Crawford is president and CEO of Ground Round IOC. 

The National Restaurant Association's Board of Directors elected John Crawford, president and CEO of Ground Round Independent Owners Cooperative (IOC), to serve as the association's chairman until January 2016.

Crawford has served on the NRA's Board of Directors for the past 10 years, serving as Chairman of the NRA Show in 2012, and currently as a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.

Based in Maine, the Ground Round Independent Owners Cooperative (IOC) is comprised of 29 independently owned casual dining restaurants with total sales of $50 million. Crawford led the franchisee buyout of Ground Round Grill & Bar in 2004.

The NRA Board of Directors also elected Joseph Kadow, executive vice president and chief legal officer of Blooming Brands, Inc., to serve as vice chair; and Jeffrey Davis, CEO of United States Beef Corporation, an Arby's Franchisee, to serve as treasurer.