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.

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.

Gregory Lee joined Southern Rock Restaurants as Chief Financial Officer on September 9, 2024, reporting to Max Piet and leading the accounting team. Greg comes to Southern Rock from CKE Restaurants, the parent company of Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr., where he led their domestic and international finance teams for the past seven years. He has a strong track record of elevating restaurant-level reporting, simplifying complex processes, and developing in-house talent. Previously, Greg worked for Sysco Foods, Darden Restaurants, and Kohl’s Department Stores. A Florida native growing strong roots in Tennessee, Greg relocated to Brentwood with his family in 2018. He and his wife Jennifer are raising three active kids. The younger Lees play a lot of sports, so Greg lives at soccer fields throughout the eastern US on weekends, and he wouldn’t trade the 1-on-1 time with his kids for anything. Having graduated twice from Brigham Young University, Greg is a loyal Cougar and loves college football. Don’t ask him about it, though. The conversation will never end. Greg is an Eagle Scout, a nationally licensed soccer coach, and coached youth football for the Brentwood Blaze the past four years. He also volunteers significant time with his church. Greg is thrilled to join the Southern Rock team and looks forward to rolling up his sleeves and working alongside a great team already in place!

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’

Tiffani grew up in the heart of Middle Tennessee and now lives in Brentwood with her husband, Jeff, their daughter, Parker, and son, Declan. She graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2008 with a degree in Business Administration—go Vols!

After working in insurance and customer service as an Office Manager with State Farm, Tiffani joined Southern Rock Restaurants in 2011 as the company’s second-ever employee. She’s been part of its growth every step of the way and today serves as Vice President Human Resources. In her role, she leads all things related to the team member experience—from payroll and benefits to creating a culture where people feel valued and supported.

With more than 6,000 employees across 160+ locations, Tiffani still sees each team member as part of her extended family. For her, it’s not just about policies or processes—it’s about people, relationships, and building a company where everyone feels like they belong.

With more than 20 years of marketing leadership experience, Carrie brings strategic vision and brand-building expertise to Southern Rock Restaurants as the Director of Marketing. Her career reflects a proven ability to transform marketing operations, cultivate powerful brand identities, and create memorable guest experiences that resonate across diverse markets.
Since joining Southern Rock Restaurants in 2019, she has been instrumental in guiding the company’s remarkable expansion while maintaining the authentic brand voice and community connections that define the Southern Rock experience. Under her leadership, the marketing team has evolved to support unprecedented growth, implementing innovative strategies that strengthen both market presence and guest loyalty across all locations.

Her approach combines data-driven decision with creative innovation, resulting in record-breaking performance for new restaurant openings and significant growth in catering operations. She has championed guest engagement initiatives that have transformed how Southern Rock connects with its guests and has created strategies for building lasting guest relationships that extend beyond individual dining experiences.

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.

Courtney Dempsey is the Director of People Analytics and Recruitment at Southern Rock Restaurants, where she leads talent strategy and digital transformation for a 150+ location restaurant group. A recognized leader in agentic AI recruitment, Courtney has pioneered the use of conversational AI and automation to streamline high-volume hiring, reduce costs, and deliver a best-in-class candidate
experience.

She is a sought-after thought leader, frequently speaking and advising on the future of AI in talent acquisition, and is known for setting the pace in digital recruiting rather than simply keeping up with trends.

Courtney serves as a Client Board Member for Paradox and is an AI Advisory Board Member for HR.com, collaborating with industry leaders to shape the future of HR technology and AI-driven talent acquisition. Her expertise spans people analytics, workforce technology, and the integration of next-generation AI platforms to drive business results.

Courtney’s work has been featured in industry podcasts, webinars, and publications, and she is recognized for her ability to turn talent acquisition into a revenue-driving function.

Lisa’s restaurant journey began over 15 years ago while serving and bartending during her time at Michigan State University. After graduating with a B.S. in Dietetics, she discovered her true passion—not just for hospitality, but for developing people.

She worked her way through various roles before stepping into management, where she became deeply invested in training, coaching, and operation excellence. As a General Manager, Lisa found fulfillment in helping teams grow, refining systems, and fostering a culture of learning. With a people-first mentality, she takes pride in supporting both career and personal growth.

Her strong operational background and dedication to leadership development led her to roles as an Area Director and later Director of Operations Services, where she standardized systems and built company-wide training programs.

Now, as Director of Learning & Development at Southern Rock, Lisa blends her passion for training with her sharp attention to detail and knack for solving tough challenges. Whether streamlining systems, enhancing training programs, or finding creative solutions, she draws on her operational experience to make a lasting impact. Most importantly, she’s committed to creating an environment where people feel valued, supported, and set up for success—not just at work, but in life.

Ginger Anderson is a CPA and veteran in the restaurant industry. She began her career at Logan’s Roadhouse, holding positions in the accounting and finance departments and gaining experience with both a public offering and subsequent acquisition by Cracker Barrel during her 8-year tenure where the concept grew from 5 to 95 units. She then served as a Supervisor and Manager in the franchise services division at the public accounting firm, Horne LLP, for the next 6 years until she was recruited by former executives of Logan’s as Controller for DLR Restaurants, LLC. Ginger grew with the company for the next 7 years while working with private equity. She then spent the next 4 years as Controller at Demos’ Brands, a multi-concept family-owned chain, followed by another stint in public accounting at Blankenship CPA. Ginger left Native Foods, as Controller, to join the Southern Rock family in 2023 as a financial analyst and currently serves as the Director of Treasury.

Ginger is a Tennessee native and resides in Brentwood, TN, and has a daughter who lives in Chicago. She loves being outdoors and in nature and enjoys daily walks at the park with her Shih Tzu-Terrier mixed dog. She enjoys reading, many genres of music, live sports and traveling.

Bobby was born and raised in Middle TN where he currently lives with his wife, Satoko, their children, Scarlett & Lawrence, and their two shibas, Niko & Dash. He graduated from The Georgia Institute of Technology with a degree in Computational Media and Japanese. After a few years 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 in 2019 where he learned the ins and outs of nearly every role in the Support Center and gradually began to build and refine processes and infrastructure while utilizing technology. As a Data Analyst & Integrations Manager, Bobby continues to evaluate and implement new technologies while leveraging Excel and Bi tools to shape and transform data from different sources into usable formats – including data imports, operational tools, reports, and dashboards. Bobby has developed training and process documents that can be referenced when needed, while he also manages the Accounting ERP (Sage) and Project Management tools (Asana) 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.