MEET OUR TEAM
Larry Harris
Co-Founder, Chairman
Mr. Harris is a seasoned industry executive with 40 years of public and private restaurant experience at all levels. Particular areas of expertise include: operations, marketing, finance, mergers & acquisitions and real estate development. Mr. Harris' tenure in the industry includes ten years with Pizza Hut, Inc. and PepsiCo Foods International, serving as the Chief Operations Officer for Pizza Hut operations in Mexico. Mr. Harris was also the largest independent franchisee for Monterrey Pasta, with a geographic territory that included the states of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. In addition, Mr. Harris previously served as Vice President of Operations for Boston Chicken, Inc. and President of Harvest Restaurant Group.
Co-Founder, Chairman
Allen Jones
Co-Founder, President & Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Jones is a high-energy, analytical operations executive with over 25 years of operational experience at some of the most respected restaurant companies in the industry such as On the Border, Red Lobster, Olive Garden and Applebee’s. During his tenure with Applebee's International, Mr. Jones served as National Manager of Management Development, and later as the Chief Operations Officer for a fast growing franchisee located in Texas. Applebee's International awarded Mr. Jones the prestigious Chief Operations Officer of the Year Award in 1995, 1996 and 1998. This award is given for excellence in store-level operations and management development. Mr. Jones received his bachelor's degree from Norfolk State University.
Co-Founder, President & CEO
Jason Kemp
Co-Founder, Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Kemp has over 20 years of finance, accounting and IT experience within the hospitality industry. His experience includes developing back-office and corporate IT/accounting functions over multiple platforms for brands such as Boston Market/Chicken, Steak & Ale, Bennigan's and other regional chains. Mr. Kemp currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer and is responsible for all acquisitions as well as managing the partners internet assets.
Co-Founder, CFO
Brian Padilla
Operations Partner
Mr. Padilla has over 12 years of experience committed to various aspects of the restaurant industry including food service distribution, independent restaurant ownership, commercial real estate development and most recently, franchise business development & operations. He is responsible for working closely with FMP's partners to identify locations, grow the business and manage the brands in his markets. Mr. Padilla was awarded the New Franchisee of the Year award for Buffalo Wild Wings and has also won several store sales awards. Mr. Padilla graduated from New Mexico State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Finance and earned his MBA from the University of Phoenix.
Operations Partner
Robert Amaro
Vice President of Finance
Mr. Amaro has over 25 years of professional experience, specializing in financial accounting and reporting for multi-unit retail and restaurant companies. His experience includes success in key management positions for large international organizations including Deloitte Consulting, AFC Enterprises (former owners of Church's Chicken and Popeye's Chicken), Black-Eyed Pea Restaurants, Pearle Vision and Moore Business Forms. Mr. Amaro has a proven track record of developing and implementing creative business solutions to continually improve the operational efficiency and effectiveness of accounting and administration systems and has been a licensed Certified Public Accountant since 1985. He holds a BBA in Accounting from Texas Tech University.
VP of Finance
Brian Bailey
Vice President of Operations
Mr. Bailey has been employed at Food Management Partners for over 10 years, starting at the company as the General Manager of our College Station Buffalo Wild Wings. Showing high levels of leadership and analytical proficiency, Mr. Bailey quickly garnered additional responsibilities and promotions. In addition to his tenure at FMP, he has also worked for Brinker International. Prior to beginning his career in the restaurant industry, Mr. Bailey served in the United States Air Force and attended Sam Houston State University.
VP of Operations
Peter Donbavand
Vice President of Real Estate & Business Development
Mr. Donbavand is a State of Texas licensed real estate broker with over 10 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry, as well as another 8 years working in the restaurant industry. Previously, Mr. Donbavand worked for both Cushman & Wakefield and Mohr Partners, two of the real estate industry's leading full service brokerage firms. Since joining FMP in 2007, Mr. Donbavand has overseen the acquisition, disposition, and development of more than 50 restaurant locations. Mr. Donbavand graduated from Baylor University with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree.
VP Real Estate & Bus. Dev.
Tracy Amass
Director of Human Resources
Ms. Amass has over 14 years of experience in human resources and currently serves as our Director of Human Resources. Prior to joining the company, Ms. Amass was the Manager of Recruiting for La Quinta Hotels - Southern Region. Ms. Amass is certified in OSHA and Federal Employment Law and Compensation & Benefits Analysis.
Director of Human Resources
Mike Griffith
Director of Marketing
Mr. Griffith has served as our Director of Marketing since January 2008. Prior to joining FMP, he worked as Director of Field Marketing for Whataburger in San Antonio, Texas, and has worked closely with several large restaurant chains to develop marketing and media plans through his roles with various advertising agencies. Mr. Griffith held various marketing positions at Grandy’s, and owned and operated Money Mailer of South Dallas. He graduated from St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas, with a Bachelor of Arts degree.
Director of Marketing
Hugo Gonzalez
Director of Information Technology
Mr. Gonzalez has 8 years of experience in the information technology industry with an extensive background in technology structural engineering as well as support and maintenance. Prior to joining the company, Mr. Gonzalez worked for Brandwood Wireless, building and upgrading radio communication towers, and SSP Partners, installing and supporting store networks at over 300 Stripes and Town & Country convenience stores in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico. Mr. Gonzalez and his staff currently manage all restaurant point-of-sale, corporate servers, and web applications. Mr. Gonzalez has his MCSA, CCNA and A+ certifications.