirement, he was inducted into the ACVB’s Hospitality Hall of Fame and the Georgia Tourism Association. He also was inducted into Georgia Trend Magazine’s Hall of Fame for “Most Influential Georgians” in 2009.

Before taking over the ACVB, Richardson spent 24 years at Six Flags over Georgia, serving as marketing director, general manager, and finally CEO and President. The Spurgeon Richardson Scholarship, named in his honor, is awarded to a Georgia State University student for academic achievement and school and community involvement.

Richardson currently serves on the board of AAA Auto Club Group, chairs the Board of The Vinings Club, and serves on the committee to host the 2017 Rotary International Convention in Atlanta.

Michael Robison

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Lanier Parking Holdings

Michael Robison is founder, chairman, and CEO of Atlanta-based Lanier Parking Holdings, Georgia’s largest parking concern controlling $15 billion worth of commercial assets at more than 400 properties in 50 cities across the United States, Canada, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Robison is regularly named by the Atlanta Business Chronicle as one of Atlanta’s Top 100 Influential People. He serves on the boards of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, Zipcar Georgia, Central Atlanta Progress, the Midtown Alliance, the Buckhead Coalition, the Piedmont Park Conservancy, the Carter Center, the Atlanta History Center, the Georgia Tech College of Management, and the Peachtree Corridor Task Force. He chaired the boards of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau overseeing Atlanta’s $20 billion convention industry, the Metro Chamber Transit Subcommittee, the Chamber’s Commuter Rail Task Force, Atlanta Streetcar, Inc, and the Andrew Young International Boulevard Revitalization Project.

Robison is a former Georgia Trend magazine “Top 40 Under 40,” the recipient of the ACVB’s Member of the Year Award, the ACVB’s President’s Award, and a top-five finalist for the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Small Business Person of the Year. He served as co-honorary chairman of the Atlanta Policeman’s Ball with U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson. He was named 2011 chairman of The Big Splash, the Georgia Aquarium’s largest annual fundraiser for the Marcus Institute for Autism and Corporate Chairman of the Shepherd Spinal Center’s Legendary Ball.

Robison graduated from Georgia Tech with a Bachelor of Science degree in management and in 2006 was elected Georgia Tech’s Outstanding Young Alumni.