The Thread: 2025 ICON of Industry, Chris Rice, on Building Legacy, Partnerships, and Longevity

speaker-0: This is Hospitality Impact, powered by NEWH. We're diving into the trends, ideas, and people shaping the hospitality industry, from design and innovation to the business behind the brands. Today's segment is the people, the leaders, dreamers, and the doers bringing hospitality to life every day. speaker-1: you Welcome to Hospitality Unpacked with N.

E.W.H. I'm Hillary Agabrecht and today we're really excited to welcome Chris Rice, founder and president of Kellex Seeding and the 2025 N.

E.W.H. icon of industry.

Since starting Kellex back in 1994, Chris has played a huge role in shaping hospitality manufacturing, not just through quality and innovation, but through his commitment to people, mentorship and education. As a long time N.E.W.

H. corporate partner, Chris has helped strengthen the bridge between design and manufacturing and the next generation of hospitality leaders. Values that align deeply with what NAWH stands for. So Chris, when you first heard you were being named the 2025 NAWH Icon of Industry, what went through your mind?

speaker-0: Well first I thought that they'd get the name right, let's just be honest. was they get that right or am I like the fifth or sixth runner up? But in all sincerity, I was a bit overwhelmed with appreciation. IAWH has been a big part of my career throughout my entire career and it's had a huge impact on not just myself but my business, our family business.

So to be recognized by IAWH was beyond anything I've ever experienced. I'm still not sure they got the name right. speaker-1: I want go back to the beginning kind of with NAWH. So how did you first get involved?

speaker-0: Well, many years ago when I was starting in the business and, you know, floundering a little bit trying to figure out the connections and how the industry works and meeting those that can inspire me and I can learn from, lot of my clients and friends and industry peers had over and over heard, need to join any WH, get involved. It's a fantastic network with a fantastic mission and it has had a huge impact. When I got involved and it's just been throughout my entire career, it's always that safe place of meeting and greeting and staying connected.

and it's been a nice journey. speaker-1: What has NDWH meant to you personally and professionally over the years? speaker-0: It means a lot to me personally and for your point personally and professionally. Personally, have most of my friends have met through NAWH.

lot of my friends and peers have met through events, whether it's a sundown or somewhere or a trade show, and have stayed connected to all those folks over the years. It's been a guidance for me of what it means to stay connected, the human element especially, given that these times are very different. It has had a, whether you're, you know, if you think about Hillary, when you're just getting started on business or industry, any WH is there with welcome arms, right? So they welcome you with open arms, they're going to help you get connected, help you meet your industry peers and stay throughout.

No matter where you are in your career, you're to get hurted in ways you live through your career path. You're looking for a career, a new career, a change, or even a change in my perspective or my case that keeps me connected. It has had a huge impact on me. speaker-1: So, AWH has a corporate partner program.

Why was it important to you that CalEx was part of that program? speaker-0: Supporting NEWH's mission in general and the connections that it provides for all was very important for us to be a corporate sponsor in support of that mission. We're a family business and in many aspects NEWH is a family business. We share lot of the same values and principles.

They've been by our path in many great respects and have in many cases been my mentor. So we wanted to be a corporate sponsor so we could be even more connected and also open the bridge for all of our associates throughout the country. be involved with any WH. speaker-1: You've talked about how important this has been through your journey, and the relationship with you.

How do you see organizations like NAWH kind of shaping the future of hospitality and continuing to moving forward? speaker-0: They're so vital, they need to continue on their mission, path. You know, we live in an ever-changing environment. We've got AI now, a lot of us are working remotely, and there's that reduced human contact for sure.

You know, I think in many ways we're losing our human element of contact, our connections with one another. And EWH promotes that, promotes the human element in so many ways, whether it's through the education, but keeping us connected and guiding our leadership and the associates within EWH. But I think more than now, than ever, they're going to be so vital for our business, our industry as a whole, keeping us connected. speaker-1: So you've talked about your connection to NAWH and how that sense of community has kind of shaped your legacy and relationships within the industry and leadership style.

How would you describe your leadership style and how has NAWH impacted that? speaker-0: I would say if you had a different plan. My author's a true definition of my leadership style. It's a little bit all over and probably suffer with ADHD and five other things.

So, I get one of my five personalities yet today on this interview. So, my style of leadership would be described as serving and encouraging growth, you know, to my associates both personally and professionally. I don't micromanage. I actually don't manage much at all.

You know, I want our associates to feel empowered and supported. And that's very much similar to how any WH acts and how it continues on that path. So mine's more of serving leadership. Just support those that need to be supported.

Hold those that need to be accountable, accountable through that support empowerment. speaker-1: What values do you feel kind of guide the way you lead your team and your business? I Kellex has been around since the mid-90s. How do you think your success is kind of attributed to that?

speaker-0: You know, think most of the values that how we conduct ourselves of a business or how I conduct myself as a leader in my role as leadership, values I learned from my parents. Honor, honesty, purpose, know, things like that, a real family element. You deliver on your word. You treat everyone as you would want to be treated or those would treat your family members.

People are not numbers. They're not an email address. They all have the same struggles, hopes and challenges and purpose in life or will want to have purpose in life. So it's not just a business, it's families.

my roots come back from being, you know, I had a wonderful family. speaker-1: So what does being an icon of industry mean to you in terms of your responsibility to the industry and kind of your legacy left? speaker-0: You know, I think it's so important that I hold myself even to higher standards now. Being in our industry now for 31 years, it's really, quite honestly, you know, given me a breath of fresh air and pushing myself with even a higher purpose in leadership and a higher purpose within the industry.

So yeah, it's had a huge impact. And my path has been blessed by AWH, but being recognized by such a wonderful organization as DEF only put me in a place that I need to even do better for the rest of my career. Yeah. speaker-1: Kind of looking back at your journey through working in the hospitality industry and even your journey working with NAWH, what leadership lessons kind of have made the biggest impact on you and your philosophy and leadership moving forward.

speaker-0: Okay. Take interest in your leadership. Listen and learn. You recruit the best people, empower the right folks.

Don't micromanage them. I've learned that along the way. If I'm making higher within our leadership, that's because I know they're three times smarter and better than I am at that role. So it's really encouragement.

My role is to keep them all, our team. Understanding what each one's connectivity is, keeping them a voice of reason. Sometimes I would be considered like that. Mom or dad, parents.

We had to look at both sides of this and stay in connect with each one of us have purpose and each one of us need to be accountable for the other. So it's finally been impacted. speaker-1: Yeah, and kind of spinning off of that, what advice would you give to the next generation of emerging leaders in the industry? speaker-0: Get involved, invest in your people.

Invest those around you and take some comfort knowing that you don't have all the answers. Creating that team around you is so vital through your career of those that you can trust, that you look to. Don't hire somebody that is just going to take what you do and serve you. In other words, I'm very advocate of I don't want to hire anybody that I feel that they are serving me.

I want to hire folks that are serving our entire organization, our family business, and I want to serve them. That seems to work. It's a much better practice. speaker-1: And how do you hope your work and kind of leadership style will be remembered long after you've retired and moved on?

speaker-0: Servant and purpose. My leadership has a bit of purpose for me. Believing in others, and I hope that's what I'm remembered as, is somebody that was servant to his leadership and that is just different from what we are taught in maybe school, but life lessons. And so my leadership's tremendously been based on life lessons.

And again, just serving those around you. speaker-1: Well, thank you so much and thank you for being part of this conversation on hospitality unpacked with an AWH. Until next time, keep leading with intention. speaker-0: Thank you.