Ken Henricks

VP of Operations

Ken joined the organization in 2005 and has held various roles including General Manager of The Boundary and Director of Operations for Bottleneck MGMT.

In his current role, Ken is tasked with overseeing the front of house operation of all Bottleneck Management venues. His main areas of focus include business development, analytics, systems, vendor relationships, and beverage directing. Ken has been a part of the hospitality industry for almost 20 years and that experience coupled with his unique, analytical approach provide Bottleneck Management with an invaluable perspective on ideas, strategy and direction.

Danger is his Middle Name

After attending The University of Illinois, Ken held sales positions in software and marketing services for InstallShield Software Corporation and Carlson Marketing Group, respectively. Although his career started as a sales professional, he never strayed far from the hospitality industry by bartending and managing at various locales on the weekends. After coming to the realization that he knew enough about the hospitality industry "to be dangerous," he began to pursue a hospitality career full time. He reconnected with Elgin High School classmate and Bottleneck MGMT Partner Jason Akemann in 2005 and joined the group as their plans for expansion began to root.

Outside of Work

Ken is an active member of the Illinois Restaurant Association, East Village Association, and Old Town Merchants and Residents Association. In his spare time he continues on his quest to become a single digit handicap golfer, a distinction that continues to elude him due to his poor wedge play. His other interests and hobbies include, but are not limited to, playing guitar, skiing, and working towards Cicerone certification.