Marine Corps foundation honors two

The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation held a ceremony honoring golf champion Dave Stockton and DineEquity Inc.’s Chairman and Chief Executive Julia Stewart.

Stewart received the “Semper Fidelis Award,” which the foundation presents annually to an individual who has demonstrated the Marine Corps values of honor, courage, and patriotism in the business community.

A nearly 40-year veteran of the restaurant industry, Stewart heads DineEquity Inc., the Glendale-based company that operates restaurants under the Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar and IHOP brands. Since joining the company in 2001, Stewart has revitalized the IHOP brand, and it is now the market-share leader in family dining.

Stewart also spearheaded the 2007 acquisition of Applebee’s International Inc., creating the world’s largest full-service restaurant company with nearly 3,500 locations. Stewart is a founding member of the Women’s Foodservice Forum and serves on the boards of Avery Dennison and the Children’s Bureau of Southern California. She also is a member of the UCLA Anderson School of Business Board of Visitors.