Marc is the Founder and CEO of Hill Country Hospitality, an award-winning restaurant group specializing in Central Texas-inspired cuisine that manages full-service operations, licensed food concession outlets, live music venues, e-commerce, and retail product lines, and catering and events businesses in New York and Washington D.C. Hill Country’s mission is to Share the Heart of Texas through food, music, and hospitality. Marc’s Texas roots date back four generations. His grandfather was the mayor of Lockhart, a small town near Austin with the distinction of being the Official Barbecue Capital of the Lone Star State. He is descended from a long line of Texans with exceptional Southwestern cooking skills who inspired his passion for all things food-related. As a seasoned hospitality executive with over 15 years of experience in the food and restaurant business, Marc thrives on creating authentic and memorable hospitality experiences. He is passionate about team-building, community engagement, brand development, and industry innovation. Throughout his career, Marc has been fascinated by entrepreneurship and scaling businesses. Before entering hospitality, Marc served as Chief Executive Officer of Centric Telecom England. Prior to Centric, in 1998 Marc co-founded and served as Chief Operating Officer of eLink Communications, a Washington, DC-based Telecommunications Company.Since the start of his hospitality career, Marc has led Hill Country to multiple accolades including receiving two stars from the New York Times and The Washington Post as well as recognition from The Wall Street Journal as one of the top ten best barbecue joints in the country. Additionally, the restaurants have been featured on NBC’s TODAY, ABC’s Good Morning America, Food Network’s Best Thing I Ever Ate, and Cooking Chanel’s Unique Sweets and Burgers, Brews & ‘Cue.Marc was named to the Crain’s New York 40-Under-40 list in 2014. He was also an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year regional finalist in 2000 and 2001, and he is a current member of the Young Presidents Organization’s (YPO). Marc serves as a trustee on the board of the Madison Square Park Conservancy, is a member of City Harvest’s Food Council, and is a former trustee of Georgetown Day School, his alma mater elementary and high school in Washington, DC. Marc graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in International Relations and received his MBA from Columbia University. He resides in New York City with his wife, Kristen, and four children (Austin, Skye, Jaclyn and Geena).