Jim Vinz, Brand Builder of Corner Bakery [Mover & Shaker Bio]

Chief Executive Officer - Corner Bakery Café

As president of Corner Bakery Café, Jim Vinz has taken an active role in growing the brand from five restaurants in Chicago to a nationally recognized bakery-café leader for more than a decade. After joining the company as the first multi-unit director in 1995, Vinz focused his dedication and drive on fine-tuning the business model while taking on increasingly larger roles within the organization.

Named Vice President of Operations in 1998, after leading the charge to develop Corner Bakery Cafe's now acclaimed catering strategy and helping to grow the brand to nearly 100 locations, Vinz was appointed chief operating officer in 2005 and shortly thereafter, in August 2006, was named president.

As head “Breadhead,” Vinz makes decisions that affect more than 3,500 people, ranging from line cooks to corporate executives. With a resumé that boasts more than 25 years in the food-service industry, Vinz uses his industry expertise to guard the integrity of the Corner Bakery Café brand. His mantra: “If you’re not better today than you were a year ago, then you’re worse” is repeated company-wide. It’s an adage he expects both the people and the brand to adhere to -- and to date, he’s done his part to implement it.

Vinz holds an MBA from Southern Methodist University and currently lives in Grapevine, Texas, with his wife, Lori, and two kids.