Fall 2025 Stories

Chicken salad chief

Scott Deviney, CEO of Chicken Salad Chick, has grown the restaurant chain tenfold in 10…

Burger boss

Baddie’s Burgers founder Joe Nedza always knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur.

A Starr CFO

Nancy Furr had a wandering path to become the chief accountant at a restaurant group…

Queso and community

With his restaurants, Pranav Patel aims to make diners happy and give back to his…

Exceeding expectations

As CEO at FSC Franchise Corp., Chris Elliott oversees three national brands with 280 locations…

A chef with many hats

Matt Needle drew on early culinary curiosity to carve out a multifaceted career in the…

A local legacy

Former stockbroker Chris Lloyd owns and operates two of Athens’ favorite restaurants.

Ham like a hug

The family history of Honey Baked Ham helped shape its stores’ warm culture, which is…

What’s the big idea?

Terry Third Thursday, the college’s monthly breakfast speaker series, has been serving up inspiration for…