Ben Blankenship has over 30 years of financial and operational leadership and management experience in the for-profit and non-profit sectors with extensive start-up and scale-up experience in the food service and non-profit space. Blankenship is a professionally trained chef, restaurateur, certified PMP (project manager), certified Scaling Up Coach, and experienced EOS integrator and former implementer, with roughly 15 years of financial leadership experience, including CFO, and the balance in operational leadership, including COO.

He cut his teeth as an entrepreneur as a founding leadership team member with Qdoba Mexican Grill, leading corporate and franchise market expansions and contributing to menu development, outsourcing strategies, real estate site selection and construction management, and the development of the franchise program.