Burney Jennings of Biscuitville FRESH SOUTHERN is Board Chair
Raleigh, NC (January 30) — At its annual meeting in Raleigh on Jan. 30, the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association (NCRLA) Board elected Greensboro restaurateur, Burney Jennings, to serve as chair for a one-year term.
He was sworn in by the board of directors along with a new slate of officers including Tom Pashley from Pinehurst Resort as Vice Chair; Jason Smith from 18 Restaurant Group as Treasurer; Sheri Erhart from CMC Hotels as Secretary; Jim Beley from the Umstead Hotel & Spa as the Travel & Tourism Board Liaison; and Lance Trenary from the Golden Corral Corporation as the National Restaurant Association Liaison. Outgoing board chair Amber Moshakos from LM Restaurants will continue to serve on the executive committee as immediate past chair.
In addition to the Executive Committee, the board also welcomed three new members: Kelly Harrill from the Koury Hospitality Group, Cheetie Kumar, formerly of Garland, and Jim Gratton from the Marriott SouthPark Charlotte.
“We are fortunate to have such strong, strategic business and community leaders to serve on the NCRLA Board,” said NCRLA President and CEO Lynn Minges. “The leadership continues to be enormously important as the hospitality industry deals with the challenges left behind by the pandemic.”
In 2023, the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association will continue to focus on issues affecting the industry including workforce development and recruiting, workforce training and cultivating relationships with leaders and policy makers that support the hospitality industry.
Burney Jennings has served on the NCRLA Board since 2017. He has also led his family-owned business Biscuitville FRESH SOUTHERN as Executive Chair for more than two decades. During his tenure, he oversaw the transition in the company’s branding to “Fresh Southern,” which highlights the business’s locally produced ingredients. He earned his undergraduate degree from Elon University. He has served on the university’s Board of Trustees since 2000. He received Elon’s Young Alumnus of the Year Award in 1997 and in 2016 was recognized as one of the Triad’s Most Admired CEOs by The Triad Business Journal.
2023 NCRLA Board of Directors
- Burney Jennings, Chair, Biscuitville FRESH SOUTHERN
- Tom Pashley, Vice Chair, Pinehurst Resort
- Jason Smith, Treasurer, 18 Restaurant Group
- Sheri Ehrhart, Secretary, CMC Hotels
- Jim Beley, NC Travel & Tourism Board Liaison, The Umstead Hotel and Spa
- Lance Trenary, National Restaurant Association Liaison, Golden Corral Corporation
- Amber Moshakos, Immediate Past Chair, LM Restaurants
Members
- Patrick Aiello, Ecolab
- Andy Clark, US Foods
- Phil Friedman, Salsarita’s Fresh Cantina
- Tim Goss, Firehouse Subs
- Jim Gratton, Marriott SouthPark Charlotte
- Kelly Harrill, Koury Hospitality Hotels
- Doris Huebner, F & D Huebner, LLC
- Russ Jones, Davidson & Jones
- Cheetie Kumar, formerly of Garland
- Scott Maitland, Top of the Hill Restaurant, Brewery & Distillery
- Nishith “Nish” Patel, Beacon IMG, Inc.
- Pinkesh Patel, Ex-Officio, AAHOA Liaison
- Shaunak Patel, Parks Hospitality Group
- Vinay Patel, SREE Hotels, LLC
- Gonza Salamanca, Gonza Tacos Y Tequila
- Ian Sauer, Summit Hospitality Group LTD
- Billy Sewell, Platinum Corral, LLC
- Doug Stafford, Griffin Stafford Hospitality, LLC
- Steve Thanhauser, Angus Barn, Ltd.
2023 Government Affairs Co-Chairs
- Vinay Patel, SREE Hotels, LLC
- Jason Smith, 18 Restaurant Group
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About NCRLA
The North Carolina Restaurant & Lodging Association (NCRLA) serves to advance and protect the interests of more than 20,000 businesses that employ 11 percent of the state’s workforce and generate more than $27.3 billion in sales annually. Learn more at www.ncrla.org
