Eddie Navarrette is the Chief Consultant of FE Design & Consulting, which he founded in 2003. Better known as "Fast Eddie," together with his team of planners, drafters, designers and expeditors, his hospitality-focused company has helped to develop, build and open doors to hundreds of LA's best independent restaurants, bars and more. But it was at age 16 that Eddie would earn his suggestive moniker while performing at Raji’s in Hollywood as a touring punk-rock drummer and later, as an undefeated-champion bike jouster on the streets of 7th and Santa Fe in the now very populated Arts District. To support himself, he was a teenage server at Miceli's and an average barback at the infamous Three of Clubs. Unusually, Eddie would get a part-time gig as a kitchen designer. His early years of experience would include helping iconic Los Angeles music venues -- like The Smell, Spaceland and others -- avoid getting shut down by the city. Preserving the LA arts community continues to be an important mission for Eddie. Eddie would later become inspired by a different breed of artistry: Chefs. Bartenders. Coffee geeks. It became his personal mission to equip the small-business entrepreneur with the tools, tips and answers to navigate all the red tape of City Hall. Eddie uses his extensive knowledge of the Planning, Building and Health codes to develop overall project design and strategy for his clients to build their dream spaces. Years of battling the holistic government bureaucracy on behalf of his clients, an emerging identity as a hospitality advocacy leader paved the way for Eddie to co-found the Independent Hospitality Coalition at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Now, as Executive Director, Eddie has led the march on behalf of our city's vibrant hospitality community and organized countless meetings with City, County, State, and Federal legislators in creating equity for small business owners in Los Angeles County and beyond. Eddie lives in Little Tokyo, where he is actively engaged within the Downtown LA community as board President of ArtShareLA. His addiction to travel allows him to ogle kitchen & bar design all around the world. His leisure time is best filled with drinking bottles of Champagne and fine Burgundian wines and forging ahead as a competitive salsa dancer.