Farmer Boys® Restaurants Welcomes Judy Lewis as New Chief Financial Officer

RIVERSIDE, Calif., June 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Farmer Boys® Restaurants is pleased to announce the hiring of new Chief Financial Officer Judy Lewis on June 6, 2011. Judy brings with her more than 25 years of experience serving as a financial analyst and controller, primarily in the food services industry.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080812/FARMERBOYSLOGO)

"My roots were in the restaurant business," Judy explained. "When I was 16, I got my first job at McDonald's, then worked at Kentucky Fried Chicken." Judy earned her bachelor's degree at the University of California, Los Angeles, while working in the conference and catering department. She earned her master's in business administration in corporate finance and operations management at University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

After graduation, Judy moved quickly into her first job as a Financial Reporting Analyst for Denny's Inc. and was soon promoted to Financial Planning Project Manager. After five years with Denny's, Judy worked as an independent corporate finance consultant for several years before taking a position as Senior Resource Analyst in the Academic Planning and Budget Department at University of California, Riverside.

Prior to joining Farmer Boys, Judy spent 12 years with Stater Bros. Markets, the largest privately owned supermarket chain in Southern California. During her tenure at Stater Bros., Judy was promoted from Manager of Financial Reporting to Assistant Controller to Controller of Retail Operations. "I enjoyed wonderful career growth during my years at Stater Bros., but I was seeking a promotion to Chief Financial Officer and the offer from Farmer Boys came at just the right time," Judy said.

In her new post as Chief Financial Officer, Judy will report directly to Farmer Boys President and Chief Operating Officer Ken Clark. She will be responsible for Accounting, Finance, Human Resources and Information Technology. She'll also work closely with Vice President of Operations Kevin Kelly and Vice President of Marketing Tom Krutilek and other department heads. "I'll be involved in anything that has to do with numbers at Farmer Boys," she explained. "I will help the department heads interpret and analyze their financial data so they can control costs and increase efficiency."

Judy noted that she has extensive experience using computer technologies and financial software to enhance efficiencies. "I can use technology to streamline data processing to put the numbers into a form that everyone can understand," she said. "The goal is to have better data to forecast and manage cash flow and to inform decision making, whether the decision has to do with real estate transactions or choosing new menu items."

When asked what she finds most exciting about her new position, Judy replied, "It's the possibility of making a real impact on an organization like this. I have lots of background in financial analysis and I want to use that expertise to help Farmer Boys move forward and become even more profitable."

Judy is also pleased to be working closer to home. She and her husband raised their three children in Riverside, and her husband works near the Farmer Boys headquarters at the University of California, Riverside. Judy is an avid marathoner and has run 30 marathons in 18 states, and she trains year-round. "I get up at 4:30 in the morning to run, three days a week," she said. "I run seven miles on Tuesday and Thursday, and up to 20 miles every Saturday." For Judy, her new job at Farmer Boys marks one more transition in a year of change. "It's my first year as an 'empty nester'," she explained. "My last child is about to start college and she left for the summer on my very first day at Farmer Boys, so it's a perfect time to start this new phase in my career."

About Farmer Boys

Farmer Boys® was founded by the five Havadjias brothers who grew up on the island of Cyprus. The first Farmer Boys opened in Perris, California in 1981. In 1986, a second restaurant opened in Orange County and the Farmer Boys chain was born. By 1997, the Havadjias brothers decided to grow their business through franchising, and the first franchise location opened in 1999. Today, the Farmer Boys family includes 68 restaurants across Southern and Central California and in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2011, Farmer Boys celebrated its the 30th anniversary.

SOURCE Farmer Boys Foods, Inc.