California Restaurant Mutual Benefit Corporation

David Mitchell is a founding member of the California Restaurant Mutual Benefit Corporation and has lead the group to its position as the largest self-insured group in California. As Chief Financial Officer and General Manager of HKM II, a Burger King franchisee of 42 restaurants in two states, David has implemented best practices and operational efficiencies that have consistently improved the margins of his company. David’s experience both as a CPA and as a fiscal manager has been invaluable in his leadership as Board Chair.

Dennis Graspointer is a McDonald’s owner-operator of 15 locations in the Central Valley, with 27 years of experience in the business. Dennis has been a leader in the McDonald’s community, serving as a mentor to other owner operators and devoting extensive time to national projects for the company. Dennis was an early driver in the formation of the California Restaurant Mutual Benefit Corporation in 2004 and was instrumental in bringing key members to the program.

Working with his father, Dick Whitehurst, Mike Whitehurst developed a group of Burger King restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area that thrived even when the going was toughest for that brand. When California businesses were struggling to survive in the oppressive Workers’ Compensation environment of 2000-2004, Mike developed best practices that contained injuries and costs in his restaurants to historic lows. Mike was one of the first to commit time and energy to the development of the California Restaurant Mutual Benefit Corporation.

Joe Rubin has been a leader in the northern California Burger King franchisee community for many years. A restaurant industry veteran of 32 years, Joe operates 10 Burger King and 10 El Pollo Loco locations. Joe joined the founding group for CRMBC at the beginning, in February 2004.

Bob Kirshner is the Chief Financial Officer for J & A Food Services, a 33 year old company that includes four restaurant concepts with locations in California and Oregon. Bob oversees operations from the company’s Redding headquarters and has been working with owner Joe Wong for 11 years.� Bob has been a member of the CRMBC board since its formative meetings in 2004.

The Goldblatt family has been one of the largest McDonald’s owner operators in California for many years, and the largest owner operator in the San Francisco Bay Area. Brad Goldblatt has been in the business for 18 years and today manages 35 restaurants. With father Howard and brother Jason, he began looking for better alternatives in Workers’ Compensation as costs spiraled between 2000-2004. Brad brings extensive financial experience to the board and is a consistent voice for conservative fiscal management.

The Schrader family has contributed tremendously to the well being of the Stockton community. Carrying on the family McDonald’s business from his father Don, Craig Schrader has been a crucial member of the CRMBC board, never afraid to ask tough questions, always looking for better solutions. Craig has represented well the idea of the self-insured group, the cooperative that belongs to its members and looks always to serve their best interests.

Marilyn Ryan was the spark that began the California Restaurant Mutual Benefit Corporation. An employee of HKM II since 1982, Marilyn served on the Insurance Committee of the northern California franchisee association for Burger King while also handling Work Comp claims for her own company. Intimately familiar with the problems in the system, Marilyn started in 2002 to look for a better way. She brought CHSI to the Burger King association in February 2004, and CRMBC had its beginning.

Rudy Pollak, an executive with Culinary Adventures in southern California and a veteran in the fine dining industry, joined the board of CRMBC in 2007. Heading the Investment Committee, Rudy has steered CRMBC to consistent returns on its investments through all market conditions.

Tom Doan is a 41 year veteran of the restaurant industry. With experience in all elements of the industry, Tom has mentored numerous players in the California hospitality business. Tom serves on the Board of Directors of the San Diego Restaurant Association as well as other community organizations. Tom’s long experience with the peaks and valleys of the restaurant business have brought a valuable perspective to the CRMBC Board of Trustees.

Jim Leftwich is the founder and CEO of CHSI, the program administrator for CRMBC. Jim has been a risk management executive in Fortune 500 companies and claims management operations. An innovator since beginning his career in the 1980’s, Jim has pioneered outcome management systems and the development of unique technology that has made CHSI the national leader in best practices in self-insured group management. Jim was asked to serve on the Board of Trustees by other members because of his broad experience and expertise.