Steve Wiborg

Steve Wiborg, President & CEO
Steve Wiborg is President and CEO of Heartland Food Corp., the second largest franchise operator of Burger King Restaurants. Prior to joining Heartland Food Corp., Wiborg was a franchisee owner, operator of 56 Hardee restaurants in multiple states. Wiborg has held the positions of COO and President from 2003 to 2006 of Heartland Food Corp and in December of 2006 was named CEO.

Wiborg began his career at Burger King at the age of 15 as a crewmember, working his way up the organizational structure, which included positions as Franchise Training Manager and District Manager, until in 1994 he was asked to be a part of the original transition team from Burger King Corporation to AmeriKing Corporation, a franchisee owner/operator of 384 Burger King Restaurants.

In 1995 he was appointed Managing Director in the Chicagoland area of 140 stores where he took on the responsibilities of operating successfully the Chicago Illinois business for AmeriKing Corporation.

In 1999, he was appointed Managing Director of Operations for the Cincinnati Ohio Market where he grew the business from 12 to 42 restaurants in a 2 year period through acquisitions and new restaurant openings. During his tenure, restaurant level EBITDA margins improved from 11% to 17% with six District Managers being promoted to the position of Director of Operations, under his supervision.

Wiborg was instrumental in the relationship developed between Heartland Food Corp. and investors during the acquisitioning of AmeriKing Corporation stores. Wiborg's ingenuity in positioning a winning management team, his revenue enhancement initiatives, restaurant revitalization programs and marketing strategies are some of the many reasons Heartland Food Corp., is a Burger King Corporation success story. Wiborg's first year with Heartland Food Corp., they were awarded Burger King's highest award, the Brand Leadership Award. The award acknowledges leadership in sales, guest track, cleanliness, inspections and management training to name a few.

Wiborg has more than 20 years experience in the restaurant business and has significant involvement in business turnarounds, acquisitions, marketing technique and recapitalization.

Wiborg is a native Chicagoan and a graduate of Northern Illinois University. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics. Wiborg also attended Lewis University while living in Chicagoland pursuing a masters degree in Leadership.

Wiborg is involved in various civic and charitable activities in and around the Chicago area and serves on a number of not-for-profit organization.