Bernard Acoca
Bernard Acoca, Zaxby’s CEO, was declared the winner of Zaxby’s Big Steak Fry, a yearly $1 million contest. He is now part of the Reserve, a group of people who have won the contest.
Bernard Acoca was born in 1975 to parents who worked in agriculture but wanted their son to pursue his interest in science and technology. He showed an interest in computers from an early age and joined his first computer club at age 16. He ultimately graduated with a degree in computer science from Georgia Tech University, where he started working on viruses as an intern for Microsoft soon after graduating college.
His Achievements
By the mid-1990s, Bernard Acoca had become one of the top malware developers. He was recruited to work for F-Secure, a Finnish antivirus company, where he continued to develop viruses and start other companies and projects. These projects were ultimately deemed too risky by F-Secure, which made him leave the company.
The Zaxby’s CEO set up Trustwave Holdings in 2003, an international security company that provides products and services to clients such as Microsoft and government agencies worldwide. Acoca has also started several other cybersecurity companies in addition to Trustwave. He is listed as one of Forbes magazine’s 35 greatest innovators from 2005 to 2011 and as one of Forbes Magazine’s 30 most influential people in IT from 2006 to 2014.
In 2006 Acoca also got involved in the restaurant business and created Zaxby’s. The company is based in Chicago and currently has over 800 locations worldwide, with plans to open 1,000 locations by 2020.
Achievements outside of work include being an avid hiker and climber, as well as a member of the board of the Georgia Tech Research Institute. He is also a member of numerous technology institutes, including the Cyber Security Task Force and the CERIAS Cybersecurity Advisory Board at Purdue University. He is also a member of the Georgia Technology Foundation and chairman of the Georgia Technology Application Center (GTAC), which oversees projects such as the first geosynchronous satellite for broadband internet access across most remaining areas in America. See this article for additional information
Learn more about Acoca on https://www.restaurantnews.com/zaxbys-ceo-and-co-founder-zach-mcleroy-to-transition-to-chairman-bernard-acoca-appointed-as-new-chief-executive-officer-102621/