Presenters
John Lawn
John Lawn is the Editor-in-Chief and Associate Publisher of Food Managementmagazine, anational, monthly business magazine published by Penton Media, Inc. for an audience of 47,000 foodservice operators in the noncommercial (or “onsite”) segments of the foodservice industry. It covers both food and food management topics and offers practical business strategies and ideas for foodservice directors, operations professionals, chefs, dietitians and contract management executives and managers in a broad range of segments, including Schools, Colleges, Healthcare, Senior Dining, Business and Industry Dining, etc.
John has been a chief editor in the foodservice industry since 1986. He is a recognized authority on a wide range of foodservice issues and is a frequent speaker to industry groups. An award-winning writer and photographer, he previously held editorial positions on three other Penton magazines, including a nine-year stint as founding and chief editor of a magazine covering foodservice distribution. He has been the editor in chief of Food Management since 1995.
John has been active in many foodservice industry organizations, including the International Foodservice Editorial Council (IFEC), National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS), the American Society for Healthcare Foodservice Administrators (ASHFSA), the National Society for Healthcare Foodservice Management (HFM), the Society for Foodservice Management (SFM), the Produce Marketing Association (PMA), the International Foodservice Distributors Association (IFDA) , and the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA). He has served on IFMA’s annual Silver Plate jury for over 20 years and has chaired its annual jury selection process several times, including the 2008 jury. John is also a member of the Cleveland Press Club, a past member of the board and national treasurer of the International Foodservice Editorial Council, and is a past regional president of the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE).
Over the years, John has worked closely with many foodservice manufacturers, distributors, brokers, contract organizations and operator groups to explore various aspects of the foodservice supply chain and to help individual organizations develop stronger partnerships with their respective customer and supplier communities. He has served on the IFMA distributor trade show best practice task force, presented at the IFMA Sales and Marketing Conference, acted as facilitator for Nabisco’s distributor advisory board, served on the IFDA sales and sales management certification committee, and organized and moderated numerous panels for distributor buying groups, noncommercial operator and other industry associations. He presently serves on the NACUFS Communication Task Force and the HFM Industry Advisory Committee.
John has received numerous awards for his writing and photography from the American Business Press, the American Society of Business Press Editors, the Cleveland Press Club, the Society for Technical Communications, Women in Communications and other organizations. He has written and lectured on writing, photography and graphic arts production for editors and others in the communication field. Under John’s editorial leadership, Food Management has wonmany editorial awards and has been the recipient of two ABP Neal Awards for Journalistic Excellence, the highest honor in the trade press. In 2008, he received the President’s Award from HFM (National Society for Healthcare Foodservice Management) for his contributions to that association.
John received a BA in English and a minor in Psychology from John Carroll University, Cleveland. He was born in New York City, grew up in Southport, Connecticut, and now resides in Hudson, Ohio, with his wife, Beth, and two daughters. John’s spare time activities include photography, camping, picture framing and personal computing.