Trading Up

The new head of the NRA must capably fill the present job and also the one that will evolve in coming years.

By Patricia B. Dailey, Editor-in-Chief -- Restaurants & Institutions, 3/15/2007

Help wanted: Skilled leader with plenty of polish, excellent strategic and lobbying skills, well-honed business acumen and experience with an active board of directors.

As of late February, the National Restaurant Association, the industry’s largest and most powerful trade group, has been absent a president and chief executive officer, at least officially. Steven Anderson, who had held the post since 1999, resigned effective February 23; Peter Kilgore, the NRA’s general council and senior vice president of operations, will carry on day-to-day activities as interim leader while a search takes place.

Anderson deserves to get his propers for some solid accomplishments during his watch; the NRA’s presence as a lobbying group on Capitol Hill was nicely enhanced and so was the experience level of its staff. In the waning days of his stewardship, though, some rancor appears to have developed, primarily over the NRA’s proposal to purchase one of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s (NRAEF) main assets, its ServSafe program.

But how history ultimately will record the success of Anderson’s tenure is not the most pressing or interesting issue at hand. Who will be selected to replace him is, and to its credit, the NRA board of directors is thinking big and taking the job very seriously, applying a high degree of structure and discipline to the recruitment process.

At this pivotal juncture in the NRA’s history, a CEO search committee has been convened, one with clear marching orders to make sure that the person who replaces Anderson is suited not just to the present job and its requirements but more importantly, to all that the role will come to demand in the years ahead. As are many trade associations, the NRA is being asked to change and evolve: to better serve the needs of its diverse members, to skillfully navigate the increasingly complicated terrain of political advocacy, to manage and grow a profitable business and to exist on a philanthropic level as well.

What does the ideal person look like? That’s one of the tasks the search committee has set out to define before possible candidates are identified. For starters, how about someone who has a high degree of political acumen, is smart and strategic from a government-relations standpoint, well-respected within the Beltway and known as someone who gets things done.

Old funding models for trade associations—largely made up of membership dues—no longer are sufficient, thus requiring that new leadership be able to generate revenue streams outside the traditional base so that member services can continue to be sharpened and enhanced.

Working with the NRAEF and the board of directors of both groups is vitally important as well, especially as the relationship between the two groups changes. The incoming president must be capable of making changes that serve both groups well.

Leading the National Restaurant Association is a pivotal responsibility, not just for the membership but also for the industry at large. The board of directors merits praise for approaching the recruitment process with care, consideration and an eye to the future. May its search be fruitful; the future strength of the NRA depends on it.