Experience
that drives results

The CORE Insights Group brings together over 100+ years of combined industry knowledge and a track record of delivering on CORE performance metrics in various industries including; Multi-Unit Restaurant Operations, Hotels, Vacation Ownership, Recreation and Distribution, among others. We provide our clients with innovative solutions, centered around proven organizational and operational business strategies that drive exceptional and sustainable outcomes to our clients.

Meet the Crew

Ross A. Kellman

Managing Partner/ Co-Founder

Ross co-founded CORE Insights Group to focus on the ever-growing challenges and complexities within the hospitality, restaurant and adjacent industries. He brings 25 years of direct industry experience and a proven track record of exceeding objectives and delivering results. Ross is a pragmatic, growth-minded executive who has built and led large organizations, developed and executed innovative business strategies and delivered exceptional customer experiences.

Prior to CORE, Ross spent over 11 years at Foodbuy LLC, a division of Compass Group NA. During his tenure at Foodbuy, Ross was instrumental in the growth strategy that brought the division from $7M in revenue in 2007, to an industry-leading $130M when he left in September 2018. Ross held several key positions, including Vice President, Development, Vice President of Hospitality & Leisure, EVP Growth & Development and President. He is credited with the development and successful launch of the industry-leading hospitality procurement services platform, Concierge by Foodbuy®, and launched the fully integrated eProcurement P2P platform, Concierge OneSource. He was instrumental in the development of the company’s business strategy and operational structure. As President, he also led the acquisition and growth strategy for Foodbuy, LLC and was successful in bringing S. Sherman Associates® and SpenDifference® into the Foodbuy family of companies.

Prior to joining Foodbuy, Ross spent nearly 13 years in the foodservice distribution industry, beginning with Kraft Foodservice before the division was spun off as Alliant and then sold to Royal Ahold in 2001 and incorporated into subsidiary US Foodservice. Ross held various positions at the local and national levels, including in Street and National Sales and Account Management, Service Operations, Procurement and Marketing. Prior to leaving US Foodservice, he held the position of Corporate Vice President, Lodging, where he was responsible for all business development and account management for US Foodservice’s National Lodging portfolio, which consisted of revenues in excess of $800M, across 42 distribution centers in the United States.

During his career, Ross has kept interests outside of his corporate posts and started several companies, including Z. Cole Group (real estate management), Marquis Home Builders (custom homes) and MSync Solutions (consulting and export brokerage). He has been a licensed General Contractor in North Carolina. Ross was a board member of the Lake Norman-Huntersville Rotary Club for several years and served on the Board of Directors for The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation from 2018-2020. He is currently a member of the Board of Visitors for Cannon School.

A Maryland native, Ross graduated from the University of Maryland at College Park with a B.S. degree in Consumer Economics with an emphasis in Business Management and Marketing. Ross is an avid sports enthusiast, philanthropist and charity auctioneer. He is married to his wife Maya, a professional photographer and mother to their two boys, Zach and Dylan.

Paul W. Davis

Partner/ Co-Founder

Paul is a co-founder of CORE Insights Group, created to address ever-changing operational and supply chain challenges facing the hospitality, restaurant and adjacent industries. A proven executive-level leader, Paul’s 30-plus years of work in hotel and restaurant operations and extensive global supply chain experience provides him with unique skill sets to drive value to clients.

Prior to CORE, Paul first consulted with, then joined Foodbuy, LLC, a division of Compass Group, NA, from June 2016 to the end of 2018. His consulting work focused on content developing, executing and contracting of non-food categories for Foodbuy. He was responsible for delivering over 40 new contracts that helped generate significant income and cost savings to the company. Paul was then recruited to oversee the Foodbuy Hospitality Account Management Team while transitioning his supply chain work over to the Foodbuy Procurement team.

In May 2009, Paul was recruited to rebuild the Global Supply Chain function for Wyndham Worldwide, one of the world’s largest hotel, timeshare and vacation exchange companies, holding the title of Senior Vice President, Strategic Sourcing. During his tenure there, Paul led the team’s transformation, which significantly lowered operating costs for the company and its franchisees. Paul was responsible for establishing a stable supply chain throughout Europe, Latin America and Asia for Wyndham’s growing international business. Significant focus was placed on sustainability initiatives and supplier diversity. In 2014, his team was recognized by Diversity Inc. as having the #1 Fortune 500 Supplier Diversity program in North America.

From 1999 to May 2009, Paul first joined and then led the strategic development of the Global Supply Chain function for Starwood Hotels and Resorts. In 2003, he was promoted to Senior Vice President, Strategic Sourcing. Up until his departure to Wyndham, he and his team successfully lowered operating costs for the company and its affiliated hotels while implementing a global strategic plan for both domestic and international supply chain with influence in Europe, Latin America, Asia and Canada.

Before joining Starwood. Paul worked in various hospitality roles, including Resort Management, Restaurants and Catering, and Food Service Distribution. He graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1985.

Paul resides in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, with his wife, Donna, and their dog, Bauer. They have three grown children: Geena, Max and Gillian.

Aaron J (AJ) Kramer

Partner

In January of 2021, AJ became a Partner at CORE Insights Group, overseeing Client Relations, supporting Growth & Development and assisting with strategic supplier and service provider negotiations.

Prior to joining CORE, AJ was Sr. Director, Market Development for Foodbuy, LLC, a division of Compass Group PLC. AJ joined Foodbuy in November of 2011. Responsible for overseeing a $700M portfolio of high-profile hotel customers, AJ exceeded top-line sales expectations annually, with zero attrition within his account base. His hands-on customer-centric approach led to a high level of success for his clients and was recognized when he was promoted to Sr. Director, Market Development in September of 2017.

From 1993 to November of 2011, AJ had a successful career with the Sysco Corporation, culminating in his leadership role as West Coast Florida Regional Manager, where he managed a team of 75 sales and marketing associates representing over $200M in annualized sales. Consistently outpacing company sales growth, AJ was considered one of the top performers in the company. During his tenure as Regional Manager, AJ established himself as a fair and objective leader who tirelessly worked to support his team and their clients.

AJ graduated with a BA, Marketing from the University of Arizona in 1993. Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, he moved to Sarasota, Florida in 1995, where he and his wife Laura and his children Allison, Russell and Mason, along with their dog Lola, still reside. In his spare time, AJ enjoys riding his Slingshot motorcycle and cooking gourmet meals for friends and family. He is very active with Manasota Buds – having held various roles within the organization, including Vice President of the Board and Committee Chair of the Buddy Walk – and continues to be an advocate.

CORE Client Success Team

CORE’s Client Success Team consists of our Senior Vice President, Procurement, Directors of Sourcing, Vice President of Client Success, Directors of Client Development, and Client Advisors, each qualified professionals with many years working with customers to drive successful solutions across many different segments of the Hospitality and Multi-Unit Restaurant industry.

Kon Han

Sr. Vice President, Procurement

Kon is a seasoned procurement and supply chain professional with nearly 20 years of experience focused on the hospitality and leisure industry. Kon spent much of his career at Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts in roles relating to IT procurement, professional and financial services, operating supplies, equipment, food and beverage, fitness/spa, golf, and retail services. Most recently, he served as Sr. Vice President, Head of Supply Chain at Drive Shack/Puttery.
Scott Wendell

Scott Wendell

Sr. Vice President, Systems & Technology

Scott started his career in the family textile manufacturing business, where he built inventory systems and served as CFO, before founding several businesses on his own. He also spent twenty years at Resource Title, LLC, serving as CIO, COO and finally CFO.

In all these roles, Scott developed extensive expertise in identifying valuable market, process and financial data to drive operations and insights; building and implementing systems to capture and analyze data; and developing and executing actionable measures to more efficiently focus on increasing value to clients, shareholders and operational teams.

John Reardon

Sr. Vice President Strategic Sourcing

John has 20 years of Strategic Sourcing and Global Supply Chain leadership experience within the hospitality industry. He has successfully developed several leading next-generation industry sourcing organizations and led a large, high-performance sourcing group while at Starwood Hotels & Resorts. John leads several strategic sourcing initiatives within CORE.

Diana Brokaw

Vice President, Client Services

Diana brings 30+ years of experience in sales and business development to CORE Insights Group, built through leadership positions in global organizations, volunteer work with national non-profits, and collaboration on local community projects. Throughout her career working for large foodservice companies, Diana has been responsible for the growth and development of more than $1B in sales, directed and developed national sales teams, opened new markets, and launched verticals.

Kevin Daly

Vice President, Growth & Development

Kevin has spent the majority of his career working to drive value to clients across the hospitality, foodservice, tech, and financial services industries. He has a vast array of experience in developing new business portfolios. Kevin’s proven track record of success in building winning sales and development teams is a testament to his tenacity and genuine desire to deliver results to clients.
Bruce Baker

Bruce Baker

Sr. Client Advisor

With over 52 years of experience in the Hospitality and Food service industry, Bruce offers clients consulting services that drive sales and profit growth. He spent ten years as owner, operator and employee of restaurant businesses; 42 years in various Sales, Merchandising, and Operations positions at Sysco Corporation; and 12 years running contract sales for Sysco’s West Coast Division.

Bruce is also active in the industry and in philanthropy, including serving on the local Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association Board, acting as Board Chair of the Manatee County American Cancer Society for three years, and serving for five years on the Missouri School Food Service Board. Bruce has been married to his wife Betty for 35 years.

Jeff Johnson

Sr. Client Advisor

Jeff is a long-time strategic Account Sales Executive, who has managed large multi-location accounts. During a 40-year career with PepsiCo, he served in various positions in both retail and foodservice. Jeff has particularly deep experience in the foodservice space, managing the foodservice sales team on the Restaurant/Recreation Retail side for PepsiCo’s South Division.

Jeff has also served on the board of the Suncoast chapter of the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association and as a member of the Sarasota County 100 Club Servicing law enforcement.

Allison Kramer

Client Coordinator

With a background in client-facing roles across a range of professional settings – from legal to beauty services to pet care – Allison brings a strong eye for detail and a unique mix of organizational and interpersonal skills to her position as Client Coordinator. She is responsible for welcoming and onboarding new CLUB360 members, building strong relationships and guiding clients through the setup process to help ensure they optimize all of the great savings opportunities available to them.

Austin Knapp

Director of Client Development & Growth

Austin brings experience in hospitality, sales and finance to his role as Director of Client Development and Growth at CLUB360. He is responsible for engaging and nurturing future and existing CLUB360 members, guiding them through the process of joining the program.

By leveraging the deep understanding of customer service he developed in the hospitality business, along with the strategic thinking, negotiation and business development abilities he cultivated through his sales and finance background, Austin helps ensure CLUB360 members feel supported and confident as they join the program. His ability to analyze opportunities, nurture connections, and drive growth makes him an asset in expanding CLUB360’s reach and impact.

Austin supports the First Tee Program, a youth development organization that integrates golf with life skills education, working to build character, confidence, and resilience in young people through the game of golf.

Victoria Mariash

Manager Financial Analysis & Reporting

Victoria brings over a decade of foodservice and health care industry expertise in transforming procurement and supply chain data into clear, actionable insights. She is skilled at identifying patterns, building meaningful visualizations, and supporting decisions with accurate, fact-based analysis.

In her role, Victoria will translate complex datasets into practical business insights, develop dashboards and collaborate with clients to use data to identify opportunities and avoid pitfalls for their businesses.

CORE Contributors

CORE Insights Group is fortunate to have a broad array of business and industry expertise through our team of Contributing Partners. All of our Contributing Partners are accomplished professionals within their areas of expertise.

Roger Taylor

Roger Taylor

F&B Operations, Hotels & Restaurants

As a CORE Insights Group contributor, Roger brings over 35 years of experience building food and beverage (F&B) operations, including branding/re-branding, decor/design, culinary development and on-trend concepts. He also has a keen understanding of front- and back-of-the-house hotel operations, having run luxury resorts and built one of the most profitable Hotel F&B operations in the United States.
Bob Hartnett

Bob Hartnett

Health Advocacy & Decision Support

Bob has 28 years of experience in healthcare and benefits consulting. Consumer health advocacy/decision support and second opinion services are a critical component in helping to address rising healthcare costs for organizations. Bob helps deliver programs that provide measurable ROI and net savings on the overall healthcare spend of clients’ employees and members and their families. Bob holds an MBA with a specialization in Healthcare Management and Marketing.
Michael Williams

Michael Williams

“Food Thinker”

Highly skilled and accomplished in working with teams to maximize food and beverage operations, culinary management, marketing, and product design and development.
Gurvinder Patara

Gurvinder Patara

Global Supply Chain

Gurvinder is based in the UK and is a proven sourcing professional with over 20 years’ experience across international markets. He specializes in delivering strategic solutions to clients in the hospitality, leisure, theme park and corporate sectors. He successfully combines his marketing, procurement and business development expertise to develop and deliver strategies that meet business, financial, commercial and operational goals.
John Foster

John Foster

Protein Expert

John has amassed extensive knowledge in the meat protein industry over the past 37+ years; he has broad experience in protein and seafood sales, sourcing/contracting, hedging, trading, portion control, quality assurance and COVID-19 facility protocol management.

John has worked as an independent meat trader, as well as in sustained stints with Swift (three years as Sr. QA inspector), Cargill (seven years as Carcass Certification/Sales) and Buckhead Beef/Sysco (15 years in purchasing and as SVP sales & merchandising, culminating in a promotion to President/CEO of Atlanta, New Jersey and Auburndale).

John served four years on the Board of Directors for the Las Vegas Restaurant Association.

Colleen Mahoney

Technology Sourcing & Strategic Negotiations

Colleen has over 25 years of technology-related sourcing experience, including software, SaaS, outsourcing, integration and professional services. She specializes in enhancing engagement levels between internal and external stakeholders, negotiating and managing multi-million-dollar contracts, and building strategic partnerships with vendors.

Mark Smersky

F&B Consulting

Mark is a seasoned food and beverage (F&B) professional, with an impressive career in corporate F&B supply chain as well as in operations as Executive Chef and F&B Director. He is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. In previous roles, Mark has had corporate oversight and management of over $350 million in food spend. He has extensive knowledge of commodity sourcing and program management, including seasonality, yield formulation, distribution, fabrication and market values, and is a Farm to Fork expert. Mark has negotiated programs and managed suppliers in the U.S., Canada, Hawaii and the Caribbean.

Connect to our Crew

We are eager to listen and discuss the challenges of your business.