Julie Raye is Chief Marketing Officer for The Bartolotta Restaurants. She leads all strategic marketing and sales efforts for the company, the award-winning Milwaukee-based restaurant group that operates 16 restaurants and catering venues. Julie’s team covers a wide range of responsibilities, from launching new restaurant concepts and promoting events to building customer engagement through the Bartolotta Rewards program.
Raye recently joined the PD Board of Directors as the VP of Communications and she reported that she is enjoying getting to know the amazing leaders in this organization, and seeing the power of these women coming together to help each other and our community.
Two pieces of advice she received that have helped her both personally and professionally is to “trust your gut” and to “never sell yourself short.” She says it’s easy to listen to other voices, and to believe the naysayers around you, but if you believe you have what it takes and your instincts are good, you can accomplish anything.
The leadership trait that Julie admires most is empathy. “If you have empathy, you can truly appreciate people and what they care about. You can lead from a place that respects and truly inspires those around you.”
Julie is married to Chris Johnson, Co-owner/President of Tri-marq Communications. They recently moved downtown and are enjoying all that the city has to offer! They live with two cats, Zinny and Beau.
Guilty Pleasure activities: “I play ice hockey on a women’s league called the Brew City Blades. I picked up the sport in my mid-40’s and am completely addicted to it! Tennis is another sport I play a bit and follow the professionals. I also love to travel, especially international travel. I try to go somewhere new and far away every year. And, of course, given the industry I work in, I love good food – both dining out and cooking it myself.”
Favorite SE WI restaurant? “I love all of the Bartolotta Restaurants, but probably my favorite is Ristorante Bartolotta dal 1993 in the Village of Wauwatosa. It is cozy and quaint, and the food is authentic Italian prepared by an exceptional chef.”
Her favorite travel destinations are places that have great natural beauty, history, culture and exceptional food and wine. For her, it’s hard to beat Italy. There are many countries in Europe she hasn’t visited yet, but would love to see Germany, Slovenia, Ireland, the Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries.
If she could meet someone living or dead that she admires, Julie said she would love to meet her great grandmother who came to America from England in the 1890’s by herself. She would love to know her full story – why she left, what it was like for her, and how she found her way.
