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  Silver Diner restaurants are located in the Washington, DC, Baltimore and Philadelphia metropolitan areas. The first unit in this chain of casual dining, family Diners' opened in February, 1989 in Rockville, Maryland. Since opening, Silver Diner has received extensive local, national and international print and television coverage, including an article in the October 1990 FORBES magazine featuring "The 200 Best Small Companies in America."

Executive Profiles

Robert GiaimoROBERT GIAIMO is a Founder and President and CEO of Silver Diner, Inc. Giaimo and his partners have built the Silver Diner organization into a strong regional presence of company stores with long-term plans for national expansion including franchises and joint ventures. Prior to developing the Silver Diner concept, Giaimo founded and served as President of the American Café Restaurants, an innovative, award-winning seven-unit restaurant chain which was an east coast pioneer in founding the "American Cuisine" movement and included five gourmet markets and catering service. In 1985, Giaimo sold the American Café to the W.R. Grace Company.

Giaimo graduated from the Business School of Georgetown University in 1974 and Harvard University's Smaller Company Management Program in 1982. He is a member of the World President's Organization. In 1993, Giaimo was awarded Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young, Inc. Magazine and Merrill Lynch.

Ype Von HengstYPE VON HENGST is a Founder and Vice President of Culinary Operations as well as a member of the Board of Directors. He is primarily responsible for the development of all menu selections. Von Hengst was born in The Netherlands and was formerly Executive Chef for the American Cafes, Stouffer's Hotels, Hilton Hotels and Radisson Hotels, and Executive Chef and Corporate Chef for Restaurant Associates at Rockefeller Center in New York City. Von Hengst is responsible for the development of its highly successful original menu. He also creates on-going specials and additions to the menu to insure that the Silver Diner's menu selections are continually updated to reflect the trends and changes in consumer tastes and preferences. Von Hengst, who received his training as an apprentice in some of Europe's finest restaurants, also serves as Director of Purchasing, and Director of Quality Control.


Paddy MeskellPATRICK MESKELL, Executive Vice President of Operations joined Silver Diner in January, 1996 and is also a member of the Board of Directors. . In that capacity, Meskell oversees the operations, recruitment, training and development of Silver Diner Managers and Associates. In doing so, Paddy has developed a highly innovative classroom and field hands-on Silver Diner University. From May 1992 to December 1995, Meskell was employed by Sallie Mae (Student Loan Marketing Association), a Fortune 200 company, as Director of Organizational Development and Management of Operations Training. From 1988 to 1992, he acted as an independent consultant to financial institutions, specializing in the areas of risk-management systems design and implementation. Meskell was a member of the senior management team of two software development companies in Ireland. He also acted as a human resources, recruitment and training specialist for the Electricity Supply Board, an electric utility company with twelve thousand employees. He graduated from the University of Limerick, Ireland in 1977 with a Bachelor of Arts in European studies.

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Board of Directors

Louis P. Neeb has been a Director since 1994. Neeb is currently the President of Neeb Enterprises, Inc., a corporation which provides management consulting services and oversees the operation of an affiliate restaurant company. In addition, Neeb is Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Casa Ole Restaurants, Inc. He was the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Spaghetti Warehouse, Inc. from 1991 until 1994 and of Geest Food USA from 1989 until 1991. From 1982 until 1987, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Creative Food N Fun, a subsidiary of W.R. Grace & Co. From 1985 until 1987, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of W.R. Grace & Co affiliated, Taco Villa, Inc., he also served as an Executive Vice President of The Pillsbury Company and as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of its affiliate, Burger King Corporation. In 1972, he was Director of Operations at Stea & Ale Restaurants, Inc., another affiliate of The Pillsbury Company. His leadership role with Steak & Ale Restaurants, Inc. continued until 1980, after serving as Vice President of Operations and eventually President and Chief Executive Officer. Currently, Neeb serves as a Director of Show Biz Pizza Time, Inc. and Franchise Finance Corporation of America, Inc., both publicly traded companies and Blue Marlin Restaurants, Inc. Neeb recevied a B.B. A. in marketing from Notre Dame University in 1961 and an MBA from George Washington University in 1969.

Charles Steiner has been a director since 1987. He is founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Branch Group, Inc., an electric distributorship with revenues exceeding $2,000,000. In 1975, Steiner founded TIED, an electric cooperative. He also serves as Chairman of TIED and National Association of Electric Distributors (NAED). He received a B.B.A. in Accounting from the University of Pittsburgh in 1963.

Edward H. Kaplan has been a Director since 1987. He is a real estate developer and investor and has been a Director of Palmer National Bank, Washington, D.C. since 1983. Kaplan received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School in 1961. Kaplan served as president of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington from 1985 to 1987, as President of the United Jewish Appeal Federation of Greater Washington from 1989 to 1991 and is President of the United Jewish Endowment Fund, a position he has held since 1991.

Catherine Britton joined the Silver Diner, Inc. Board in July, 1995 and is the wife of Robert Giaimo. She assisted with the marketing and design at the inception of the Silver Diner and has been involved with menu development and concept evolution since that time. She also participated extensively in the development of the new prototype Silver Diner. Britton graduated from Georgetown University in 1975, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy. Britton earned a Masters Degree in Special Education from George Washington University in 1978.

Michael Collier was elected to the Silver Diner Board of Directors in June 1999. Collier has been President of Uniwest Construction Inc., since 1986. Prior to Uniwest, he was vice-president of construction for a division of the May department Stores company and managed development and construction projects nationwide. Collier's experience in the construction industry includes construction of office buildings, shopping centers, medical facilities, hotels, apartments and restaurants.

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