David C. Koelling – President
A nationally known restaurateur, David pioneered fine cuisine in the dinner cruise market, serving as chief operating officer of Odyssey Cruises, active in Chicago, Boston and Washington D.C. Drawing upon his business acumen, he has consulted for high-profile restaurant and food-service operations such as Michael Jordan Golf Centers, Jack Nicklaus’ Wynstone Country Club Development and Peapod Grocery. Additionally, he founded highly-rated restaurants including The Greenery and Biloxi Grill, both in suburban Chicago.
David served as Vice President of Corporate Services for Senior Lifestyle Corporation which operates more than 80 retirement communities nationally. He led the company’s corporate support teams in the areas of Hospitality, Programming, Dining Services, Property Operations and Purchasing. Koelling and his team were recognized with the 2011 Industry Innovator Award from the International Counsel on Active Aging, and the Best of The Best 2012 Award from the Assisted Living Federation of America for the development of Brain Health University.
David holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Michigan State University. He was twice nominated for Inc. Magazine’s Entrepreneur of the Year award and has received the Partner in Eldercare award from the state of Illinois for his work in providing meals for seniors in need.
RonnDa J. Peters – Vice President, Marketing & Sales
RonnDa has over 19 years of sales and marketing management experience in the hospitality and senior living industries. Her experience as Director of Sales in the hospitality industry is a sound foundation for sales and marketing strategies and management in senior living. As Vice President of Marketing at Senior Lifestyle Corporation, she developed a complete new branding, website and marketing platform for the company. Peters held the positions of Sales Specialist, Regional Sales Manager, Corporate Sales Programs Manager and National Sales Trainer for Alterra Healthcare (now part of Brookdale). RonnDa holds a Bachelor of Arts in hotel and restaurant management from the University of Wisconsin at Stout.
In addition to marketing responsibilities, she developed sales training tools, training programs as well as leadership training programs and tools focused on hospitality. She is passionate about developing a synergy among senior community leadership teams to maximize ROI and cost effective management strategies.
Randy Barnett – Director of Operations
Mr. Barnett has over 20 years of experience as an Executive Chef in multiple types of business. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of American, Randy began his professional career as the Executive Chef for a large catering company in Dallas. There he prepared for and managed events including the World Cup, Cessna Air Event and the Cotton Bowl. Additionally, his catering experience includes designing high-level functions for Presidents, Heads of State and many celebrities; Julia Childs, Elton John and Arnold Schwarzenegger to name a few.
Prior to joining Strategic, Randy’s culinary experience progressed to managing a group of sports grills, held the position of Culinary Specialist at Morrison Senior Living and Director of Dining Services at a large CCRC in Sun City West, Arizona, before being promoted to Regional Director of Dining, responsible for dining success in 32 retirement communities in 9 states.
Randy’s entrepreneurial experience includes consulting on the creation of a variety of themed and gourmet restaurants, café’s and assisted living community dining areas. He developed menus, recipes, policies and procedures and oversaw the layout/design of assisted living kitchen and dining areas.
Randy’s passion is anchored in the creation of the best dining experience for each location, he excels at providing hands on training programs in culinary techniques, customer services and hospitality management.