PepsiCo Restaurant Accelerator Program

Stephanie Ward has spent her career helping people and businesses tell their stories. First through journalism, then through art, and eventually through digital marketing and technology. The tools have changed, but her fascination with storytelling has remained constant.

A former newspaper reporter, corporate digital marketing executive, gallery owner, and entrepreneur, Stephanie brings an unusual mix of creative thinking, business experience, and technical knowledge to the companies she serves.

She began her career as a journalist, writing for major metropolitan newspapers, including the Reno Gazette-Journal and The Dallas Morning News. Journalism taught her how to ask questions, find the story beneath the surface, and communicate in ways that make people pay attention. Those skills became the foundation of her approach to marketing.

For 18 years, she owned and operated Stephanie Ward Gallery, with locations in Dallas's Deep Ellum arts district and North Dallas. The gallery specialized in contemporary and African American art, connecting artists, collectors, and communities. Running a gallery taught her that presenting art and building a business require many of the same things: vision, an understanding of the audience, and the ability to communicate value.

In 2007, she founded Red Lime Media, a digital marketing company built around the belief that every business has a story worth telling and an audience worth reaching.

She has watched the internet evolve from a relatively new business marketing channel into an essential part of how people discover, evaluate, and choose companies. She helped businesses navigate the rise of websites, search engines, social media, online reviews, and digital advertising. Today, she is helping them make sense of another major shift: artificial intelligence.

Along the way, Stephanie held leadership positions in corporate America, directing digital marketing, content, social media, search engine optimization, and online reputation initiatives. Her experience includes managing digital teams and complex online operations for national organizations in the insurance, healthcare, and senior living industries.

She brings that large-company experience to small and mid-sized businesses through Red Lime Media, helping owners build their digital presence, attract qualified leads, strengthen customer relationships, and develop systems that support growth.

Her work now blends storytelling, marketing strategy, analytics, automation, and AI. She believes technology should make business owners more capable, not more overwhelmed. Her approach is to help entrepreneurs understand the digital landscape, recognize opportunities, and use practical tools to reach customers without losing the personality and purpose that make their businesses distinctive.

For Stephanie, marketing is both a profession and a passion. It is work she would find herself doing even without a paycheck. She is fascinated by the way communication keeps changing, from the printed newspaper to a website, from a photograph to a 15-second video, and now to AI tools that can help a small business accomplish work once reserved for a much larger company.

A graduate of San Francisco State University, Stephanie remains an artist and storyteller outside of her professional work. She creates mixed-media art on canvas, transforms discarded furniture into new pieces, and writes about her travels as a travel blogger. Her curiosity about people, places, cultures, and design continues to influence how she sees business and the world.

Today, through Red Lime Media, Stephanie combines decades of experience in journalism, entrepreneurship, the arts, and corporate marketing to help businesses do three things: get found, tell their story, and grow.

Her perspective is simple: The technology will keep changing. The need to connect with people never will.

As principal of Robbie Douglas Consulting, Robbie brings expertise in strategy, marketing, business development, and leadership, with a particular focus on women entrepreneurs, small businesses, and nonprofit boards. She is an Associate Certified Coach and a member of the International Coaching Federation.

She spent more than a decade as Assistant Vice President of Marketing at Dallas Area Rapid Transit, directing strategic marketing, sponsorships, advertising, promotions, and creative services. She also served as President and CEO of Promising Youth Alliance and held leadership roles with the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee, PepsiCo Foodservice, and Coca-Cola North America. Her career began in product marketing at Frito-Lay.

Robbie has negotiated more than $35 million in corporate funding, sponsorships, and contract value. She holds an MBA from the University of Michigan, a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Vanderbilt University, and an Executive Leadership certificate from SMU’s Cox School of Business.

Richard leads finance and business transformation at High Risk Investments Inc., a $400 million-plus holding company with 12 businesses across the United States and Mexico. He oversees a 116-person shared-services organization spanning 21 departments in Chihuahua, Mexico.

Previously, he served as National Director of Operations and Strategy at Kevin Kelley Concepts, where he identified $2.6 million in cost-improvement opportunities and rebuilt financial reporting. He founded Present House Hospitality Group, a portfolio spanning hospitality and luxury real estate, including The Island Spot Jamaican Kitchen & Bar and The Island Spot Villa.

His experience also includes serving as Executive Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer at Borden Dairy, managing $1 billion in supplier partnerships, and advising Fortune 500 and private-equity clients at McKinsey & Company. Richard holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from Benedict College and an MBA in strategy and finance from The Ohio State University. His honors include the Dallas Black Chamber’s Quest for Success award and the NAACP President’s Award for Corporate Leadership and Entrepreneurship.

Malcolm owns Bottom Line Business Solutions – Medical Logistics and serves as module faculty for the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, teaching Operations and Processes. His previous roles include Assistant Director of Supplier Development at Dallas College and Senior Business Advisor for Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses.

His experience spans food service, distribution, manufacturing, healthcare, education, and retail. Beginning his career as a fast-food manager, Malcolm later spent seven years at Walmart’s headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, where he served as Director of Merchandise Financial Planning and led planning for two $5 billion business units.

He brings expertise in supplier management, merchandising, financial analysis, process improvement, logistics, and cost management. Malcolm holds an MBA in management and finance from Keller Graduate School of Management and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Morris Brown College.

Carlos is a transactional attorney, business integrator, and founder of Prexsentials LLC, a legal and business advisory firm. An Ivy League law graduate, he has been a partner at three of the largest law firms in the United States and served as General Counsel of Black Box Corporation, formerly AGC Networks, a DFW-based information technology company with more than $700 million in revenue.

Appointed by Mayor Eric Johnson as the City of Dallas Franchise Impact Ambassador, Carlos supports an initiative to establish Dallas as a hub for scaling businesses through franchising. His work also includes economic development, mentoring, and service on community boards.

His honors include D Magazine’s Best Lawyers in Dallas in 2018 and 2020–2025, The DEC Network’s Committee Member of the Year in 2024, the Minority Corporate Counsel Association’s Rising Star in 2021, and Franchise Journal’s Titans of Franchising in 2020.