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Hissho Sushi Beer Bar

Hissho Sushi CFO, Matt Wilken, Named One of the Charlotte Business Journal’s 2020 CFO’s of the Year

 

Article Originally Published in the Charlotte Business Journal, click here to read the original article.

 

WINNER: Emerging Leader

Current job: CFO, Hissho Sushi

Brief description of business: Franchisor of sushi restaurants within grocery stores, college campuses, airports and corporate offices.

Your responsibilities: I lead finance, accounting, supply chain and M&A.

Year started at company: 2018

Number of employees: More than 80 local; more than 250 total

Unique challenge of the past year: 

Like everyone, the pandemic has been a challenge for our business; however, we were able to come together as a team to drive cost savings as well as generate creative promotional programs to improve sales results. While our business is not fully back to pre-pandemic sales in all channels, we are pleased with where we are today.

 

Advice to an aspiring CFO: 

Take time to understand the underlying drivers of financial performance at your company so you can explain what the company needs to do to improve performance. A good finance leader does not just report news (i.e. make sure the numbers are correct and accurate); they impact future performance by helping educate others about changes they can make to help improve results and drive better returns.

 

Who or what made you successful?

I think having a blend of finance, strategy and business experience in my past roles has helped set me up for success. I tried to look for opportunities to take on a new challenge or move into a new area of the business because it helped me gain new experiences that increased my knowledge base or allowed me to develop a new skillset. This also enables me to look at key decisions from both the business side and the finance side so I can provide a balanced opinion to our team.

 

Hissho Sushi CEO Named Among 2020 Class of Most Admired CEOs

Article Originally Published on Charlotte Business Journal, click here to read the original by Jen Wilson

The ever-growing Charlotte region is home to an increasing number of businesses, large and small, that span a variety of industries. Each is led by a chief executive who navigates challenges — both specific to their company’s particular sector and more general issues that apply across the board — and shares successes with their teams.

The Charlotte Business Journal‘s Most Admired CEO Awards program, now in its third year, turns a spotlight on these local leaders.


Charlotte Business Journal 2020 Most Admired CEO Award

This signature awards program honors Charlotte-area chief executives or those with an equivalent title, such as managing principal or executive director, who demonstrate admirable leadership qualities. Nominations were open to the public and came from members of the business community, within the honorees’ organizations and externally.

The CBJ editorial team has selected 35 honorees across 18 categories.

Each has shown a strong record of innovation in their field, outstanding financial performance, a commitment to quality, a strong vision, a commitment to diversity in the workplace and contributions to the metro community. In an upcoming special report, CBJ will profile all of the honorees; see coverage of past years’ programs here.

In addition, a Lifetime Achievement Award recipient will be named in the weeks to come.

An event will be held March 25 at The Westin Charlotte to celebrate this year’s class of winners. Find more details and register here




Congratulations to the 2020 class!

These are honorees, listed in alphabetical order by category:


Banks & Credit Unions

  • Steve Fisher, F&M Bank
  • Lee Fite, Fifth Third Bank

Commercial Real Estate

  • Brett Gray, Cushman & Wakefield
  • Johnny Harris, Lincoln Harris

Construction

  • Brian McManus, Hoopaugh Grading Co.
  • Marcus Rabun, Myers & Chapman

Energy

  • Jayson Waller, PowerHome Solar

Family-Owned Business

  • Liz Etheredge, Mecklenburg Paint Co. Inc.
  • Marcus Smith, Speedway Motorsports
  • Ed Weisiger Jr., CTE (formerly Carolina Tractor & Equipment Co.)

Financial Services

  • Tom Finke, Barings
  • Matt Potere, Sunlight Financial
Hissho Sushi CEO, Dan Beem

Food Service

  • Dan Beem, Hissho Sushi
  • Landon Eckles, Clean Juice
  • Conrad Hunter, Foxcroft Wine Co.


Government

  • Dena Diorio, Mecklenburg County

Health Care

  • Lindsay Muns, Charlotte Radiology
  • Stuart Ross, ACO Med Supply

Law

  • Janeen Hogue, The Miller-Hogue Law Firm
  • Christopher Lam, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings

Manufacturing 

  • John Marrino, The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery

Nonprofits

  • Karen Calder, Classroom Central
  • Williams Jones, Thompson Child & Family Focus

Professional Services

  • Tana Greene, MyWorkChoice (a Greene Group company)
  • Amy Noland Pack, AccruePartners

Public Companies

  • Darius Adamczyk, Honeywell International Inc.
  • Charles Harrington, Parsons Corp.

Residential Real Estate

  • Pat Riley, Allen Tate Cos.
  • Marcie Williams, RKW Residential

Retail

  • Tom Coker, Reid’s Fine Foods
  • Charlie Malouf, Broad River Retail

Sports, Entertainment & Tourism

  • Dan Rajkowski, Charlotte Knights
  • Fred Whitfield, Hornets Sports & Entertainment

Technology

  • Mark Mahoney, Jackrabbit Technologies
  • Bob Youakim, Passport

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