Earlier this month, leaders from across the organization gathered for DRG’s most exciting event of the year: our annual Leadership Summit! Held in Las Vegas, NV, the conference was a three-day marathon of collaboration, innovation and recognition (speaking of recognition, read more about our Core Value Award winners here!).
This year’s gathering was centered around one main theme, which we coined “The Road to Triple Crown Experience.” Inspired by the exciting energy of horse racing, this unique concept set the stage for the coming year’s main focus: creating exceptional experiences for our team members, guests and partners — AKA, DRG’s “triple crown”!
Setting the Pace
Our President & CEO, SG Ellison, kicked things off with a special brand message. We also heard from a few other C-Suite executives, including Chief Operations Officer, Todd Kelly, Chief Restaurant Officer, Tom Douglas, and Chief Development Officer, Brandon Stein.
Expertise Across the Board
Summit attendees also heard from a lineup of incredible guest speakers. From industry experts to Taco Bell executives, these inspiring individuals offered unique perspectives and learnings that we’ll definitely be taking with us into the year ahead.
Our 2026 guest speakers were:
- Preston Lee, founder of Thirty Percent, who spoke about the power of hospitality, emphasizing that creating meaningful, human-centered experiences is what truly sets brands apart.
- Emily Crawford, Director of Impact & Engagement for the Inspire Foundation,highlighted the mission and impact of the organization and shared how intentional community engagement is making a difference in the places that DRG does business.
- Brittany Bachmann, Head of Development and Donor Relations for the Taco Bell Foundation, celebrated DRG’s contribution to Round Up last year ($2.5m total!) and reinforced the broader impact of the organization. She underscored how small actions at the restaurant level can translate into significant change for the communities we serve AND team members via Live Más Scholarships!
- Cera Alimonti Hurtado, Sr. Director of U.S. Operations at Taco Bell Corporate, provided a compelling comparison between DRG’s Taco Bell performance metrics and corporate benchmarks. She gave DRG huge kudos for leading the way across all metric markers.
United on the Course
Community is deeply ingrained in everything we do here at DRG — including Summit! This year, we hosted a Community Partner Panel featuring speakers from some of the amazing organizations we work with.
Our 2026 Community Partner panel speakers were:
- Kelly Schwartz, CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Nevada
- Jay Vickers, COO, UNLV Sports Innovation Institute
- Michelle Jackson, President, Junior Achievement of Southern Nevada
- Andy Bischel, President/CEO, Boys & Girls Club of Southern Nevada
The panel provided real life examples of how mentorship and involvement from the DRG team impacts kids across the markets they do business in. Each speaker touched on their organization’s mission and how they’re helping today’s youth gain access to opportunity.
The DRGs
Almost as big as the Grammys, the DRGs was a night to remember, complete with a live band, a silent auction for DRG Cares, and plenty of awards. Congrats to our top performers below!
General Manager Top Performers:
- Darren Espy, Las Vegas
- Yessica Nieto, Northern Nevada
- Katalena Lipari, Kansas City
- Freddy Lopez, Arby’s
Cantina GM of the Year:
- Pedro Favela, Northern California
Market General Manager of the Year:
- Ivan Cruz, Northern California
- Carina Delgadilla, Nevada
- Chantal Childress, Kansas City
- Stephanie Heitzman, Arby’s
- Edgar Jimenez, Southern California
Market Training Manager of the Year:
- Alanna Wendt, Kansas City
General Manager of the Year:
- Maria Duke, Southern California
Area Coach of the Year:
- Latasha Cole, Southern California
Director of Operations of the Year:
- Shane Grant, Southern California
Area Coach Top Performers:
- Stephanie Juarez, Southern California
- Lily Romero, Southern California
- Martha Medina, Southern California
- Angelica Chavez, Northern California
- Teresa Vera, Southern California
- Maria Villicano, Southern California
Support Center Top Performer:
- Nilka Torres-Erazo, RSC
Support Center Employee of the Year:
- Sofia Hernandez, RSC
Field Support Person of the Year:
- Kira Mitchell, Field Trainer, Kansas City
Impact Player Awards:
- Ramneet Kaur, Area Coach, Northern California
- Maribel Damian, Market Training Manager, Nevada
- Jesus Eguade, Area Coach, Kansas City
- Justin Hvidsten, Field Maintenance Coach, Southern California
- Cody Fisher, Dir. of Construction and Development, California
Living the Values Award:
- Daniel Aleman, Area Coach, Arby’s Nevada
George Psaros Award:
- Laury Ketchman, Manager of Vendor Relations, Northern California
COO Award of Excellence:
- Gloria Felix, General Manager, Southern California
It’s safe to say that this year’s conference was a success! A huge thank you to our speakers, workshop hosts and everyone else involved in planning such an incredible Summit. We already can’t wait for next year!
