Emily cemented her role as a member of the Executive Leadership team at Chick-fil-A Shelby Township (CFAST) due to her drive and versatility, having a positive impact on all aspects of the business, including operations, as well as strategy, being both a thinker and doer.

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Beginning her journey at CFAST in the Back of House, Emily’s focus was to develop the kitchen team, leading to consistently producing amazing food. Emily was elevated to an overarching role to help oversee the BOH and Front of House, helping to establish cohesiveness across the business with systems and processes, coaching to maintain standards of excellence. Emily later ascended to her current role to lead Talent, which includes recruiting, interviewing, hiring, and onboarding. Emily collaborates with the Owner-Operators and the Executive Leadership Team to drive strategies to ensure the restaurant is fully staffed, with talented, caring Team Members. She also is the architect of CFAST’s Leader in Training program.

Beyond Talent, Emily’s role includes tracking and measuring analytics in support of business performance, including sales, profits, expenses, as well as Customer Experience Monitor (CEM) scores within great food, fast & accurate service, genuine hospitality, and cleanliness & organization. Emily also maintains key administrative responsibilities in serving as a steward of the business, including accounts payable, scheduling, and attendance.

Having joined CFAST with a strong foundation, Emily’s background included 10 years as a general manager at Dairy Freezzz, as well as internships at Disney World and Marriott. Emily studied Hospitality and Tourism Management at Grand Valley State University, with an emphasis in Lodging Management.

A native of Warren, MI, Emily is newly married to husband Vince, and they have a dog named Kylo and two cats named Simba and Mufasa. In her free time, Emily enjoys watching the Food Network, listening to podcasts, and scrolling Instagram.

Marissa has been a strong force at Chick-fil-A Shelby Township (CFAST) from day one, steadily rising-up the ranks, proving herself to be an integral member of the Executive Leadership team.

In her current role, overseeing Back of House (BOH) Operations, Marissa leads by example. She is a dynamic, organized, collaborative individual who excels within hands-on project management. Marissa strives to ensure that every guest feels welcome and cared for by first focusing on her team serving great food. Marissa also leads the build-out and activation of the BOH Leadership Development program, with an ongoing focus to identify and train future leaders.

Partnering with the Senior Head Coach in the Front of House, Marissa co-leads the restaurant in also having a presence up-front. Part of Marissa’s genius is being interchangeable in having full command of systems and processes, back-to-front, inside and out. She has a blackbelt in how to properly prepare amazing food, as well as a deep understanding of the complexities to execute the various sales channels, to help CFAST to win hearts every day in meeting and exceeding guest expectations.

Having come from six years of experience in the research and development industry, Marissa has brought her technical skills to CFAST to ensure that the facility and its equipment are functioning at peak performance for top quality food and ease of use for our Team Members.

Enrolled at Wayne State University, Marissa is pursuing a degree in Fine Arts to become an educator, to reach those who wish to use art for forms of therapy and emotional support. Marissa is from Knoxville, TN, and is married to her husband, Cody. Marissa enjoys spending time gardening and engaging in automotive restoration.

Brandolyn leveraged her extensive experience within the restaurant industry to make an immediate impact upon joining Chick-fil-A Shelby Township (CFAST),and is now a valued member of the Executive Leadership team.

In her current role of overseeing the Front of House (FOH), Brandolyn is proactive and precision oriented as she excels in organizing people and projects, being decisive to assess and address opportunities. Brandolyn and her team are responsible for the execution of multiple sales channels, including drive-thru, dine-in, carry out, mobile carry out, third-party delivery, and catering. She prioritizes developing the FOH leadership team, to provide fast and accurate service and uncommon hospitality, as well as being bullish to maintain a clean and organized environment, inside and out, combining to provide the best possible guest experience.

Partnering with the Senior Head Coach in Back of House (BOH), Brandolyn co-leads the restaurant in having good two-way communication with the FOH and BOH, enabling both houses to work together as one to meet and exceed guest expectations.

Prior to joining CFAST, Brandolyn garnered over 20 years of experience within food and hospitality, taking a dirt road approach, starting as an entry-level dishwasher, and working her way up to server. She helped open a Texas Roadhouse, later advancing to corporate trainer for the brand, where for three years she traveled to open new Texas Roadhouse locations nationwide, recruiting and training staff. Brandolyn then worked for 10 years with Twisted Rooster, elevating to General Manager, where she also traveled to locations across the region to help with development of teams and operations.

A native of Sterling Heights, MI, Brandolyn attended Baker College. Brandolyn is married to husband Doug, and they have one daughter. She appreciates that a career at CFAST offers her the ideal blend of challenging and fulfilling work, balanced with the opportunity to spend quality time with family and friends. She also enjoys reading, Netflix, and being active, including boating, golfing, and cooking.

Jack is a core member of the Chick-fil-A Shelby Township (CFAST) Executive Leadership team, where he truly enjoys creating a welcoming experience to all whom come in contact with Chick-fil-A.

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With a genuine and fun-spirited personality, Jack models, trains, and coaches the team to use correct techniques within each position, while encouraging a selfless approach with hospitality as leader of the CFAST training program. Jack captains an internal training committee, and he collaborates with leaders across the business to capture storewide systems and processes to maximize efficiency. He also designed and delivers new employee orientations, and he is the facilitator for the CFAST Playbook.

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Having a passion for investing in the development of others, Jack also oversees the CFAST Leaders in Training (LIT) program, designed for new and upcoming leaders within the business. His goal is not only to develop a leader’s knowledge of the business so they can serve amazing food, but also their unique role in helping CFAST live out its purpose, to take joy in making someone else’s day.

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The son of immigrants, Jack cultivated an entrepreneurial spirit growing up “under the counter” of his parent’s business. As a college student, Jack started his own shipping company sending packages to Europe. After graduating from college, Jack began a career in broadcast production with the NBA Detroit Pistons and Palace Sports & Entertainment. During his 10 years at PS&E, starting as an intern, he served as a Producer, Production Manager, and Director of Creative Services. He won a national Golden Matrix award for Best Sports Promotional video, along with being a part of numerous Emmy Award winning projects. Jack also served as in-arena voice of the Pistons and the IHL Detroit Vipers professional hockey team.

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Jack expanded his entrepreneurial makeup after leaving the Pistons to join his wife’s family-operated specialty business as Vice President of Marketing and Business Development. During his 20 years in leadership at Doll Hospital and Toy Soldier Shop, he was successful in growing sales exponentially and taking an active role in a highly guest centric business. Prior to helping launch CFAST, Jack spent three years in leadership training and development with Chick-fil-A Holland, MI.

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A native of Dearborn Heights, MI, Jack graduated from Wayne State University. Jack is married to wife Stacey, and they have two boys. In his free time, Jack enjoys making luxurious and mouth-watering meals from scratch for his friends and loved ones. He also enjoys simple pleasures like walking his dog Maya and calling his lifelong best friend for a daily catch-up.

Kristen is a key member of the Chick-fil-A Shelby Township (CFAST) Executive Leadership team, spearheading marketing efforts, utilizing an inside-out approach. She takes joy supporting the business in leading with a servant’s heart.

Internally, Kristen utilizes her talent and creativity to help design and execute a year-round Team Member Experience, dubbed TMX365. She works closely with the Owner-Operators to ensure their vision and the core values of Chick-fil-A are the foundation on which the business grows. Kristen helps to plan and organize year-round events and activities to help build togetherness, culture, and fun, as well as ongoing team member recognition.

Externally, Kristen is focused on building relationships outside of CFAST, designing, implementing, and managing strategies to grow sales, developing strategic partnerships, and identifying opportunities to positively influence the community via CFAST’s unique resources, including fundraising, an in-kind donation program, and random acts of kindness.

Prior to joining CFAST, Kristen spent nearly two decades in education, most recently as an elementary principal. Having worked the first 14 years in the classroom, and then four years in administration, Kristen has a diverse background in creating supportive and welcoming cultures, as well as building relationships with stakeholders. Kristen volunteers as a small group leader in her church’s youth group, while also participating in local outreach events throughout the year.

A native of Detroit, MI, Kristen, received her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, MI, before then obtaining her Master’s degree in Educational Technology from Central Michigan University. Kristen is married to husband Jesse, and they have three children, and a dog named Juno. Kristen loves a challenging game of darts or corn hole, a good book, and having spontaneous adventures with her family.

Craig is a key member of the Chick-fil-A Shelby Township (CFAST) Executive Leadership team. Craig joins us most recently from the athletic department at Siena College in Albany, NY where he was associate director for external relations.  Prior to that, Craig spent 20 years leading brand development, marketing, communications, public relations, and sales for the NBA Detroit Pistons and NHL Detroit Red Wings. 

At CFAST, Craig will oversee branding, marketing, communications, and outside sales.  In addition, he will collaborate with our leadership team to execute the "Winning Hearts Every Day" operations strategy. Demonstrating high character, competitiveness, and a caring nature, Craig’s superpower is making decisions based on experiencing moments through the eyes of the consumer. 

Having a passion for food, Craig and his wife launched Bull & Basil Wood Fired Pizza, a mobile catering pizza experience, in 2019.

Craig is a native of Pittsfield, MA, received his undergraduate degree from Siena, where he is a member of the College's Hall of Fame, and earned his Masters in Sports Management from the University of Connecticut. Craig and his wife Carol have three grown children Sara, Laura, and Joe. 

Chantay comes to CFAST as an Executive Strength Coach to continue to grow the leadership team and grow the business. She recently joins us coming from Chick-fil-A, Inc. completing the Leadership Development Program traveling the country for the since April 2021. Her experiences in her travel has given her immense exposure and experience leading several Chick-fil-A Restaurant's and Opening brand new restaurants  which will have immediate value add to our team and to our guests. Previous to Chick-fil-A, Chantay was an HR Business Partner for a Mental Health Agency creating training programs and systems for the business as well.
 
At CFAST, Chantay will come alongside the Executive Leaders and Head Coaches to grow capacity in their role and within the business area to continue to execute being brilliant at the basics. Chantay has a superpower of asking the right questions and knowing what to do with the information to be strategic and create action.
 
Coming from Toledo, Ohio Chantay is excited to be a new Detroiter and helping the brand of Chick-fil-A grow in the Detroit-Metro Area. She has a passion for people development, streamlining processes and food! She has a husband, Ethan, who traveled with her in the program and who also serves Chick-fil-A, Inc as a Contractor. 

Colleen handles Payroll, W2, and supports other administrative responsibilities in support of Chick-fil-A Shelby Township (CFAST).

Joining CFAST with 30 years of experience across marquee brands, including the NBA Detroit Pistons, the NFL Detroit Lions, Quicken Loans, and the non-profit sector, Colleen brings extensive industry knowledge and expertise to her specialized role. Colleen has command of all things payroll and utilizes her well-rounded business acumen to support the CFAST Executive Leadership Team.

A native of East Detroit, MI, Colleen graduated from Western Michigan University, and is married to husband Dave. After spending 25 years in Algonac, MI, they now reside locally and have a daughter, a son-in-law, and a granddaughter that they adore. Colleen enjoys kayaking, spending time with family and friends, and spending time Up North.

Nick is a Head Coach in the Back of House (BOH) for Chick-fil-A Shelby Township (CFAST), with an emphasis on food quality.

CFAST is Nick’s first professional experience, where he has flourished as a young leader. His dedication to the brand and standards were quickly noticed. Starting as a Team Member, he then carved his own path forward to Trainer, Team Lead, Assistant Coach, and now Head Coach, gaining full command of each level every step of the way.

Continually growing as a leader, Nick is considerate, responsible, patient, and dedicated, always striving to create an orderly and harmonious environment. As a result, it was a natural fit for him to expand his role to help lead CFAST’s BOH training program, with a focus on building systems and processes to maximize efficiency in our fast-paced kitchen. He enjoys positively influencing new team members by showing them the necessary steps and proper techniques to execute each position, and how to do it within a culture of care.

As part of his dedication to food quality, Nick is responsible for adherence to important systems for breading and quantity control to help CFAST consistently serve hot, fresh food, to meet and exceed guest’s expectations.

Growing up in Mt. Clemens, MI, Nick is a big Detroit sports fan, especially the Lions and Tigers! His love for animals goes beyond sports as has two cats named Storm and Rayne. Nick plans to further strengthen his professional acumen by pursuing an advanced education.

Amber is a Head Coach in the Back of House at Chick-fil-A Shelby Township (CFAST), with a special focus on leading the prep area.

Dedicated to excellence, Amber is the driving force behind CFAST’s fresh and delicious salads, fruit cups, wraps, and parfaits. She opens the store, orders produce, and makes sure all CFAST’s products are fresh and of the best quality.

A model of consistency, Amber started as a Team Member and worked her way up to Team Lead, Assistant Coach, and now Head Coach. She is one of the first to arrive each day, and always with an amazing smile and positive attitude that energizes the team on those early mornings.

Prior to joining CFAST, Amber worked at Avancez, building tires, and before that she worked at Krispy Kreme as a processor decorating doughnuts. She began her career in the food industry at Chili’s.

A native of Roseville, MI, Amber is married to husband Mario. Amber works side-by-side in the prep area with her younger sister, Nikki, who she is very proud of! When not at CFAST, Amber is an avid bowler and loves to play football.

Laura joined Chick-fil-A Shelby Township (CFAST) at Grand Opening, and has been an unsung hero throughout, elevating into a Leadership position in the Back of House (BOH), where she has expertise within inventory management.

Starting at CFAST as a Team Member in the BOH, Laura led with humility, accountability, and a quiet confidence. Those admirable virtues and her continual dedication to learn the English language set her on her path at CFAST, elevating from an entry-level position to Head Coach in the BOH. Laura specializes in food costs and ordering truck on a daily basis, one of the most difficult and important positions in the restaurant.

With an extensive background in food/inventory, Laura quickly became interested in Chick-fil-A’s Shared Table program, which was established to fight against food insecurity and reduce food waste in local communities. Laura now oversees the CFAST Shared Table program, collaborating with local non-profits to donate food as part of the CFAST community giveback platform.

Prior to joining CFAST, Laura started to develop her skillsets at a small-town pharmacy, including customer service, cash management, and daily inventory. She then gave herself more dimension working as an Agronomist in the Agriculture field, in which she held a position of leadership in a farming environment. She learned big machinery as part of ground preparation, crop growth, seed planting, harvesting, and packing and selling, to ensure the best crops possible for customers. She was also in charge of full inventory regarding opportunities for the business to receive better benefits for their product, and in relation to sales and profits.

Kimm has established herself as a morning staple at Chick-fil-A Shelby Township, opening the restaurant and leading the Front of House (FOH) Drive-thru during breakfast and lunch.

Bursting with energy and positivity, Kimm is up with the morning sun to bring joy and delight to our team and our guests in the FOH, with a knack for remembering guests names and really getting to know them! Kimm possesses a wonderful combination of strength and finesse, having command of operations, while exuding grace within hospitality. She teams-up with the PM Drive-thru Lead throughout each day to maximize efficiency, while also creating an “experience” for guests in the drive-thru.

Proficient with systems and processes, Kimm provides training, tools, equipment, and vision to help position the drive-thru team for success. Kimm coaches the team on the principle of going slow to go fast, paying close attention to detail to ensure each order is accurate, doing it correctly as fast as you can. As part of her focus on thru-put, Kimm is also responsible for technology, as well as the exterior cleanliness and organization.

Prior to joining CFAST, Kimm accumulated 18 years of leadership experience at McDonald’s restaurants throughout the state of Michigan. Highly regarded at McDonalds, Kimm attended Hamburger University, and was a General Manager in training. Kimm also has experience with Gateway Computers.

A native to Sterling Heights, MI, Kimm is married to husband David, they have three boys, and three German Shepherds named Zoey, Scout, and Oakley. Kimm actively volunteers, including being a Scout with her sons. A reflection of her fun personality, she also has a noteworthy collection of bowling balls, Yetti items, Christmas North Pole village decor, teapots, and Care Bears.

Jennifer began with Chick-fil-A Shelby Township (CFAST) as a part-time Front of House (FOH) Team Member, quickly establishing herself as a responsible and conscientious individual who leads with humility.

Now, as a Head Coach in FOH, Jennifer continues to guide the Team Members, helping them to be the best versions of themselves. One of her many strengths is connecting with and building relationships with the younger Team Members, who naturally lean to her because of her gentle and gracious demeanor.

In addition to her role in Operations, Jennifer passionately oversees cash management and FOH inventory. She understands these areas are incredibly important to the success of the business, and takes great care in leading them, while sharing her enthusiasm to engage other’s support across the business.

Prior to joining CFAST, Jennifer’s background included experience within education. She previously oversaw daily operations within the Oakland Schools district, managing events for 12 consultants and a supervisor, for over five years.

A native of Troy, MI, Jennifer is married to husband Steve, and they have two children. Jennifer ​​attended Central Michigan University, Wayne State University, as well as Macomb Community College for her EMT certificate. Outside of work, Jennifer enjoys hiking, traveling, watching her son play lacrosse, and watching her daughter compete in equestrian events.

Holly’s strong work ethic and diligence in the Front of House (FOH) at Chick-fil-A Shelby Township (CFAST) was rewarded as she was elevated to Head Coach, with a focus on training.

Climbing with care, Holly demonstrated resilience and resolve in moving up the organizational chart in textbook fashion, starting as a dedicated Team Member, then to Team Lead, Assistant Coach, and now Head Coach, leveraging the support, encouragement, and feedback from the leadership team to continually grow as a leader each step of the way.

Recognized as being dependable, warmhearted, and a problem solver, Holly was a natural fit to help lead the CFAST Training program, with a focus on establishing FOH systems and processes. Her fulfillment comes from teaching new Team Members how to execute each position with excellence, providing helpful tips, and continually coaching them to reach their full potential. Holly’s contributions to the business extend to overseeing the execution and analysis of eQRAs, as well as Smart Shop evaluations.

Prior to joining CFAST, Holly gained valuable experience in the service industry at Chipotle. And for the last eight years she has also taught a variety of dance classes in pursuing her passion for the arts. Holly is a qualified Cecchetti Ballet teacher for grades one through four, while also teaching jazz, tap, ballet, lyrical, pointe, hip-hop, poms, technique, and stretch classes.

A native of Richmond, MI, Holly is proud of her hometown roots. She loves spending time with her family and friends, including game nights with great snacks, and she also enjoys crocheter.

Lauren has leveraged her extensive professional experience to ascend to leading the Front of House (FOH) PM Drive-thru at Chick-fil-A Shelby Township (CFAST).

Lauren began her journey at CFAST in our Leader in Training program, dedicated to learning systems and processes to execute our multi-faceted operation. She then moved on to more complex business strategy and problem-solving, including finance, staffing, and customer relations.

Co-leading the Drive Thru Experience for Team Members, Lauren takes joy in providing the proper training, tools, equipment, and vision to set up our team for success. In turn, she holds our team accountable, measuring our performance in minutes and seconds.

Having diverse professional experiences serves Lauren well at CFAST, including a retail background in having had significant roles and positive outcomes at Target Corp. and Apple Inc, At Target, after managing 11 stores, she became a Store Team Leader where she had her own store and a team of 175. Lauren’s responsibilities and team increased when she was recruited to Apple Inc. She focused on delivering the Apple experience and growing the business, which provided her training opportunities, and led her to open new stores for Apple in the U.S.

A heart for giving back, Lauren is a part of the Big Sister of Detroit program, where she has had the opportunity to mentor a special young girl. She also volunteers with Grace Center of Hope, serving meals to residents in their treatment program, and she serves on a committee of a local women’s club activating community outreach initiatives.

A native of Atlanta, GA, and a graduate from State University of New York at Buffalo  with a B.S. in Psychology, Lauren is married to husband Patrick, is the mother of two girls, and their family pets include a black lab named Samson, and three chickens named Rosie, Snowflake, and Poppy. Her family loves to spend time on the coast of Georgia and skiing out west!