Brad Blum and Bob Mock, President and Executive Vice President (Operations), respectively, Olive Garden Restaurants, Orlando, FL

RH Staff

Brad Blum and Bob Mock
President and Executive Vice President (Operations), respectively, Olive Garden Restaurants, Orlando.

Age: Blum, 42; Mock, 44. Schooling: Blum has a master's degree in business from Northwestern Univ. Why they are rising: Blum, a professional manager, won plaudits for marketing acumen at Cereal Partners Worldwide, a joint venture between General Mills and Nestlé that quickly grew to nearly a billion dollars in sales. Mock, who has worked for Darden since 1969, is a brilliant operations specialist and team-builder. Ladder climbing: Vice president of marketing, Cereal Partners Worldwide; senior vice president of marketing, Olive Garden; president, Olive Garden (Blum). Senior vice president, Chicago division; senior v.p., Los Angeles division; executive v.p., general manager, Red Lobster Canada (Mock). Performance: Blum led recent turnaround at Olive Garden, achieving six consecutive quarters of same-store sales increases and doubling operating profits over previous year. Mock is credited with playing a crucial role in turnaround of Red Lobster restaurants in Canada. Mentors: Blum praises his father for instilling "core values." Mock says Jeff O'Hara (Darden vice chairman) "has been there whenever I needed guidance and direction." First jobs in foodservice: Both began as dishwashers in teens.