Lisa Ingram, great-granddaughter of White Castle System Inc. founder E. W. "Billy" Ingram, has been named the company's chief operating officer, the company's board of directors has announced. As COO, Ingram will continue in her current roles as vice president of restaurant operations and co-chair of the executive council.
"Lisa has played an instrumental role in White Castle's growth and success for more than a decade," said White Castle CEO E. W. "Bill" Ingram III, who is Lisa Ingram's father. "As COO, she brings valuable expertise in operational efficiency and process improvement to the company as a whole, which will enable White Castle to continue to grow while remaining true to our unique vision and values as a family-owned business and the nation's first fast-food hamburger chain."
Ingram earned a bachelor of business administration degree in marketing and finance from Southern Methodist University's Cox School of Business before beginning her career as a marketing manager with computer supplies distributor Daisytek.
She joined White Castle in 1997 as a marketing manager before leaving to earn an MBA from The Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University. While attending Ohio State, she worked for Hewlett Packard on a European channel strategy and received the Academic Excellence in Consulting Award from her professors.
Ingram told QSRweb.com in an earlier interview that she initially wanted a career outside of the family business but later changed her mind. "When you're young you think a certain way, and when you get a little older you think about things differently," she said.
She returned to White Castle in 2000 as director of restaurant operations and was later promoted to vice president, responsible for the overall management and strategic direction for the Restaurant Division as well as strategic direction to the Site Selection, Development and Marketing departments. She also serves as co-chair of the White Castle Executive Council, which oversees company operations and profitability.
Business First of Columbus has honored Ingram as one of central Ohio's "Forty Under 40" most promising young executives. One of 12 Ingram family members involved in the business, she has continued the family's tradition of community service as a board member for organizations such as Lutheran Social Services, Junior League of Columbus, Childhood League Center, Action for Children and Experience Columbus.
She lives in Upper Arlington with husband Greg Guy and their three children.
