Leadership

		Tom Christopoul Executive Chairman Click for Bio Tom is Executive Chairman of Rita’s Italian Ice – the country’s leading Italian Ice frozen treat company. Tom has been an Operating Partner at Falconhead Capital since 2009.   Prior to joining Falconhead, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of Resources Global Professionals; a multinational consulting firm (NASDAQ: RECN) where he also served as an independent director on Resources’ board as Chairman of the Corporate Governance and Compensation Committees and as a member of the Audit Committee. Prior to Resources, he was Vice-Chairman of Pinnacle Care International – a private health advisory concern. He spent more than 10 years with Cendant Corporation (NYSE: CD), where he was Chairman and CEO of the Marketing Services Division responsible for Cendant’s three global direct marketing business units. Before retiring in the fall of 2005, Christopoul led the strategic divestment of that division (now Affinion Group Holdings) to Apollo Management, LP for proceeds in excess of $1.8 billion. Also at Cendant, he was Chairman and CEO of the Financial Services Division where he managed Jackson-Hewitt Tax Services, the second largest tax preparation firm in North America. In June 2004, he led the initial public offering of that company which raised more than $800 million. While there, he also served as Chief Administrative Officer and as Founder and Chairman of the Cendant Charitable Foundation. Prior to Cendant, he was Director of Labor Relations for Nabisco Brands and held several management positions at PepsiCo. Tom is a member of the Board of Directors of several privately held companies.
		Jonathan Fornaci President and CEO Click for Bio Jonathan Fornaci brings more than 20 years of operational, retail, franchise chain and brand experience to his new role with Rita’s Italian Ice. Most recently, he served as president of Straw Hat Pizza, a California-based franchise company, where he made his mark by driving revenue growth through the expansion of the 53-year-old concept beyond California for the first time in its history with numerous new locations, development of an enhanced menu and an extensive effort to upgrade restaurant decor. After starting his career with Accenture, Fornaci served as Chief Technology and Information Officer for GE Capital/Genstar, where he managed technology for 10 GE Capital divisions. He served as Chief Technology Officer and Chief Executive Officer of IBIS Consulting, Inc., which was sold to Proxicom. Fornaci was also Chief Operating Officer for Provato, an enterprise software development company. He is also founder of IMG Universal, a real estate development, retail and mortgage broker company headquartered in Walnut Creek, Calif., and co-founder of Atomic Tangerine, a global security company. He is also the proprietor of two restaurants, including the acclaimed Restaurante Vida in Lima, Peru. A graduate of University of California at Berkeley, Fornaci also serves currently on the Board of Directors for Meals on Wheels, San Francisco.
		Jim Rudolph Vice Chairman of the Board Click for Bio Jim Rudolph, Vice Chairman of Rita’s, acquired the concept in 2005 after recognizing the organization’s tremendous potential. Rudolph, an experienced franchisee turned franchisor, took the helm of the largest Italian Ice concept in the industry and immediately set into place plans to take the company to the next level. Jim Rudolph and the Rudolph family founded and built Wendy’s of Greater Pittsburgh in 1976 and developed and operated 48 stores in the Greater Pittsburgh area. In addition, they owned and managed five Wendy’s Restaurants in New York, had ownership interests in Wendy’s South Florida and managed several Wendy’s locations in Southern New Jersey. The Rudolph’s received the Wendy’s Award and R. David Thomas Award and Jim was inducted into the Wendy’s Hall of Fame. An active franchise partner, Jim was also a member of the Wendy’s Franchise Advisory Council and served as its President. In 1995, the restaurants were sold to Wendy’s International. Jim was also a franchisee of Chuck E. Cheese Pizza Time Theater. Rudolph owned and operated five restaurants and served on the Franchise Advisory Council before selling them back to the company in 2001. In addition, Jim operated several other franchises including Church’s Chicken and Baskin Robbins Ice Cream. Rudolph and his family have been engaged in both real estate development and construction since 1975 and currently own and manage over 5 million square feet of office space in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas. Jim along with his brother Bill, formed McKnight Capital Partners, a private equity firm based in Pittsburgh, PA, where he has served as Chairman of the Board since 1996. After McKnight Capital Partners purchased Rita’s in 2005, Rudolph assumed the position of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer at the then 300 plus store frozen dessert concept. Although he had only planned to stay at the company for a few months while selecting the management team, Jim soon found that he could not imagine life without Rita’s. So while his family continued to live in Pittsburgh, Jim worked each day at Rita’s Trevose, PA headquarters, aptly called the Cool Support Center, and commuted home each week to spend time with his family. In December of 2011 McKnight Capital made a transaction with Falconhead Capital, who acquired the majority stake in Rita’s.  Although Mcknight Capital gave up their vested interest Jim decided to maintain ownership stake in the company by re-investing in the Rita’s company with Falconhead Capital.  In his new role as Vice Chairman Jim will work hand-in-hand with the leadership team at Falconhead to offer his insights as a franchisee, franchisor and past-Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the system. Jim admits that it is difficult to pick his favorite treat and especially hard to pick just one favorite flavor of Italian Ice! However, one of his favorite Rita's treats is Slenderita--a Fat-Free, vanilla soft-serve.
		Robert Guthmann Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Click for Bio Bob Guthmann joined Rita’s in January 2007 as Vice President of Finance and became Chief Financial Officer in October 2010. Bob is charged with leading the company’s Finance, Human Resources and Information Technology (IT) Teams with responsibility for all finance, accounting, personnel and IT functions. Bob has extensive financial and accounting experience and has previously held management positions in the manufacturing, distribution, and telecommunications sectors. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Southern Illinois University and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Keller Graduate School of Management. Bob’s passion for finance (and frozen desserts) led him to Rita’s where he enjoys working with the team at the Cool Support Center as well as Rita’s many Partners. An avid fan of Philadelphia area sports, he also continues to follow his hometown Chicago teams. Bob’s favorite treat is custard twist featuring our famous vanilla and chocolate custard. A man who knows the numbers, Bob always picks a treat that is sure to satisfy no matter what the occasion!
		Scott Schubiger Senior Vice President of Franchising Click for Bio Scott Schubiger has led organizations, both big and small, on a regional, national, and global basis. He currently serves as the Senior Vice President, Worldwide Franchise Development, at Rita's Franchise Company. Rita’s Franchise Company, headquartered in Trevose, Pa., is the largest Italian Ice concept in the nation, currently operating in 18 states with more than 550 stores. Rita’s brand promise is Ice, Custard and Happiness™. Prior to his current role, Scott was responsible for driving sales in excess of $60 million for HP. Prior to that, Scott spent 5 years at Realogy Corporation. As Senior Vice President of Franchise Sales, he was responsible for the U.S expansion of the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate brand from its earliest launch phase in 2008. His team was responsible for opening nine new markets in fourteen months. In an earlier assignment at Realogy Corporation, Scott was tasked with growing the Sotheby’s International Realty franchise throughout the Asia-Pacific region. In less than two years, he orchestrated significant exclusive country-wide deals in several key Asian markets, including Japan, Singapore, Vietnam, S. Korea, and Thailand. Earlier in his career, his primary industry was technology, where he led sales teams for Cisco Systems and Avaya. Beyond traditional sales management roles, Schubiger also has extensive experiences in mergers and acquisitions, and has helped medium-sized and Fortune 500 companies become more profitable. Schubiger is a graduate of Bowdoin College, and has a Masters Degree from Springfield College and an Executive MBA from Stevens Institute of Technology. He resides in Morristown, NJ with his wife and three daughters. He is an active volunteer and youth sports coach, and has served on the Greater Morristown YMCA Board of Directors for nine years. He also supports his wife on a number of charitable causes throughout the community.
		Brian Carlisle Vice President of Development Click for Bio Brian Carlisle, Vice President of Development for Rita’s, is responsible for managing the Real Estate and Construction Teams. As a member of the Rita’s family for over 10 years, Brian has played a crucial role in the growth of the concept.   From ensuring the proper location of a store to ensuring it meets Rita’s high standards, Brian leads a team of X real estate managers and project managers to ensure the successful site selection and opening of each and every Rita’s store.  Brian began his career with Rita’s in 1998 as a Franchise Service Manager and has excelled in each position he has held with the company. He was promoted to Director of Franchise Services in 2003 and to Director of Construction in 2005 before being named Vice President of Development in 2007. Brian’s favorite Rita’s treat is the Banana Split Cream Italian Ice. A tried and true favorite!