Our Team
Lena Lindsay
President
Lena Lindsay is an inspiring and unique individual who is well known and admired in the food truck community. She is fortunate to have both the creative and management talents necessary to achieve the level of success needed in an innovative, global business environment today.
She is one of three siblings born of Jamaican and British parents Sydney and Doris Lindsay, raised in Queens, New York. She attended John Jay School of criminal justice where she majored in Criminal Justice and minored in Human Behavioral Studies. She held internships at City Hall, worked for City Council Member Robert Dreyfus and worked one year in the Department of Investigations prior to pursuing her true passions and further developing her business management skills.
Lena is an experienced business manager of 25 years, overseeing P&L’s for companies like Brueton Industries, Pepsi Co, New York Academy of Medicine, and her own company Gelz Management 2000, Inc. Her first entrepreneurial venture, Gelz Management 2000 led her into the music industry by starting out as a manager for a three girl R&B group, Her Sanity. Working and developing the group by meeting with record labels, producers, and A&R executives led them to signing with major record labels Universal/Motown Records and Noble Entertainment. In her capacity as manager of the group she was responsible for developing all aspects of their career; contract negotiation, financial reporting and marketing strategy, all the way to production of their videos and album.
Becoming a single mom can be a transformational enlightenment. Lena, a newly single mother of a three-year-old little girl named Sydney Skye, decided to leave her home state of New York and start a new adventure in Texas. Through this transition she returned to the corporate restaurant industry and was not able to spend as much quality time with her daughter. The entrepreneurial bug started to bite again and soon led to the opening of an international style cuisine food truck in 2015, Skye Cafe.
When Sydney entered the truck for the first time, she was so excited her arms went straight up in the air in the shape of a Y. Lena immediately knew - this was the inspiration of the name and logo for the new food truck venture. The menu for Skye Cafe was all about her family too - offering flavorful dishes from her parents’ countries, in healthy sized portions. Family is Lena’s #1 focus and motivation so it made sense to incorporate her family into her new business venture.
In her first two years of operating Skye Cafe, Lena observed one of her greatest obstacles was the lack of educational outlets or guidelines to support a new food truck or a tenured truck in times of struggle. In a male dominated industry, the need for a women’s support group was evident. She envisioned an organization that would allow for women-owned mobile food entrepreneurs to network and mentor each other.
The devastation from Hurricane Harvey in August 2017 greatly impacted the small business food truck owners of the Greater Houston area. Vast flooding and damages halted service, cancelled events and many trucks suffered. In a time of tragedy, Lena’s creative thinking kicked into action and something wonderful was born. Lena teamed up with two like-minded women, Courney Weidner and Danielle Powell, and together they formed the first Women’s Food Truck Organization (WFTO). Skye Cafe’s mission aligns perfectly with WFTO’s mission of making a positive difference in our communities through education, mentoring and sharing culinary knowledge with everyone.
Courtney Weidner
Vice President
Courtney Weidner currently owns and operates two businesses, Weidner Insurance Agency and Falacos food truck. Courtney started out in the insurance industry back in 1998 working for her father and took over the business in 2007. Weidner Insurance currently employs 4 licensed agents and specializes in commercial insurance for small businesses. In 2011, Courtney joined the Lonestar Business Alliance chapter of Business Network International (BNI) and learned how to network and build business relationships. Today, she is not only a BNI member but also a Director Consultant for the Houston West Region and is responsible for managing and supporting other chapters, facilitating monthly and annual trainings and being a mentor to new members joining BNI.
A major life shift to a plant-based and gluten free diet in 2013 was the catalyst for a new business venture. Courtney’s husband Ben lost 70 pounds in 4 months and got off all his blood pressure and cholesterol medications – a plant based diet healed his heart! This transformation inspired Courtney and in 2016 she opened Houston’s FIRST 100% vegan and gluten free food truck, Falacos! With the support of their fans, Falacos was nominated as a Local Hero finalist by Edible Houston in 2017 and has already earned Mobile Cuisine’s 2017 Vegan Food Truck of the Year!
Hurricane Harvey devastated Houston in August 2017 and during this time, the need for community support became greater than ever. Courtney and fellow female food truck owners saw an opportunity to make a difference using our food trucks to support our communities and give back to those who lost so much. Together, these women food truck owners formed the first Women’s Food Truck Organization (WFTO). Falacos mission of educating people and bringing safe, ethical, and healthier food to the Greater Houston area, aligns perfectly with WFTO’s mission of making a positive difference in our communities through education and mentoring and sharing culinary knowledge with everyone.
Juliette Cozier
Treasurer
Juliette Cozier attended Evangel University and graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting.
She continued her education at Houston Baptist University obtaining a Master’s Degree in Finance in 1997.
After working 15 years in corporate accounting, Juliette decided to venture out and open her own accounting firm, Bajan Bookkeeping Services. Juliette wanted to offer her services to the small and medium size businesses of Houston to allow business owners to “Focus on their business, and not on their books.” In conjunction Juliette Cozier and her husband, Brandon Crowder, ventured into the mobile dessert truck business in April of 2014. It was her husband’s dream, after over 20 years in the corporate world, to own their own business while “Bringing Sweets to the Streets.”
Tikiz of North Houston currently operates two trucks in the Houston area. It has been amazing to see the growth of the business over the last five years. But more than the business growth, it has been the
involvement in the community that fuels the love for Juliette and Brandon’s venture together. Through the Tikiz FUNdraising program, Tikiz is able to donate to many local schools, youth sports, churches, and
non-profit organizations all while putting BIG Smiles on the faces of their customers with cool treats!
Kathleen Crawford
Secretary
Kathleen (Kat) Crawford is a designer based out of Chicago with a love for food and food trucks. Born and raised in Atlanta, GA, Kat attended Georgia Tech where she graduated cum laude (B.S. in Industrial Design) while working a retail job at Wild Birds Unlimited. During summers at university, she maintained her part-time job as well as an internship working for a company that develops radar speed detection signs. Part engineer, part artist, Kat has worked on a variety of design projects, including product design, graphic design, art installations, mural design and website development.
Prior to moving to Chicago, Kat moved from her hometown of Atlanta to Houston, TX with her fiancé, two dogs and a cat. While in Houston, Kat met Courtney Weidner after she was hired to design the logo for Falacos food truck. From there a friendship blossomed and Kat continued to provide graphic support and branding for the growing food truck. Kat even worked on the Falacos truck (Evelyn) for a few seasons.
While working on Evelyn, Kat learned a deep appreciation for all things #foodtrucklife. Early mornings and late nights. Mechanical woes. Propane and commissary runs. The smell of oil and sweat permeating every article of clothing. The high of a busy night, and the crush of a slow shift. Contagious laughter. Despite being the only board member who isn’t a food truck owner, Kat has intimate knowledge of the day to day operations and challenges facing a food truck owner. A strong network of support is essential for success, and makes even the rough days a little enjoyable. Kat witnessed this often, especially after meeting Lena Lindsay and working events together, as well as the other amazing food truck owners Courtney had added to her support network. After relocating to the midwest in the spring of 2018, Kat has maintained a strong connection with her food truck family back in Houston.
Previous non-profit experience includes working with The Creativity Shell in Kingwood, TX. Learning sewing from her Grandmother, Kat was drawn to the children’s sewing makerspace that was opening in her neighborhood. Shelancia Daniel, the Director of The Creativity Shell, hired Kat to teach children’s sewing classes at libraries and shelters around the Houston area. While Kat was working with the non-profit, she helped grow the number of classes taught both in the studio and at libraries. Within a year, Kat helped the organization move into a much larger studio to accommodate the increased number of classes and workshops being held there.