The Doherty Enterprises, Inc. Executive Team consists of blended talents designed to continue the company's profitability and growth, while protecting the philosophies and commitment to World Class Service that began more than 25 years ago. We are pleased to present the members of our Executive Team, who through their tireless leadership, vision and dedication have helped Doherty Enterprises move closer to our vision "To Be The Best Food-Service Company in the Tri-State Area".
OUR EXECUTIVE TEAM:
- Ed Doherty – Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
- Ed Choe – President
- Jerry Marcopoulos – Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
- David DiBartolo – Vice President of Operations, Applebee's
- Greg George – Vice President of Operations, Panera Bread
- Kathy Coughlin – Vice President of Human Resources and Training
- Tim Doherty – Vice President of Development
- Shannon Portell –Vice President of New Concept Development
- Michael Veneziano – Vice President of Finance
- Kurt Pahlitzsch – Vice President of Specialty Restaurants
- Randy Goldman – Vice President of Marketing
EXECUTIVE TEAM
EDWARD W. DOHERTY, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Doherty started Doherty Enterprises in 1985 when he acquired 19 Roy Rogers Restaurants from Marriott Corporation, thus becoming Roy Rogers largest franchisee. Ed is a graduate of Chaminade High School on Long Island and St. John's University in Jamaica, Queens, where he earned his B.S. in Marketing in 1968.
Originally employed by Mobil Oil Corporation, first as a Territory Sales Representative in Brooklyn, NY and subsequently as a Real Estate Manager, Ed also attended St. John's at night and earned his MBA in 1972.
In 1973, Ed joined Burger King Corp. as a Real Estate Manager. Two years later, Marriott Corp. recruited Ed to be their Real Estate Manager in the tri-state area for Marriott's various restaurant concepts. Ed worked for Marriott for 10 years, rising through the executive ranks and holding managerial positions in real estate, marketing, franchising and operations management. In 1983, Ed was promoted to VP and General Manager of Marriott's Family
Restaurant Division where he was responsible for 1,200 franchised and company-operated Big Boy Restaurants. He remained in that position until he started Doherty Enterprises.
From 1985 to 1990, Doherty Enterprises grew from the original 19 Roy Rogers Restaurants to 28 Roy Rogers and 6 TJ Cinnamons, a bakery concept specializing in cinnamon and pecan rolls, coffee and other specialty products.
In 1991, Mr. Doherty decided to reposition his company in order to achieve greater long-term growth while associating Doherty Enterprises with high potential franchise opportunities.
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He obtained franchise rights for Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar
- He converted a number of existing Roy Rogers to Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburger Restaurants
- He sold the remaining Roy Rogers and TJ Cinnamons Bakeries
From 1991 to 2006, Ed executed this strategy as follows:
In 1991, a Development Agreement was signed with Applebee's International to develop the brand in Northern and Central New Jersey. Subsequently in 1998, Ed purchased 6 existing Applebee's restaurants on Long Island, New York, and the rights to further develop Long Island. Currently the company has more than sixty Applebee's open in New Jersey and Long Island, with plans to open additional restaurants over the next few years.
Between 1992 and 1995, six Roy Rogers were converted to Wendy's while the remaining Roy Rogers and TJ Cinnamons were sold to various competitors. Doherty Enterprises developed three additional Wendy's prior to selling the Wendy's Division so the company could focus on developing other concepts with greater growth opportunities.
In 1998, Ed entered into a Development Agreement that gave him the rights to develop Rio Bravo Cantinas, a Tex Mex restaurant concept, in 13 counties in Northern and Central New Jersey. In February 1999, Chevys Fresh Mex acquired the Rio Bravo Cantina concept. The company's first Chevys Fresh Mex restaurant opened in Clifton, NJ in May 1999, the second opened in September 2000 in Brick, NJ, and the third opened in September 2005 in Linden, NJ.
In 2001, Ed entered into a Development Agreement with Panera, LLC that gave him the rights to develop Panera Bread, formerly the Saint Louis Bread Company, throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, New York. In 2005, the company acquired the Queens, NY territory to further expand its Panera Bakery Cafes and in 2006, acquired Brooklyn and Staten Island, NY. Currently the company operates more than thirty Panera Bread Bakery Cafes, with plans to open a total of 45 bakery cafes over the next few years.
In March 2007, Doherty Enterprises opened its first original concept, The Shannon Rose Irish Pub, an authentic Irish pub that was created to bring a little "Dublin" to New Jersey. Located in Clifton, NJ, the Pub occupies 8,000 sq. ft. with seating for approximately 300 people in its four bars and five pub-style dining rooms. The company expanded the Shannon Rose concept by opening its second Pub in Woodbridge, New Jersey in June of 2009 and a third one in Ramsey, NJ in January of 2012.
In April 2012, Doherty Enterprises opened its second original concept, Spuntino Wine Bar & Italian Tapas. Located in Clifton, NJ, Spuntino offers tapas—a variety of small dishes and hand-stretched pizzas that can be mixed and matched and paired with an impressive selection of Italian wines and beers.
In April of 2012. Doherty Enterprises entered into a Development Agreement to open 23 Noodles & Company restaurants in Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island, NY. Noodles & Company, the fast-casual restaurant concept with more than 300 locations throughout the U.S.. features a collection of dishes from around the world.
As of 2013, Doherty Enterprises, Inc. operates more than one-hundred restaurants, pubs and bakery cafes throughout the tri-state area as Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar Restaurants, Panera Bread Bakery Café's, Chevys Fresh Mex, Noodles & Company and two Doherty original concepts; The Shannon Rose and Spuntino Wine Bar & Italian Tapas, with projected sales exceeding $315,000,000.
Ed and his wife, Joan, currently reside in Northern New Jersey. They have three children – Tim, Shannon, and Kerry - all of whom are employed with the company.
ED CHOE, President
Mr. Choe joined Doherty Enterprises in June 2009 as Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, to help continue the company's growth and success. Mr. Choe joined us after spending the last 25 years at Wendy's, starting as an MIT with a New York / New Jersey franchisee. He quickly progressed to become Chief Operating Officer of that 45-restaurant company. Ed then joined Wendy's International in 1998 as Division Vice President of its NY Division with responsibility for 100 company and 300 franchise restaurants.
In 2002, Ed was promoted to Senior Vice President, Northeast Division, with responsibility for more than 1,300 company and franchise restaurants. His last position with Wendy's was Executive Vice President, Restaurant Services, leading a group that provided complete operational support to more than 6,000 restaurants.
A seasoned executive with a proven track record in all facets of field operations and corporate support groups, Mr. Choe's deep knowledge and experience in both full- and quick-service restaurant sectors in franchise and corporate backgrounds gives him unique and well-rounded perspectives and approaches to his people and business. Ed is an insightful leader who builds high-performing teams. In March 2012, Ed was promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer.
Ed and his wife, Leslie, reside with their 2 children in Northern New Jersey.
JERRY MARCOPOULOS, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Marcopoulos joined Doherty Enterprises in January 1997 to help lead our company as it rapidly grew.
After obtaining a Bachelors of Business Administration degree in Public Accounting from Pace University in 1983, Mr. Marcopoulos started his career working for Price Waterhouse Cooper. During his five years there, he was responsible for providing accounting, auditing and consulting services to a diverse clientele ranging from small private companies to large public multi-divisional firms.
During 1987-1996, Jerry was a divisional controller with Fisher Brothers, a privately held real-estate and investment-management company. There he was primarily responsible for overseeing the treasury and investment areas, which had assets approximating one billion dollars. At Doherty Enterprises he oversees the Accounting, Finance and Information Technology departments of the rapidly growing company. In 2009, Jerry was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
DAVID DiBARTOLO, Vice President of Operations – Applebee's
Mr. DiBartolo was the first executive hired by Doherty Enterprises for the Applebee's division. He graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University with a B.S. in Hotel and Restaurant Management. David is a member of the operations council for A.S.I and has more than 40 years of successful and progressive experience in the restaurant industry.
Mr. DiBartolo joined Doherty after having a very successful career at Charlie Brown's Restaurants. He held several positions with them including District Manager and Regional Manager.
David oversees the operations of our Applebee's franchise. He has overseen the successful and profitable opening of all of Doherty Enterprises' Applebee's and Chevys restaurants. He and his team have contributed consistently to increased sales and profits each year and he has successfully executed a forward-thinking and achievable growth plan for the Applebee's franchise, both in New Jersey and on Long Island, New York.
In 2006 David assumed the additional responsibility of overseeing Maintenance functions of our New Jersey locations.
GREGORY K. GEORGE, Vice President of Operations - Panera Bread
Mr. George has more than twenty years of leadership experience in food-service management. Before joining Doherty Enterprises, he held the position of District Manager at Lackmann Culinary Services, where he oversaw the total food-service operations for more than fifteen different prestigious companies throughout New York City, Long Island and New Jersey. The scope of his position included the overall operation of employee dining, executive dining rooms, special-event catering (on- and off-premises), conference dining, guest services and vending, as well as new-unit design and renovation projects.
During his tenure with Lackmann, Greg was an integral part of Senior Management and an original member of their culinary development team. He also served as operations liaison during the company's accounting system conversion. In addition, Greg was part of the Lackmann Culinary Services new-business development team and was responsible for developing their financial pro forma and overall operational plan.
Prior to his multi-unit management experience with Lackmann Food Services, Mr. George held responsible management positions with Dean Witter Reynolds, New York City, where he was Director of Food Services, and Guardian Life Insurance, New York City, where he was manager for kiosk-style dining facilities.
A graduate of Johnson & Wales University, Greg received a B.S. in Food Service Management, graduating cum laude, as well as obtaining an Associates degree in Occupational Science in Culinary
KATHLEEN COUGHLIN, Vice President of Human Resources and Training
Kathleen Coughlin is a graduate of Boston College with a B.A. in both Secondary Education and History. She also earned her Teacher Certification for the High School level.
Kathy began her restaurant career at Gilbert/Robinson aka Houlihan's Restaurant group. Her first role was as a Regional Training Manager for the Chicago, St. Louis and Kansas City markets, and she then went on to hold various other positions in
Operations, Franchising, Restaurant Openings, Recruiting and Training. In 1998, she left Houlihan's and joined a start-up company, Cosi, as its Director of Training. Kathy was soon asked to oversee the Human Resources and Recruiting departments. In 2000, after a merger and re-organization she was promoted to Senior Director.
In 2002, after becoming a mother, Kathy left the restaurant business to become Director of Corporate Training for Weichert Realtors. It wasn't long before she was called upon to get back into the restaurant atmosphere. She joined Brinker, working with the Chili's concept as a Regional Training Director and Learning Strategist.
Kathy joined Doherty Enterprises in January 2006 as Vice President of Training. She is passionate about creating an environment where "people development" is a way of life and all associates are given the opportunity to be challenged and grow. In February 2010, Kathy was promoted to Vice President of Human Resources and Training.
TIMOTHY M. DOHERTY, Vice President of Development
Tim Doherty first joined Doherty Enterprises as a Server's Assistant and Host in 1994 with the opening of Doherty's third Applebee's Neighborhood Grill and Bar, located in Paramus, New Jersey. He remained with the company on a part-time basis while attending Lehigh University, where he earned a Bachelor's of Science degree in Finance. During that time, Tim became a certified Applebee's Trainer as a Server, Host and Server's Assistant.
Upon graduating from Lehigh in 1999, Tim moved to Dublin, Ireland where he worked in the International Corporate Lending department of Allied Irish Bank, the largest bank in Ireland. Tim remained in Ireland through 2000 and then transferred to the bank's American headquarters in New York City. While there he was promoted to be an Officer of the Bank and approved corporate lending in the Southeast United States and investments in real estate and banking derivatives.
Tim left Allied Irish Bank in 2003 to return to Doherty Enterprises.
After completing the Manager-In-Training program at the Applebee's in Clifton, New Jersey, he accepted his permanent position as Real Estate Manager for Doherty Enterprises. Subsequently he was promoted to Director of Real Estate and then Vice President of Development, where he is in charge of the development of all new restaurants across all brands. His varied duties include site selection, negotiating leases, procuring all approvals and permits for the construction of the restaurant and overseeing construction. In addition to new development, Tim is also in charge of remodels through all brands.
SHANNON PORTELL, Vice President of New Concept Development
Ms. Portell first joined Doherty Enterprises while she was attending local schools in Bergen County. She gained her restaurant background while working at the Paramus Applebee's, where she served in various capacities.
Ms. Portell graduated from Lehigh University with a Bachelors degree in Marketing. She also was a four-year Division I collegiate athlete. After graduating from Lehigh, she worked for Dennis Publishing as a Marketing Manager for their Online Division, which included Maxim.com, Stuffmagazine.com, Blender.com and The weekmagazine.com. Within the marketing division, she managed client relationships for all advertising accounts and produced specific online events. She worked on many highly integrated programs from start to finish including the conception of the ideas, overseeing the design of the programs and ensuring everything launched on the sites. During her four years at Maxim, the Online Division grew to new levels.
Shannon rejoined Doherty Enterprises in 2005. She, along with her team, seek out and create new concept opportunities from the idea stage to fruition. Once the concept is created she continues her efforts with the marketing plan until it is successfully opened. When the concept begins to grow, she leads the team in the design and development of each new location. Her first venture was an Irish pub concept which opened in 2007; The Shannon Rose Irish Pub. Currently there are three Shannon Rose Irish Pubs. The newest venture that her team created is an Italian tapas and wine bar concept called Spuntino Wine Bar & Italian Tapas. This restaurant opened in April 2012 in Clifton, NJ.
MICHAEL VENEZIANO, Vice President of Finance
Mr. Veneziano has more than twenty years of finance and accounting experience in the franchise finance market and in franchise business-operation development. He earned his M.B.A. in Finance, with a second concentration in Accounting, from Fairleigh Dickinson University. His undergraduate studies were completed at Rutgers University, where he earned a B.A. in Economics/Business Administration.
Mr. Veneziano began his franchise finance career as Director of Credit with Finova Capital Corporation, receiving the chairman's "Patterns of Excellence Award" for three consecutive years. He accepted a position with Siemens Financial Service as Vice President of Credit, Capital Markets, and then moved on to Pitney Bowes Capital Services as Director of Credit, Franchise Finance. In 2003 he joined
American Express Business Finance, holding management positions in Credit and operations. He held the position of Vice President of Sales, Francise Finance prior to joining the Doherty Team.
Michael joined the Finance and Accounting team of Doherty Enterprises, Inc. in April 2006 and was promoted to Vice President of Finance in December 2009.
KURT PAHLITZSCH, Vice President of Specialty Restaurants
Mr. Pahlitzsch has more than sixteen years of restaurant managerial experience. He has an A.A.S. degree in Computers and a B.S. in Hotel/Restaurant Management from the University of Nevada – Las Vegas. Mr. Pahlitzsch also was selected to attend and receive training from the Ecole Hotelier in Switzerland.
Upon completion of his schooling, Mr. Pahlitzsch joined Bennigan's. There he became the youngest General Manager in their history, and within three years was promoted to Executive General Manager. After spending six years at Bennigan's, he moved to the Applebee's concept in May 1995. At the time, Applebee's
International had one store open on Long Island, New York. Kurt quickly proved himself there and in November 1995 was appointed to open the second Long Island Applebee's as its General Manager. Within six months, he was promoted to Executive General Manager. After helping open three additional stores, Kurt was promoted by Applebee's International to District Manager of the Long Island Region in August 1997.
In May 1998, Applebee's International sold its Long Island Region to Doherty Enterprises. Mr. Pahlitzsch came on board and helped transition the existing stores, maintaining profitability and continually building store morale. He also was instrumental in the continued growth of Doherty Enterprises' Applebee's franchise by opening three stores in less than one year.
Kurt was promoted to Director of Operations in 2001, and has been responsible for three Area Directors on Long Island and two in New Jersey. In March of 2011, Kurt was called upon again to step up to a newly created Vice President of Specialty Restaurants Group, responsible for Shannon Rose, Chevys, and our newest concept, Spuntino Wine Bar & Italian Tapas. In this role, Kurt's fierce drive and entrepreneurial spirit, complimented by his knowledge and modeling of our company values and operations, will help him lead the specialty concept growth and development.
Randy Goldman, Vice President of Marketing
Randy Goldman moved from Scottsdale, Arizona to join the Doherty team in the fall of 2012. His career in hospitality marketing began after graduating from the University of Maryland with a BS in Business Management with a concentration in Marketing and a minor in Sociology.
He has represented brands throughout the various sectors of the restaurant and hotel industries as well as the wine and spirit industry and advocates building strong relationships with operations, training, and culinary departments to strategically design customer-focused programs. Brand experience includes The Palm and Eddie V's restaurant groups, Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen franchises, Phillips Foods and Seafood Restaurants, Armand's Pizza and Remy Martin spirits and wine.
Randy's record of strategic brand building earns him a reputation as a results-orientated marketing executive with notable success in areas such as new store openings, loyalty marketing, multi-channel promotions, planning neighborhood marketing calendars, public relations and social media.
In addition to his passion for marketing, he loves cooking, live music, theater, sports and spending time with his wife Dina, son, twin girls and the rest of his family.
OUR DIRECTOR TEAM:
- Kevin Coughlin – Director of Operations for Applebee's Central and Southern NJ
- Marc Prince – Director of Operations for Applebee's NY and Northern NJ
- Ron Blais – Purchasing/Operations Services Director
- Chrissy Coyne – Director of Training, Applebee's and Chevys
- Kerry Doherty – Director of New Concept Development
- Scott Grogan - Controller
- Gordon A. Gross – Director of Construction
- Margaret Hawkins – Director of Human Resources
- Melissa Holub – Director of Training
- Jim Reilly – Director of Training, Quick Casual
- Paul Schobel – Director of Finance
- Reggie Toomey – Director of Training, Specialty Concepts
- Randy DeVelvis – Area Director, Panera Bread
- Tim Magorrian – Area Director, Panera Bread / Noodles & Company
- Jack Matarazzo – Area Director, Panera Bread
- Dan O'Brien – Area Director, Panera Bread
- Dan Sodikoff – Area Director, Panera Bread
- Adam Eury – Area Director, Applebee's NJ & NY
- Sam Halim – Area Director, Applebee's NJ
- Wayne Kaiser – Area Director, Applebee's NJ
- Kathleen Malato – Area Director, Applebee's NJ
- Tom MacDonnell – Area Director, Applebee's NJ
- Brian McDonnell – Area Director, Applebee's NY
- Michael McKee – Area Director, Applebee's NJ
- Derek Nittoli – Area Director, Chevys
- Jim Pelliciari – Area Director, Applebee's NJ
- Tony Valentino – Area Director, Applebee's NY
DIRECTOR TEAM
KEVIN COUGHLIN, Director of Operations, Applebees
Mr. Coughlin serves as Director of Operations in central and southern New Jersey for our Applebee's concept. He has more than 28 years of experience in the restaurant industry, where he started as a dishwasher in 1977. After graduating from Florida State University in 1982 with a degree in Hotel /Restaurant Management, Mr. Coughlin joined Houlihan's as a Manager-In-Training. He spent fifteen years with Houlihan's, progressing from Manager to General Manager and Area Director.
In 1997, Kevin left Houlihan's to become Director of Operations for the Applebee's franchisee in Fairfield County, Connecticut. He left there to become Director of Operations for the Rainforest Cafes.
Recognizing that Applebee's is the premier casual-dining concept in the restaurant industry, Kevin joined Applebee's International in June 2002, becoming Franchise Consultant for the Northeast with primary responsibility for Doherty Enterprises, Inc. He joined the Doherty team in January 2004. Currently Kevin oversees five Area Directors in our New Jersey market.
MARC PRINCE, Director of Operations, Applebee's
Mr. Prince came to Applebee's in 1996 with many years of management experience. Starting in the restaurant industry at age 15, and working in various roles within the restaurants. Mr. Prince worked his way through the ranks and by the age of 21 attained his first General Manager position with El Torito Restaurants. After spending five years with El Torito in Long Island and Rochester NY Markets, Mr. Prince spent five years with T.G.I. Friday's in Upstate New York, four of which were at the General Manager level.
Marc started with Applebee's in January 1996. After completing his training, he served as a manager in several Applebee's locations. He was promoted to Training General Manager in Bohemia, New York, in 1997. Marc then opened the Lake Grove NY restaurant in June 1998, and was promoted to Executive Training General Manager. In September 2000, Marc opened the Riverhead, NY restaurant as Executive General Manager.
In August of 2001, Marc was promoted to Area Director, responsible for leading seven Neighborhood Grill & Bar's on Long Island. Over the course of the next 10 years, Marc continued to spearhead the continued development of Applebee's on Long Island through management teams, new openings and growth of sales and profitability.
In April of 2011, Marc was promoted to Director of Operations for Applebee's, responsible for overseeing all Neighborhood Grill & Bar's throughout Long Island and New Jersey.
RON BLAIS, Purchasing / Operations Services Director
Mr. Blais is a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, and has more than fifteen years of experience in the restaurant industry.
Having begun his career working for Friendly's Restaurants while attending college, Mr. Blais joined Chi-Chi's Mexican Restaurant after graduation and became General Manager of various units there. He went on to become General Manager of the Lone Star Steakhouse in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Ron's career with Doherty Enterprises began in December 1996. He assisted in the opening of the Applebee's in Parsippany and became its General Manager in February 1998. The following year he was chosen to open the Applebee's in Bridgewater as its General Manager. Five months after this successful opening, he was promoted to Executive General Manager. Under his leadership, the Bridgewater unit achieved Training Status in April 2001. He was then promoted to Area Director in February 2002. In June 2007, he left the AD position with a promotion to Purchasing/Operations Services Director for Doherty Enterprises. He is responsible for overseeing the purchasing and operations services function by effectively negotiating and monitoring pricing of goods and selective services.
CHRISSY COYNE, Director of Training
Ms. Coyne started her career as a manager in a privately owned restaurant. In 1996 she began working for Applebee's International Inc. as an In-Store Certified Host Trainer, serving in a restaurant that was then sold to Doherty Enterprises in May 1998. After one year she was promoted to supervisor, a position she held for two years. Within those two years, Chrissy also became the Training Coordinator for all of the Long Island Applebee's and a Corporate Trainer for Applebee's International, Inc. She has successfully opened more than fifty restaurants in the past nine years, overseeing training in all aspects of front-of-the-house operations.
Chrissy was promoted to Regional Training Coordinator in January 1999 and then to Director of Training in January 2002.
KERRY DOHERTY, Director of New Concept Development
Kerry Doherty, Director of New Concept Development, is responsible for researching and examining the restaurant marketplace, looking specifically at demographics, competitors and locations to identify new ideas and potential concepts for development. To this end, Kerry works with chefs to identify menus, plating of food, recipe costs and market pricing. Additionally Kerry works with architects, construction companies and designers to come up with the new look of our restaurants. Finally she works cross functionally to ensure that the concept's vision is implemented consistently and accurately through logos, menus, uniforms, etc.
Kerry may have grown up in the business but she got her first direct taste of the restaurant world working for Applebee's in Paramus. She earned her degree in Corporate Communications and Business Administration from Elon University in North Carolina. There, her internship with The Today Show, gave her great exposure to how many pieces of a production come together in a finished product. Upon graduation, she joined UBS Investment Bank as a Fixed Income Recruiter and was responsible for program planning, managing and recruiting college interns and full-time associates and designing a selection system. She also did community outreach to build relationships with local schools and businesses within the banking community to do event planning and implementation. She also initiated public relations strategies and techniques for non-profits and school programs in the community.
Kerry's role at Doherty pulls together her unique set of experiences and family restaurant success, as she helps to create and move research and ideas into reality.
SCOTT GROGAN, Controller
Mr. Grogan has a broad base of progressive financial management, analysis, and reporting experience. His professional background includes experience within a global Fortune 50 company, controller with a mid-sized manufacturing firm and large public accounting experience.
A graduate of Stockton State College where he earned a B.S. in Business Administration, Mr. Grogan began his career with J.H. Cohn and Company, a national "top-ten" accounting firm, participating in aspects of audit, tax and consulting for a wide range of clients. He went on to perform financial reporting and analysis for a large commercial printing company before affiliating with Merrill Lynch, where he served for fifteen years.
In his years with Merrill Lynch, Scott served in three different Controller capacities, supporting the company's operations division as Manager of Business Analysis – Production Technologies and its retail branch system as Vice President Finance – Private Client Group Finance. For the last four years of his association he was Vice President Finance in its Technology Group.
Scott joined Doherty Enterprises in February 2010 and oversees all accounting functions for our five concepts.
GORDON A. GROSS, Director of Construction
Mr. Gross has been with Doherty Enterprises since its inception. He began his career with Ed Doherty as General Manager of a Roy Rogers Restaurant. Mr. Gross was promoted to District Manager in 1987 and was responsible for eight Roy Rogers Restaurants.
In 1990, Gordon moved into a position where he was in charge of remodeling the 28 Roy Rogers Restaurants. In 1994, he was Promoted to Director of Construction and has been responsible for building all of the company's Applebee's, Chevys and Panera Bread and all other new concepts.
In addition to all new construction, Gordon handles any construction project or task as well as remodels in each concept.
MARGARET HAWKINS, Director of Human Resources
Margaret Hawkins leads our people management efforts and joined the company in November 2010. Margaret is new to the hospitality industry, but she brings a fresh eye and over 20 years of experience and insights in Human Resources centering in the pharmaceutical and clinical research arenas to Doherty Enterprises. She specializes in talent management and employee engagement and has built HR infrastructure, integrated acquisitions into cohesive operating units, supported research and development as a dedicated Generalist, developed competency based HR systems and at her last company, reduced turnover by 61%. Her career has been characterized by the building of productive work relationships across organizations through an unwavering customer focus and in supporting the development of those around her.
Margaret is a graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University and attended the Masters Program in Organizational Psychology at Columbia University. She also holds a certificate in Change Management from Cornell University and a Management Facilitation Certificate from the Covey Leadership Institute.
MELISSA MacDONELL, Director of Training
Ms. MacDonnell is a Graduate of The University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana with a B.S. in Economics and minors in Speech and Psychology. After college she worked in sales and marketing in the Chicago area and enrolled in graduate school at Northern Illinois University for post-graduate studies in English and Education. She taught English in the public schools for 2 years before deciding to pursue a career in the restaurant industry.
Melissa spent 12 years of her career working for Chili's Grill and Bar. Her various roles included Manager, General Manager, Training General Manager, Learning Strategist and most recently, Training Director. While in operations, she opened 3 new restaurants and trained dozens of managers. In her Training role she also supported 22 Area Directors in two Regions made up of 11 states. Melissa served as a trustee of the Illinois Restaurant Association Educational Foundation for three years and was involved with several programs to recruit and develop leaders in the restaurant industry. Ms. MacDonnell joined us as Director of Training in July 2007. She supports Applebee's restaurants in New York and New Jersey and supervises the Regional Training Manager position. Her responsibilities include field training support for 4 Area Director's , AD & GM Development Programs, and partnering on Succession Planning. Ms. MacDonnell is a Graduate of The University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana with a B.S. in Economics and minors in Speech and Psychology. After college she worked in sales and marketing in the Chicago area and enrolled in graduate school at Northern Illinois University for po¬st-graduate studies in English and Education. She taught English in the public schools for 2 years before deciding to pursue a career in the restaurant industry.
Melissa spent 12 years of her career working for Chili's Grill and Bar. Her various roles included Manager, General Manager, Training General Manager, Learning Strategist and most recently, Training Director. While in operations, she opened 3 new restaurants and trained dozens of managers. In her Training role she also supported 22 Area Directors in two Regions made up of 11 states. Melissa served as a trustee of the Illinois Restaurant Association Educational Foundation for three years and was involved with several programs to recruit and develop leaders in the restaurant industry. Ms. MacDonnell joined us as Director of Training in July 2007. She supports Applebee's restaurants in New York and New Jersey and supervises the Regional Training Manager position. Her responsibilities include field training support for 4 Area Director's , AD & GM Development Programs, and partnering on Succession Planning.
JIM REILLY, Director of Training, Quick Casual
Mr. Reilly joined the Doherty Enterprises Training Team in June 2006. He began his restaurant career in 1985, working for a McDonald's franchise on Long Island, New York. During his fourteen years with McDonald's, he worked his way up the ranks from hourly crew member to Assistant Manager, General Manager and eventually to Training General Manager.
In order to focus his career on Training and People Development, Jim left McDonald's in 1999 and joined Cosi Sandwich Bar as the Regional Training Manager. Through several organizational leadership changes and restructures of the company, he helped support the conversion of this entrepreneurial company's move into a professional and structured entity.
Mr. Reilly was promoted to Regional Training Director of Cosi in 2003, with responsibilities that spanned its East Coast locations from Boston to Miami. In addition to helping enhance and align its training and operations objectives, he had the opportunity to design, write and implement the Hourly and Management Training Programs for Cosi.
Jim also worked for Au Bon Pain as a multi-unit operator of two cafes in New York City.
Jim is a member of the Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers and holds degrees in Psychology and Sociology from Binghamton University.
PAUL SCHOBEL, Director of Finance
Paul is Doherty's Director of Finance. He joined us in 2002 and has provided a steady hand in leading our Financial Auditing team, championing our annual budget process and providing the reporting, analysis and metrics vital to running our Operations. Paul's employment highlights prior to coming to the company include managing Mutual Funds for Mellon Financial Corporation and several years as a Research Assistant, Mutual Fund Analyst and Manager of Research for Value Line Mutual Fund Survey.
In these roles, Paul gained experience in tracking performance of funds, analyzing investment strategies, ensuring accuracy of transactions for the client base and supervising the data collection and quality control for over 10,000 funds. Paul received his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Fairleigh Dickinson University and also holds a diploma from the Chubb Institute in Web Development and Business Programming.
REGGIE TOOMEY, Director of Training
Ms. Toomey started her career with Doherty Enterprises in April 2003 as a hostess at Applebee's in Middletown NJ. She earned her in-store trainer status in August 2004 and Associate of the Year as well as Trainer of the Year in 2005. Reggie was part of the Doherty Opening Team and participated in the opening of numerous Applebee's restaurants as a Corporate Trainer and Team Lead. In 2007, she was the lead trainer in the opening of The Shannon Rose and was quickly promoted to Regional Training Manager where she handled all New Store Openings for Doherty Casual Dining Concepts as well as Shannon Rose training initiatives. During this year she was honored with the Doherty Corporate WOW Award. In 2011 she was asked to lead training for Spuntino Wine Bar and Italian Tapas, Chevys and Quaker Steak and Lube in addition to The Shannon Rose.
In 2012 Reggie was promoted to Director of Training; Specialty Concepts. Her responsibilities include training support for all Specialty Concepts, various interdepartmental projects including brand and menu development, food cost initiatives, writing training materials, budgeting New Store Openings, and annual departmental initiatives.
RANDY DeVELVIS, Area Director, Panera Bread
Mr. DeVelvis has more than twenty years of restaurant experience. He began his career in food service as a dishwasher in 1984. Upon graduation from Georgia State University with a B.S. in Hotel and Restaurant Administration, he joined Houlihan's as a manager, where our own Kevin Coughlin was his Training General Manager. After achieving the position of Executive General Manager and working seven years with Houlihan's, he joined Sodexho Marriott, eventually managing two accounts in Baltimore. He then held positions as General Manager with Legal Sea Foods and John Harvard's Brew House in Maryland and Delaware.
Seeing the huge potential for career growth, Randy relocated to Long Island and joined the Doherty team as an assistant manager with Panera Bread in March 2002. Three weeks after completing training, he was promoted to General Manager in East Northport and went on to open the Walt Whitman and Bohemia locations before being promoted to Area Director in June 2004.
TIM MAGORRIAN, Area Director, Panera Bread / Noodles & Company
Mr. Magorrian's experiences in education and business are true assets in our industry. He attended Suffolk Community College, concentrating in Human Communications, also attending Suffolk County Fire Academy, which resulted in his becoming a Nationally Certified Firefighter/EMT. His expertise in these areas provides a solid foundation for an industry focused on service.
Tim learned the restaurant business from the ground up, working as a pizza maker and cook for approximately 4 years at a local restaurant in Selden, NY. His career path moved in a different direction for 2 years when he served as the Business Liaison for United Building Maintenance. His passion for the industry resulted in a return to food service and a business partnership in Happy Time Restaurant in Selden. Since joining our team in 2004, he has consistently demonstrated key leadership and managerial skills in staff communication, demonstrating best practices and working diligently to create an inclusive environment in our Panera Brand and now has become the Area Director of our Noodles and Company Resturatants.
JACK MATARAZZO, Area Director, Panera Bread
Mr. Matarazzo came to Doherty Enterprises with a B.S. in Food Service Management and an Associate's degree in Culinary Arts from Johnson & Wales University. He has a diverse background of management experiences. He was a Manager with Lackmann Culinary Services and was responsible for the dining services at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter in Manhattan.
Before coming to Doherty Enterprises, Jack served as Assistant Director for Restaurant Associates in The Time & Life Building, with responsibilities in cafe, executive dining and on- and off-premise catering. He joined Doherty Enterprises in 2002 and was a store manager for the company's first Panera Bread in Carle Place, Long Island. After six months he was promoted to General Manager of the company's second store, located in East Northport, New York.
After opening the East Northport cafe, Jack returned to Carle Place as General Manager, where the store soon obtained a comparative-sales increase of more than 34%, maintained controllable profits of 38%, and achieved the highest weekly and annual sales records for the entire Panera Bread Corporation. He also maintained a "Level 3" certification status while enabling Carle Place to become a certified training store.
Jack was promoted to Area Director in October 2004.
DANIEL O'BRIEN, Area Director, Panera Bread
Mr. O'Brien has more than fifteen years of experience in food service, in addition to management and customer experience in the car-rental and wholesale industries. He is a graduate of Saint Joseph's College with a B.S. in Business Management.
Prior to joining the Doherty team, Dan was Assistant General Manager of the Chequit and Rams Head Inns on Shelter Island. In early 2003 he entered the Panera Bread management-training program and was quick to earn a promotion to General Manager of the Hicksville Bakery-Cafe. Dan also has mentored numerous new managers in his position as a Training Store General Manager. He was promoted to the position of Area Director in August 2006.
DAN SODIKOFF, Area Director, Panera Bread
Mr. Sodikoff has more than twenty years of experience in the food service industry. He received a B.S. Degree in Hotel & Restaurant/Institutional Management and A.S. Degree in Food & Beverage Management from Johnson & Wales University. He has a diverse background of management experiences in contracted services, catering, and casual dining.
Prior to joining the Doherty team, Dan was a General Manager for Boston Market and a Manager for a home catering and prepared foods company. In January 2006 he entered the Panera Bread management-training program and was quick to earn a promotion to Opening General Manager of the North Babylon Bakery-Cafe. Dan was promoted to Training General Manager of the Hicksville Bakery-Cafe in September 2007, based on his commitment to Planet Bread and maintaining excellence as his standard. Dan has mentored numerous new managers in his position as a Training Store General Manager.
He was promoted to the position of Area Director in April 2011. Dan consistently maintains low turnover, using the on-boarding experience to set the tone and the expectations and follows through with good communication. He is excellent at leveraging feedback for positive action, addressing cafe issues quickly and often pro-actively. He is a role model in providing outstanding guest service.
ADAM EURY, Area Director, Applebee's
Mr. Eury joined Doherty Enterprises in 2002, bringing to our company more than twelve years of progressive experience with Darden Restaurants. Over the years he has achieved outstanding results in numerous highly competitive sales categories and has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills in our Applebee's.
Adam served in Bellmore and Valley Stream before being promoted to General Manager of Valley Stream and then of Woodmere. His continuing success in Woodmere led to his being promoted to Executive General Manager there. Adam also guided the management team in our Newark, NJ restaurant through a very successful opening in 2006.
Returning to Woodmere, Adam continued to excel in guiding his staff and developing many members into the roles of General Manager and Assistant General Manager. He was promoted to Area Director in December 2009 and currently oversees two restaurants in New Jersey, and four restaurants in New York.
SAM HALIM, Area Director, Applebee's
Mr. Halim joined Doherty Enterprises in January 1999, with more than twenty years of restaurant managerial experience in both hotels and casual dining. He started with the Penta Hotel in 1987, then the Essex House Hotel and the Crown Plaza Hotel in NYC. He left the hotel business to pursue new challenges as a General Manager in casual dining with Houlihan's restaurants in 1994. After successfully running 3 individual units, he decided to seek a company with more growth potential.
One year after joining Doherty Enterprises, Sam was promoted to General Manager of Brick Applebee's and was able to maintain training status in that unit. He then opened Wall Applebee's. Sam was promoted again in 2003 to Executive General Manager, then moved to Howell Applebee's and was its Training General Manager for 3 years. In 2003, he took over Toms River Applebee's and was very successful leading his team and helping his managers grow.
Sam was promoted to Area Director in April 2009 and is responsible for six restaurants.
WAYNE KAISER, Area Director, Applebee's
Mr. Kaiser has more than twenty five years of restaurant managerial experience in both hotels and casual dining. He started with the Ramada Inn chain, where he worked his way up to Banquet Manager and then to Food and Beverage Manager at Ramada. He left the hotel business to pursue new challenges in casual dining with Casey O' Tooles and then moved over to Red Robin restaurants. After successfully opening the first location as a Kitchen Manager, he was then promoted to General Manager. He then opened two more locations both in New York.
Seeking a company with more growth potential, Wayne joined Doherty Enterprises in June 1996. After thirteen months, he was promoted to General Manager of the Totowa Applebee's and broke many sales and profit records. He then opened stores in Linden, Hillsborough and Butler, New Jersey. Wayne was promoted to Area Director in June 2005 and is responsible for seven restaurants.
Wayne and his wife, Marianne, reside with their 3 daughters in Northern New Jersey.
KATHLEEN MALATO, Area Director, Applebee's
Mrs. Malato joined Doherty Enterprises in September 1996 with a proven track record in the industry that began in 1987 with S&A Restaurant Corporation. Her strong performance as an Assistant Manager in Tinton Falls, Piscataway and Brick, New Jersey, earned her a promotion to Assistant General Manager in Piscataway in 1998.
In January 1999, Kathleen was promoted again, this time to General Manager in Toms River. Under her leadership, the restaurant won numerous sales and community-recognition awards for "WOWing Our Guests and Our Community." Her associates and management team are quick to say that her leadership, dedication and teamwork are the attributes they admire most in her.
Kathleen was promoted to Area Director in March 2004. She is responsible for six Applebee's.
TOM MacDONNELL, Area Director, Applebee's
Mr. MacDonnell graduated from Rutgers University with a BA in English in 1993. While in college, Tom gained restaurant experience in the kitchen and bartending. Tom joined Doherty Enterprises in 1994 as a bartender and expediter on the opening team of our Applebee's in Paramus, NJ. Tom was promoted into management in 1999 and was quickly made a Kitchen Manager in Parsippany, a training location. He was promoted to General Manager in 2001 in Parsippany and subsequently opened our Flemington location in 2002, where he became a Training General Manager.
Since 2001, Tom has held the position of General Manager in multiple locations including Parsippany, Flemington, Bridgewater, Totowa, Butler and finally Clifton, our highest sales and control profit location. Through his knowledge of operations, focus on team building, and commitment to guest service, he has improved restaurant operations in every location he worked.
Tom was promoted to Area Director in April 2011 and is currently responsible for five Applebee's in Bergen County.
BRIAN McDONNELL, Area Director, Applebee's
Mr. McDonnell graduated from Sullivan County Community College with a degree in Hotel Restaurant Management, with ten years of prior experience in the restaurant business. After graduating from Culinary School, he expanded his career as a Chef in privately owned concepts before joining Applebee's.
Brian came to Applebee's in 1996 when there was only one Applebee's unit on Long Island. After finishing his training, he was placed in the Bohemia unit to assist with its opening. In 1997 he was part of the opening team in East Islip, serving as the Assistant General Manager, then was promoted to General Manager in 1998 shortly after Doherty Enterprises' purchase of the Long Island stores. After successfully executing operations in East Islip, he moved to Farmingville in November 1999, increasing sales by more than 20% for two consecutive years and turning the unit into a training restaurant. He was promoted to Executive General Manager in 2000.
In January 2003 Brian was promoted to Area Director, and is responsible for seven stores on Long Island.
MICHAEL McKEE, Area Director, Applebee's
Mr. McKee joined Doherty Enterprises in 1993 as a server in its first Applebee's venture in Piscataway, New Jersey. He was attending Rutgers University at that time and soon realized that the casual-dining industry was where he desired to be, earning a promotion to Restaurant Manager in June 1994. He worked in the Brick and Paramus Applebee's before becoming the General Manager of his own restaurant in 1996. He has held the General Manager position in Watchung, Paramus, Livingston and Clifton.
As Executive General Manager in Clifton, Mike led his team in becoming the #1 restaurant in all of the typical Applebee's prototypes, holding that distinction since 1999. In 2003, Applebee's Clifton was named "Restaurant of the Year" by the Doherty executive management team.
Mike was promoted to Area Director in November 2004 and is responsible for six New Jersey units.
DEREK NITTOLI, Area Director, Chevys
Mr. Nittoli joined the Doherty team in June 2001. An owner-operator of his own restaurant before joining our company, he has served as General Manager in four of our New Jersey Applebee's, contributing heavily to the success of each unit.
A team- and people-oriented leader, Derek began his General Managerships in Ocean in 2004. His strong understanding of the financial aspects of our business provided a positive impact on the restaurant's ratings. Serving subsequently in Woodbridge and Livingston, he continued to lead the restaurants in improving CSI scores and other ratings. In 2006 he transferred to Linden where he successfully led the team in earning the 2009 Restaurant of the 3rd Quarter Award. His commitment to community outreach was evident in the many fundraising events held in his restaurant, including a second Breakfast with Santa event to benefit underprivileged children living in the neighboring area.
Derek was promoted to Area Director of Chevys in February 2010 and currently oversees our two Chevys Fresh Mex restaurants.
JAMES PELLICIARI, Area Director, Applebee's
Mr. Pelliciari has more than thirty-one years of restaurant managerial experience. As a graduate of Iona College in 1982 with a B.B.A. degree in Marketing/Management, Mr. Pelliciari worked his way up from Assistant Manager to General Manager for Victoria Station Restaurants in New York. After a successful four-year run with Victoria Station, he joined Restaurant Associates and worked his way up to General Manager in the Charlie Brown's Division.
After being employed for seven years with Charlie Brown's, Jim wanted a new challenge and looked to join a fast-track company. Applebee's became his choice and he opened Doherty's first Applebee's in New Jersey, located in Piscataway, in October 1993, as the General Manager. After two successful years in Piscataway, he opened the fourth Doherty unit, located in Watchung, in June 1995.
Jim was promoted to Area Director in October 1996. He is responsible for seven Applebee's restaurants in New Jersey with total annual sales of over twenty-one million dollars.
TONY VALENTINO, Area Director, Applebee's
Mr. Valentino started his career at Sizzler at the age of 17. While managing the Sizzler in Wantagh, NY he attended NYT for Business Management and Culinary Arts. He worked in several restaurants to pay for his tuition: Sizzler, Houlihans as a line cook, the Marriot Hotel as a Saucier and the Knickerbockers Yacht Club as an Assistant Chef. Tony came to Applebee's in December 1995. He started as the Assistant Kitchen Manager, opening our Bohemia location. Several months later, he was promoted to Kitchen Manager of Bethpage. After having great success setting standards in Bethpage and helping to increase sales by 10%, he was asked to go to New Hyde Park to help out. While waiting to open Farmingville as the Kitchen Manager, he helped open Lake Grove and Farmingdale.
In 2000, Tony was promoted to General Manager and placed in Huntington. In the two-year span he was there, he and his team increased sales by over 7%. In 2002, Tony opened the Lindenhurst location with the highest one-week sales at that time. Later in 2002, Tony returned to Farmingdale where he experienced great success. He was promoted to Area Director in June of 2007 and is responsible for six restaurants.