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Team


Chief Executive Officer

About

Beginning his career at fourteen as a dishwasher in St. Augustine, FL, Maxwell (Max) Piet has an extensive background as a restaurateur. He has been in the industry for over 35 years. Max has worked with various business models, including franchising (domestic and international), corporate operations, private equity, publicly traded and individual family offices.

Max has a well-rounded understanding of full-service and fast-casual dining, including new concept development; he also has relevant experience in beverage/culinary, human resources, marketing, finance, M&A, information technology, real estate/development, and commissary production/procurement.

Max has worked with many brands in multiple capacities, including as the President & Chief Executive Officer of TooJay’s Deli, Bakery, and Restaurant, SVP Operations for The Meatball Shop in NYC, and many roles while at Ruby Tuesday, including VP Operations, VP Development, VP Franchise, and VP Training & Development. 

He is recognized for his leadership in creating strategic and tactical plans by various publications and associations. Some of these acknowledgments include the American Society for Training & Development as a top 10 training organization, South Florida Business & Wealth Magazine’s Apogee Award, as well as being named as one of the country’s most influential restaurant industry CEOs by Nation’s Restaurant News in its 2020 Power List: Readers Picks.

CFO of Southern Rock Restaurants & COMPEL4

About

Lisa Mathis has over 30 years in accounting and finance with eighteen years in specialized restaurant franchisee accounting, consulting, and management, most notably as the CFO of Southern Rock Restaurants, LLC, headquartered in Franklin, TN and credited as the very first employee.  Southern Rock Restaurants is an award-winning restaurant holding company operating over 150 restaurant locations in 13 states as a licensed franchisee of McAlister’s Deli. In addition, Lisa helped to lead the start-up and development of COMPEL4, LLC an accounting firm specifically for restaurant franchise accounting.

Lisa has a Master’s in Accounting and Financial Management which positioned her well for the positions held.  She served at Horne LLP as a Franchise Manager where she led a franchise team of more than 20 finance and accounting professionals to perform the processing and delivery of the financial package to as many as 1700 restaurants including Quizno’s in addition to the consultation with as many as 600 restaurant franchises per year.  Prior experience and credits include MCI for 13 years as VP of Finance where she was responsible for a 6.6-billion-dollar budget and contributed to the implementation of the service call center project that was recognized in Forbes Magazine as, “World Class.” 

Chief Operating Officer

About

Kito Cody has enjoyed over 35 years in the service industry spanning Restaurants, Retail, and Entertainment environments. A native New Yorker, he has also lived in Texas, Georgia, Florida, Virginia, and now calls Tennessee home. He has always been a believer in being “Hungry, Humble, and Smart”, and through great mentorship his journey has evolved from team member to C-Level Executive. Kito has achieved success in both small organizations, as well as best in class chains including Starbucks, Raising Cane’s, and Studio Movie Grill. His impact in driving innovation in the areas of people development and processes has led to career growth for his teams, while driving sustainable operational excellence, and profit improvements. During his career he has led leadership teams within various disciplines that were responsible for sales in excess of 2 billion dollars, and upwards of 20,000 team members, along with hundreds of successful store openings.

Kito’s education started with his love of Architecture, and ultimately shifted to Business where he earned his B.S. in Business from CUNY – Brooklyn. Whether at work or with his family, he models how to lead with Passion, which is part of his 5P philosophy to gain alignment and define a “winning” culture. Kito and wife Teri are a blended family that consists of SIX (yes) children, along with four pets. His hobbies are no longer just basketball, biking, and home improvement, and have grown to include homework, recitals, pet cleanups, and graduations.

Vice President Finance

About

Kelly B. Sellers – 32 years as an Accounting professional, with 30 years of experience in the restaurant industry. Kelly began his career as an auditor for Deloitte & Touche serving clients in a variety of industries including the restaurant industry. While at Deloitte & Touche, Kelly was recruited by one of his clients and thus began his restaurant career. He has held Controller, Accounting Vice President, and CFO positions for some of the largest franchisees in the industry representing brands such as Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, Arby’s and Captain D’s. He has also worked in corporate franchisor Accounting offices for Wendy’s and Logan’s Restaurants. He has a passion for tackling tough problems, and building great teams that provide excellent customer service to the restaurant operations teams and corporate partners within an organization with the focus of driving continued improvement of unit level economics and cash flow. Throughout his career he has been recognized for numerous leadership awards for team building and improving results. Kelly has a BSBA from Auburn University and is an active CPA. Kelly joined the Southern Rock and Compel4 team as Vice President of Finance in April of 2020 overseeing the accounting team at the home office and all clients of Compel4.

Vice President of Operations

About

Since grade school Guy has lived, worked and raised his family in the Horn Lake/Southaven Mississippi area, a suburb of Memphis, Tennessee.  After Studying Business Management at the University of Mississippi, he went into the management program for Blockbuster Video and served for over ten years where he ultimately became District Manager before leaving to pursue his music career as a drummer while holding down Operations Manager for both Mars Music and CompUSA.

Guy left the BIG BOX retail world, hung up his drum sticks and joined the McAlister’s team in early 2005 and has served as General Manager and Area Director with 8 locations all in the Memphis/West Tennessee market with annual revenues over $8 MM.

Director of Operations

About

Stacey’s remarkable journey spans over 30 years in the restaurant and retail industry, fueled by her unwavering passion for working with people.  From developing others to lead great operations and taking on multiple roles while collaborating on transformational projects she has a wide scope of experience . Stacey’s imprint on the Panera brand is profound, having opened over 45 restaurants, directed transformational operational procedural changes, created operational efficiencies through production design, and created a leadership growth model that continued to widen her scope to make a successful impact to Panera.  Along with work in the restaurant industry she holds a B.S. in science and started her master’s degree in becoming a family therapist.  Stacey seamlessly integrates her career and education, using her love for people to invest time in those around her with meaningful relationships.  Her passion extends to her personal life, she surrounds herself with family and friends, who enjoy living life through planning fun events and journeys together.  Stacey is a fervent advocate for working together, personally, and professionally, as she as experienced her life’s greatest accomplishment through working with others.   “Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much.”-Helen Keller

Director of Operations

About

Steven was born and raised in Texas, he moved around growing up because his father was a high school coach.  He attended West Texas A & M University where he studied Physics.  While working on his education, he enlisted in the Marine Corp Reserves where he spent 6 years in the active reserve.  During this time, he was a server and bartender at Joe’s Crab Shack. He later moved up into management.  As part of his management experience with Joe’s Crab Shack, he traveled around the United States opening new restaurants.  After spending four years in the seafood business, he was recruited to be an Area Coach for a Pizza Hut franchisee.  In order to grow, he and his wife Charlene moved to Indianapolis where he eventually became the Director of Operations for the franchise.  After 5 years in the pizza business, he joined a restaurant group that owned and operated over a hundred and fifty restaurants in variety, including Wendy’s, Denny’s, Long John Silver’s, Grandy’s and McAlister’s. 

He worked for 11 years with that restaurant organization until the owners sold off the restaurants, which is how he is now employed with Southern Rock Restaurants.  He came on board with the acquisition of their McAlister’s locations in Bedford, IN and Vincennes, IN.  As a Director of Operations with SRR, he has enjoyed working with the best McAlister’s group in the industry.   He prides himself on always keeping a positive attitude with his teams and cracking an occasional “Dad Joke.” In his free time, Steven likes to follow in his father’s footstep and volunteers as a coach for his son’s baseball, basketball, and soccer teams.  He also enjoys helping with his son’s scouting pack.  And if you ever see anyone cooking on a grill in shorts and a foot of snow on the ground in the middle of winter, it is probably Steven.

Director of Operations

About

Ryan is a 2003 Purdue University graduate. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Organized Leadership and Supervision with a minor in Communications. He has 8 years’ experience with retail management and 10 years’ in the restaurants industry.

He came on board with McAlister’s Deli in 2006 as an assistant manager, then General Manager, then the Northern Area Director with 6 locations and now Director of Operations. Ryan shares his home in Kokomo with his lovely wife, Kali and their “son” Beck (Boxer).

Director of Recruiting

About

Courtney was born and raised in Chicago, IL and has lived in many cities such as New York, Washington, DC and Tampa while pursuing her career in restaurants and hospitality. She attended St. Ambrose University in Davenport, IA while beginning her career at Marriott, Westin and Hard Rock Hotels. She branched out of hotels and ventured into restaurants where she opened Smith and Wollensky Restaurant Group, Nick’s Fish Market and the Signature Room Group. Courtney continued to diversify her skills by accepting a position as the Director of Sales and Marketing for a large multi-concept group in Tampa, FL. She was responsible for running large, corporate sporting events such as the Final Four, Super Bowl, Indy Racing League and MLB events. 

She has lived in Nashville, TN with her husband and son (Evan) since 2010. When Courtney isn’t working, you can find her on a baseball field somewhere in the Southeast watching son playing ball. 

Courtney joined the Southern Rock Restaurants team in 2021 and quickly became an expert on hiring platforms and market analytics. She quickly transitioning into her current role as Director of Digital Recruiting, where she is currently responsible for hourly and management hiring across 13 states.

Director of Marketing & Digital Activation

About

Carrie was born in Clarksville, TN and grew up in a military home that experienced frequent change, moves and new beginnings. Her mother, served as a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy for over 25 years. She had an unmatched childhood that enhanced her ability to excel in diverse and unique situations using thought and creative solutions. Carrie currently resides in Brentwood, TN with her husband and two daughters Kendall and Karson.

She began her 25 years of marketing and restaurant service working at the Cooker Restaurant Corporation while finishing college at MTSU. After graduating, she accepted an entry level position at a local ad agency in Franklin, TN. Continuing to strive for excellence and diversify her marketing skills, she accepted an incredible offer from HGTV in Knoxville, TN as their Marketing Manager. After a wonderful 15 year tenure, she relocated back to middle TN to be closer to family and joined the Southern Rock Restaurants team as their Director of Marketing.

Carrie has been privileged to work with some of the most iconic creative directors on campaigns ranging from Network TV to hospitality brands. She is most passionate about conveying the brand message and caring for her team.

Director of Human Resources

About

Tiffani was born and raised in Middle TN, and currently lives in Brentwood with her husband Jeff their daughter Parker, son Declan and their dog Huckleberry. She Graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a degree in Business Administration and interned with the Buntin Advertising Agency for two years. She then worked in insurance and customer service as Office Manager with State Farm before starting with Southern Rock Restaurants. She is currently the Human Resource Director, responsible for payroll and benefits for 6000 employees in 150+ locations.

Director of Tech Support

About

Drew has 30 years experience in the hospitality industry, both in restaurants and in IT with Aloha POS. Most recently, he was the Technical Director for Hospitality Control Solutions, where for 17 years he worked with NCR and Aloha POS and was head of a team that supported over 1000 restaurants, including national brands such as Mellow Mushroom, Newk’s Eatery, Connor’s Steak and Seafood, and Dick’s Last Resort. Prior to his work in IT, Drew worked in the front- and back-of-house in restaurants with brands such as Logan’s Roadhouse and Sleep Out Louie’s, a local restaurant in Memphis TN.

Drew grew up in Jackson, TN, and then moved to the Memphis area. He currently lives in Louisville, KY, with his wife Courtney and daughter Amita. He has an IT degree in Computer Networking. When he’s not working, Drew enjoys cooking, traveling, and fishing.

Vice President of Business Development

About

Barry has 25 years in the restaurant industry with a passion and proven record for mentoring, training and  business development. He has 10 years’ experience in the investment banking industry; 5 years of which were served as President and COO. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management and Accounting from  S.U.N. Y.-Albany.

Barry has been responsible for 19 restaurant openings from site selection through completion and 15 remodels in the last 6 years for National restaurant companies. He served as V.P. of Regional Operations for O’Charley’s Restaurants and Buffalo Wild Wings. He is recognized in the industry for his team development, territory and regional development, and sales building skills through unyielding service standards.

Barry shares his service industry passion with his lovely wife Cynthia and their 4 children which he has moved  throughout the U.S. to serve his career…  Two of his children are multi-unit supervisors for National Restaurant  enterprises. ‘Here we go again; Turn the page… Bob Seger

Area Director

About

Chase was raised in Ponca City, OK and currently resides in Kansas City, MO. In 2005, he began his McAlister’s Deli career, as a Sandwich Maker, in Stillwater, OK and in 2006 he received a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts from Oklahoma State University. While continuing to pursue his creative passions, he found that management suited him and was promoted to General Manager in Owasso, OK in 2008. After moving to Kansas City in 2013, Chase began the development of the Kansas City market, opening 7 new locations in 4 years. In his current role, Chase oversees our Kansas City and Des Moines Markets.

Outside of work, Chase is an avid snowboarder, Chelsea FC supporter and bourbon enthusiast, but reading books and playing video games with his daughter Felix, top the list of his favorite things for sure!

Integration and Support Manager

About

Bobby was born and raised in Middle TN and currently lives in Franklin with his wife Satoko, their daughter Scarlett, and their two shiba inus, Niko and Dash. He graduated from The Georgia Institute of Technology with a degree in Computational Media and Japanese. After a few years of experience in Human Computer Interaction and UX Design, he pursued a certificate in teaching and then moved to Japan to teach English for several years. He joined us at Southern Rock Restaurants, LLC in 2019 where he learned the ins and outs of nearly every roll and gradually began building processes and infrastructure based on his prior experiences in technology and teaching. As the Integration & Support Manager, Bobby continues evaluate and implement new technologies, or troubleshoot when issues arise. He also helps shape and transforms data from different sources into usable formats, including data imports, operational tools, reports, and dashboards. He supports the main office with continued training and building process documents that can be referenced when needed. He also manages the accounting and project management tools that keep our team on track, organized, and audit ready. Bobby is always ready and willing to help with any project, big or small, and has been a valuable addition to our TEAm.

Area Director

About

Wayne started his career McAlister’s Deli in June of 2003 as an Assistant Manager in Edmond, OK and within a year of excelling he was promoted to General Manager in the Stillwater, OK. In 2010 he was promoted to Regional Director for the Kansas City market. In his current roll, Wayne oversees 6 locations across Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa.  He has been in the restaurant industry for 26 years and looks forward to new challenges.

He is married to his wife Aubrey and they have 4 boys Bayler, Cayden, Gavyn and Quaid. In his spare time, he enjoys hunting, fishing and sports.  Wayne currently reside in Ponca City, OK with is beautiful family.

Area Director

About

Tiffany Howard started with McAlister’s in August of 2001 as a team member and shortly after insisted on being a shift manager. She found myself really enjoying the restaurant environment and the people. About a year later, she was promoted to an Assistant Manager. Tiffany had the opportunity to work with a few General Managers as an assistant and eventually was promoted to General Manager in 2011. After a few years at Sunshine, she was given the opportunity to run Primrose, and there is where she really began to find my way as a leader. She considered her time at that restaurant such a blessing. Tiffany worked with outstanding people and together they accomplished some absolutely amazing results. In November of 2021, she was excited and honored to be promoted to Area Director in Southwest Missouri. She is currently leading some of, what she believes to be the most talented individuals within Southern Rock Restaurants. Tiffany looks forward to the growth and learning to come and she is excited to be a part of the Southern Rock family! 

Area Director

About

Eddie Marr was born and raised in Tupelo, Mississippi where he graduated from Tupelo High School before attending North East Community College for General Business and Accounting. He started his restaurant career at Soda Fountain before joining Pizza Hut in 1976. In his 33 year tenure with Pizza Hut Eddie worked his way up from store manager to multi-unit supervisor in Mississippi then he became the Director of Operations under the Region Manager for the Little Rock Arkansas Region.

Eddie came on board with McAlister’s Deli in January 2010 in Grenada, Mississippi where he excelled as a General Manager until he became an Area Director for North Mississippi in September of 2013.

Area Director

About

Mark Russ joins Southern Rock Restaurants as an Area Director for the Louisville, Kentucky market. He
is a McAlister’s Deli original, joining the brand as a busser while a high school student. Mark worked all
positions on his way into management in 2006, becoming a General Manager in 2014, Area Director in
2017, and finishing #1 overall on the brand’s Above Store Leader Performance Scorecard, 2019. Mark’s
proudest Deli moment was accepting the 2021 Small Franchise of the Year Award from the McAlister’s
Deli brand together with the Heritage Enterprises, Inc. leadership team.

Mark met his wife, Lauren, in 2003 while both were cashiers for the Deli. He graduated from the University of Louisville with a B.A. in Political Science. In his spare time, Mark is an avid Atlanta Braves and Louisville Cardinals fan. Mark enjoys reading, traveling, raising his two daughters, Abigail and Rebekah, and playing ball with his dog, Bowie.

Area Director

About

Cathy grew up in Louisville, Kentucky loving sports, fast horses and good bourbon. She is passionate about the Hospitality Industry and this stems from growing up in the business at my dad’s office as GM of Louisville Gardens.

After graduating from Catholic grade and High School, she attended Western Kentucky University. Cathy majored in Institutional Administration (Hospitality Studies). After college she entered the workforce in management for The Hyatt Regency Hotel. Continuing to pursue her passion in hospitality, she joined Chi-Chi’s, The Olive Garden and Cracker Barrel Old Country Store.

Cathy joined The Heritage group in 2004 with 5 McAlister’s Deli locations, which grew to 12. She started as the training manager, GM and quickly grew into the Area Manager role. She loves that we’re “home grown” in that many of our managers started at a young age and they’ve been able to help them find their potential and voice to move into management. She is very proud to be a part of helping with development in leadership, and communication skills in a fast-paced environment.
She looks forward to continuing these values with the Southern Rock family since joining them in January 2023.

She is married to a Navy Veteran husband Don, for the last 32 years spending our free time seeking
adventures.

Area Director

About

Rachel was born and raised in Mansfield, Ohio. She began her food service career at Denny’s serving while in high school. Once graduated went on to culinary school in Pittsburgh, PA (Pennsylvania Culinary) where she earned her associates in culinary, management, and pasty arts. Prior to McAlister’s she worked at Logan’s Roadhouse for 15 years. During her time at Logan’s she started as a server and quickly worked her way up into management. She was a kitchen manager for 5 years and a GM for 10 years. She was apart of 6 store openings during her tenure at Logan’s. From there she joined McAlister’s in 2018 as a GM and became area director in 2019 currently overseeing 11 locations. She has enjoyed being part of the growth in Cincinnati and is excited for the future expansion in the Cincinnati market. Rachel is married to her husband Richard for a little over a year. In her spare time she enjoys traveling, cooking, entertaining and spending time with her family and friends.

Area Director

About

Heather loves the month of October as she got her start in the restaurant business in October 2004 working in the full service restaurant industry.  She started working at our Wolfchase location in October of 2007.  Since then, she’s managed our Plaza and Southaven locations becoming an Area Director in 2017. Heather has a passion for the Southern Rock culture and enjoys spending her days working with her amazing team, building relationships and loving guests. 

Heather is proud to be from Memphis and loves all things Memphis.  When not working, you can find her supporting the Memphis Tigers, 901 soccer team, Memphis Redbirds and Memphis Grizzlies (let’s not forget those St. Louis Cardinals).

Area Director

About

Amanda was born and raised in Avon, Indiana and currently resides in Indianapolis. Amanda was first introduced to the restaurant industry at the young age of 16 when she started working for Domino’s pizza. Throughout her high school career she then made her way around the restaurant business working for various food chains until she went to college at Indiana State University. While there, Amanda continued to work in the food industry before earning her bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design. After graduation she took a job for a local wing restaurant which quickly promoted her to management. Within her first year of employment she was rewarded a General Manager role and learned the fundamentals of being a leader. Enriched to learn and grow she moved on after two years to work for an up and coming full service restaurant, The Stacked Pickle. Amanda then advanced her career expanding with the company growing from 2 stores to 7 after 4 years. At the end of her tenure with The Stacked Pickle she was a multi unit GM and looking for an opportunity to grow with an existing brand. She then joined the McAlister’s team where she started as GM and two years later advanced to an Area Director role. Amanda has a passion for development, service to others and to her community. On her days off she likes to spend time with her family and friends. 

Area Director

About

Steve Brown was born in Edinburgh, Pennsylvania and later moved to Knoxville, Tennessee where he was introduced to the restaurant and hospitality industry. His management career began with Logan’s Roadhouse opening restaurants but after several years, he moved into a General Manager role with Ruby Tuesday. Steve joined McAlister’s Deli in 2012 as a General Manager in Kingsport, Tennessee. He was later promoted to an Area Director in May 2018 overseeing the Tri-Cities, Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.

Steve enjoys time on the lakes across the region and fishing bass tournaments.  He spends most of his free time at home with his wife and (2) four legged children.  He also enjoys teaching a weekly Bible Study with friends and family.

Area Director

About

Chris Graves has joined Southern Rock as an Area Director, covering the East Tennessee market.  He is no stranger to the hospitality profession, as he has been in the industry since an early age.  He was born and raised in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and began his professional career 27 years ago working as a dishwasher the McAlister’s Deli location in Hattiesburg. Working for McAlister’s Deli has been his first and only job. After completing his degree in Business Management at the University of Southern Mississippi, Chris was presented with an opportunity to relocate to Jackson, Mississippi for a leadership role.  Once arriving in Jackson, he was promoted to multiple positions within the span of 3 years, including Assistant General Manager, General Manager, Manager of Training, and Manager of Ops Services.

Prior to joining Southern Rock Restaurants, Chris worked as an Area Director for Peak Restaurants, LLC franchise group in Knoxville, Tennessee.  While working for them, Chris was responsible for the company’s overall business operations within the East Tennessee region. He, along with his staff, received multiple awards; most notably winning Franchise of the Year for 3 consecutive years

Chris resides in Tennessee with his wife Carla, their 2 Weimaraner (Trooper & BB, both 7).  In his free time, he enjoys traveling, relaxing on the patio, landscaping, playing sports and grilling.

Area Director

About

Ken grew up in Tipton, Missouri and currently resides just north of Jefferson City.  He graduated from the University of Missouri of Columbia with a B.S. degree in Hotel and Restaurant management. 

He started his thirty plus years of restaurant service working at a small pizza restaurant at 16 years of age. Ken’s restaurant career has been spent with Applebee’s and Panera Bread.  Ken joined the Southern Rock family in 2015 as a General Manger of the Jefferson City location, then moved to the Columbia, Missouri and was a mentor for the Jefferson City location. In 2019 he was promoted to Area Director of the Central Missouri stores and West side of St. Louis. 

In his free time, Ken spends time with his golden retrievers. He enjoys gardening and spending time with his family and friends.

Area Director

About

Steven was born and raised in Chicago and currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee.  Steven worked in the restaurant industry while in college earning his degree in Human Resource management from the University of Memphis in Tennessee.  After college, he worked for a Nashville based chain restaurant Santa Fe Cattle Company in its infancy starting with their second unit and eventually developing two whole new markets.  Here, Steven honed his management style being promoted quickly to General Manager, Area Supervisor, and finally Regional Manager.  After leaving, Steven worked into ownership of a restaurant of his own before returning as a franchisee of Santa Fe Cattle Company.  After spending time as a Director of Operations for Twin Peaks, Steven joined the McAlister’s team as an Area Director.  Steven has a deep passion for the restaurant industry and the development of people.  When not hard at work, Steven enjoys spending time with his family and outdoor activities. 

Area Director

About

Bobbi was born in Evansville, IN and currently still lives in Evansville. Bobbi started working in the restaurant industry at 19 for Applebee’s. She started as a server, grew her experience with the company and spent the last few years as a salaried Kitchen Manager. She joined McAlister’s Deli in 2019 as an Assistant General Manager and after 6 months she became the General Manager. In 2022 after joining Southern Rock Restaurants she was promoted to Area Director and currently oversees 6 locations in Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois. When Bobbi isn’t working she likes to spend time with her 2 year old son.

Area Director

About

Scott was born in Indianapolis and raised in Monrovia, a small town in South Central Indiana. After moving away to college he started as a part time cook for Hooters Restaurants. This turned into a full time job within six months after accepting the Kitchen Manager Position. 

Fast forward almost 30 years and several different concepts including Hooters, Cheeseburger in Paradise, and Scotty’s Brewhouse.  Scott joined the Southern Rock Restaurant family in August of 2019 as the General Manager of the Bloomington, IN location. 

2021 was a record year for the Bloomington McAlister’s location and Scott earned recognition as the General Manager of the year. He was later promoted to the position of Area Director.

During free time Scott tends to his hobby farm, roams Lake Monroe with his lovely wife Heather on the pontoon, rides four wheelers with his son Zachary, and offers the best “Words of Wisdom by Dad” to his three daughters, Cassie, Riley and Harley. 

Area Director

About

Brittany was born and raised in Speedway, IN. She currently resides in Avon, IN with her husband and 3 children. Brittany started in the food industry at the young age of 16. She has extensive experience at Panera Bread, Moe’s Southwest Grill and McAlister’s Deli. She has excelled in roles ranging from Shift Manager, Multi-Unit Manager and in her current role as Area Director for Southern Rock Restaurants. Brittany has been with Southern Rock Restaurants for 2 years. She currently oversees 6 locations in the IN market. She is passionate about food safety and people development. When Brittany isn’t working, she is spending quality time with her children and husband. She enjoys seeking out good coffee and exploring new places.

Area Director

About

Ekaterina Anagnos has 27 years of restaurant hospitality experience. Ekaterina attended Columbia College in Chicago and received her B.A. in Early Childhood Education and Fine Arts.

It all began when her family owned several restaurants in the Windy City Chicago.  Ekaterina helped run multiple restaurant locations with her family and loved teaching and developing others. She decided to branch away from the family tree and took the opportunity to work with Olive Garden Restaurants. She worked her way up the ladder from Assistant Manager, General Manager and became Assistant Director of Operations.  Ekaterina achieved many awards based on her high standards and her ability to empower and develop others. 

In 2021 Ekaterina decided to join the fun at Southern Rock Restaurants. Started as a General Manager and is proud to be given the opportunity to Area Director. Leading teams and hospitality are her true passion!

Area Director

About

My Name is Mike Bromwell. I am Currently the Area Director for SouthernRock Restaurants. I started with SRR company 8 years ago and I was drawn in by the amazing culture.  The fast pace and the people’s first ideals were a perfect transition for me.  I have over 22 years of experience leading people. I grew up as the oldest son in a military family. I was able to travel all over the world and have experienced many different countries and cultures. My travels have shaped the person I am, you could say. When I am not leading my teams from the front, I enjoy traveling, beaches, taking long naps and spending time with my family and precious fur babies. I believe in servant leadership and strive to put people first. I like to coach and teach, but I love seeing people growing and learning. As our company grows, I make sure to be involved in several aspects of community involvement. The aspect of giving back is very rewarding and the smiles are priceless. I look forward to my future as I grow in my professional and personal life through my relentless pursuit of knowledge and passion to be better than I was yesterday.

Area Director

About

Melissa Myers, a native of Carmel, Indiana, started her career in retail at Hobby Lobby at the age of 16. Transitioning to the food industry, she joined the Carmel McAlister’s Deli in 2006 taking on multiple roles from Catering Coordinator to Assistant General Manager. In 2017, she continued her leadership journey by moving to the Fishers, Indiana and assumed the role of Training General Manager in 2018. Fast forward to 2024, Melissa proudly serves as the Area Director of the North Indy Market overseeing 5 locations.

Currently residing in Pendleton, Indiana with her son Remy, Melissa finds joy in collecting comic book memorabilia, playing video games, and indulging in a curated selection of books.

Area Director

About

Born in Virginia, Chris started his career in the food and beverage industry at the young age of 21. Beginning at Mardi Gras Casino and Resort, he started as a Bartender and quickly moved into the position of Food & Beverage Supervisor, then Restaurant Manager, and finally as the Asst. Food and Beverage Director. Managing 3 restaurants, 7 bars, 225 employees, and a desire to conquer the next level, Chris moved onto new challenge. Starting with Buffalo Wild Wings he relocated to Portland Oregon, hired on as a General Manager. As his career progressed with the organization, he assisted in opening 28 new stores and re-energizing new acquisitions. Known only as the ‘fixer’ because of his ability to make a poorly performing stores turn a profit by returning them up to company standards. He was then relocated to Indiana when they needed someone to help the recently acquired 20 stores. He traveled between Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa making sure these stores were up to par and turning a profit. It was at that point that Chris was tracked down by SRR and put into a GM role for McAlister’s Deli. Not disappointed in his change he quickly opened Jasper, In & then moved to help a struggling store in Canton, Oh. Chris then moved into his Area Director Role and has helped open & select amazing teams in a new developing market of Cleveland, Oh. While not staying in touch with his new stores Chris enjoys the outdoors & travel. He has 3 fur kids that take up a lot of room with them being mastiff shar pie mixes.

Future CEO

About

After joining the TEAm in November of 2019 Declan has prospered into a mover and shaker! Hailing from Franklin, TN he has studied and mastered his colors, numbers to 100 and the entire English alphabet but the letter Q, he leads preschool as an award-winning Valedictorian and fastest facilitator of what we call the merry go round.

With his love of fast racing and dinosaurs along with his fierce competitive spirit, Declan has inspired performance among his leaders and peers.  With his steel blue eyes, unshakable strategic mindset from his grandfather, and his dominant determination toward resolve, Declan aka “Ducky” is poised to lead the company’s future into new prosperity.

Director of Catering

About

Molly was born and raised in Hebron, Ky.  She graduated from the University of Kentucky with a BS in Finance and a minor in Marketing. Molly began her career in the food industry working at Flick’s Foods, her family’s grocery store.  She started selling things in the bakery dept at the age of 13.  By the age of 16 she had progressed into the deli department where she remained until she graduated from college. Upon graduation, she continued her sales career as an event planner at several hotels in the Northern Kentucky Area. In 2006 she joined the McAlister’s brand as the regional catering sales manager.  During her tenure as our sales manager, Molly has developed the Cincinnati catering department into a $3 Million annual business. In her spare time, she loves to cheer on her Kentucky Wildcats and Cincinnati Bengals.  She also enjoys working out, being outside on a boat, horses and bonfires.

Indianapolis Catering Director

About

Lynne was born in Marion, Illinois and moved to Joliet, Illinois at a very young. She had 32 years in the hospitality industry before joining the McAlister’s Deli family. She started her career as an hourly manager and it wasn’t long before she was promoted into the Catering Manager role. In 2011 she was awarded Catering Manager of the Year by Midwest Deli Development.  With a focus on our service standards and commitment to building client relationships, she has implemented standards and practices in now 31 locations where sales have grown to over $5,000,000.00 this year.

Lynne is very active with the Indy Chamber of Commerce and Women in Business. With a focus on the service standards and commitment to building client relationships, she has implemented standards and practices in 31 locations where sales have continued to grow.

The most rewarding accomplishment of her life has been to see her 2 beautiful daughters, Elizabeth and Kristina grow up to be strong, successful women with hearts full of compassion for others.  In her free time Lynne loves to spoil by 3 grandchildren!  Her favorite place to be is anywhere on the ocean!

Catering Director

About

Jen was born and raised in Connecticut where she graduated from Northwestern Connecticut Community College. There she earned her Associates of Arts (AA) – Deaf Studies & Interpreting degrees in 2003. While attending school, she worked in retail at JCPenney. She was quickly identified as a leader and moved up through different management roles. This led to promotions to Ohio, Lexington Kentucky and finally landing in Louisville Kentucky. After 17 years with the company, Jen felt it was time to redirect focus on her growing family and decided it was time to make a change. 

In 2019 Jen joined the McAlister’s brand as the Director of Catering over the Louisville market. Since taking over the catering business, she along with her catering team has grown sales to $2.8 Million. In 2021, Jen was part of the Heritage Enterprise leadership team that was awarded the Small Franchise of the Year Award from the McAlister’s Deli Brand. She looks forward to continuing her own growth and catering sales growth with the Southern Rock Family. 

Jen married her high school sweetheart, Garrett in 2007. Together they enjoy raising their 3 children, Saige, Ambrose (AJ) and Griffinn. In her free time… she often wonders, “what is free time?” 

Accounts Payable Manager

About

Chris has 18 years in accounting experience. Chris started his accounting career at Rich Products as a cost accountant.  He then moved in to retail accounting at American Cellular as a staff accountant and later the accounting manager.  There he was hands on in almost all of the accounting processes – accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, human resources, and assisting the controller.  He is now the Account Payable Manager for Southern Rock Restaurants.

​Chris has a bachelor’s degree from Middle Tennessee State University in Accounting.  Look for him on the weekends out on the kickball fields or on the dodgeball courts.