Michael Teel, Founder & Partner – Michael Teel was born and raised in the world of grocery. The only grandson of the late Thomas P. Raley (founder of the Raley's chain in northern California), Mike Teel worked in his family's stores from an early age, in a wide variety of positions throughout his career. In 1983 Teel left the Raley's organization to pursue academic studies and other entrepreneurial interests. During that time he established his own advertising agency that focused on the food industry. In 1988, Teel returned to Raley's at the behest of his family and immersed himself into an intensive management training regiment. In 1993, he was appointed assistant to the then President and CEO, Charles Collings and shortly thereafter became the Chief Operating Officer of the Company in 1995. In July of 1996 he was appointed President and soon after, when Collings retired in June of 1998, Mike Teel was awarded the added title of CEO. Under Teel's guidance, the Raley's organization had some of its best years, completing the acquisitions and integrations of both NobHill and Bel-Air stores, which stand today as Raley's premium store brands. With the Raley's organization running full steam ahead, Teel left the Company to pursue other more entrepreneurial endeavors.
Michael Ashker, Founder & Partner - Michael Ashker spent 15 years in various positions in the investment and securities industry working for a variety of Wall Street firms, including Shearson Lehman, Kemper Securities and Kidder Peabody. In 1995, Ashker founded and managed Lynx Capital Group, one of the first hedge funds on the west coast. Partnering with Tony Vignola, Kidder Peabody's Chief Economist Lynx had offices in New York and San Francisco. While Lynx's investment focus was primarily on technology, in1998, as the Internet era began to enfold as a commercial vehicle, Ashker founded two internet based start-up companies. The first was Healthaxis, a company that became the first digital online insurance agency. Ashker, as founder and CEO of Healthaxis attracted investment capital from Intel Corporation, America Online and First Health, among other and eventually was able to take Healthaxis public. At its peak, the Company employed 700 people and traded at a market cap of over $1 billion dollars. Also, during the internet/technology boom, Ashker acquired the rights to an electronic filing platform for the legal profession, known as JusticeLink. JusticeLink made it possible for attorneys to file their court documents in a fully encrypted and court approved manner, without having to physically submit paper documents to the courts. Partnering with Andersen Consulting (now Accenture), Ashker and his co-founders built the company up to be the dominate player in electronic filing for the legal industry, and in 2001, sold the Company to Lexis-Nexis. Since that time Ashker founded Agility Partners, where he and his partners invest in, arrange financing and provide M&A advisory services for a number of clients. In 2002, Ashker founded a new health insurance company, known as Imerica Life & Health. Imerica was a unique health insurance company in that its focus was to sell health insurance to the growing legions of healthy minded Americans. It was during his tenure as CEO of Imerica that Ashker became deeply interested in businesses that fostered healthier lifestyles for Americans.
Michael "Hank" Hankinson, CFO & General Counsel - Mr. Hankinson formerly served as Sr. Vice President, Secretary & General Counsel at Healthaxis Inc. (NASDAQ: HAXS) between 1999 and 2002, and managed its Philadelphia offices. Prior to joining Healthaxis, he served as Sr. Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer at Gramercy Insurance Company from 1992 to 1998. Prior to Gramercy, Mr. Hankinson was an environmental attorney for Olin Corporation from 1991 to 1992 and an Instructor in Management at the College of Business Administration at Fairleigh Dickinson University from 1986 to 1992. Prior to his legal career, Mr. Hankinson served in various management positions in the NYC hospitality industry. He holds a Juris Doctor, cum laude from Pace University School of Law, an MBA in finance from Fordham University Graduate School of Business and a BA in English from the University of South Carolina. He is admitted to practice law before the United States Supreme Court, Federal Courts and in the states of New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.
Richard Grapp, Creative Director - Good Eats Grocer - Richard has had a career that includes 35 years of retail grocery experience. He has served in positions of continuously increasing responsibility up to executive management in the retail industry. He currently serves as Chief Executive Officer and Creative Director of Commercial Design Systems, Inc. (CDS) in Tualatin, Oregon. In 1984, Rick created Design West, and led the organization as its Creative Director. Design West was re-incorporated in 1990 as CDS with a mission to focus specifically on creating environments for the retail market. Along with his capable management team and team members, Rick has successfully built CDS into a recognized national leader in Retail consultation design, manufacturing, and implementation for the retail industry.
Carl La Force, COO, Good Eats Grocer– Recently relocating from Portland, Oregon, Carl La Force has joined Good Eats as Chief Operating Officer. In the last several years, La Force was operating his own Grocery and Food Service consulting firm and has brought his knack for both quality and value to the Good Eats stage. With over 30 years experience in the gourmet food industry, La Force has worked in a variety of senior management positions. He was instrumental in the development and opening of the highly acclaimed Metropolitan Market chain in Seattle, Washington. Prior to his tenure at Metropolitan, he opened the flagship store of the iconic Larry’s Markets in the Oak Tree Center. While there, he managed and operated the store for 5 years, virtually setting every record for retail grocery at the time for his region. Along with his business savvy, La Force also brings an unequaled passion for fine foods to Good Eats. He has spent the better part of his career developing contacts and networks of the obscure and pure traditional artisan producers of fine foods around the world.