
Mitch Roden – President and CEO of Futren Hospitality.
The East Cobb Area Council has selected small business owner and entrepreneur Mitch Rhoden as its 2020 East Cobb Citizen of the Year.
“In addition to leading a small business and chairing many key initiatives and organizations over the years, for 2020 in particular, Mitch has been a champion for helping our non-profits and small businesses stay afloat during the pandemic with spearheading the launch of Operation Meal Plan, a program that raised funds to source meals for local non-profit organizations and keep local restaurant workers employed.
Also this year, he volunteered many hours of his time to lead the critical Cobb SPLOST renewal campaign, and it passed by a wide margin. He is much deserving of this recognition and is a role model for our community.
In March, Rhoden spearheaded Operation Meal Plan, a small business and non-profit support initiative created to provide food to those in need, help local restaurants keep their workers employed, and provide a vehicle for citizens to help each other.
Supported through a community-backed fund, local restaurants received orders in increments of 25 meals, which they delivered to non-profit organizations around Cobb who serve meals as part of their missions. The restaurants were paid at unit cost from Operation Meal Plan.