As CEO and Founder, Tom Garrett is responsible for the development and implementation of company strategy, which is accomplished by harnessing the energy of the entire team. Additionally, he is responsible for creating an environment that is customer focused and people oriented which ensures the long term success of the organization. Tom has spent 30 years in the restaurant industry, most recently serving as CEO of Arby’s Restaurant Group. He loves the entrepreneurial environment of GPS Hospitality and is very passionate about the Burger King brand; his favorite Burger King product – the Whopper!
Michael sets the tone for GPS Hospitality’s day-to-day operations, training, marketing and development. He believes in operating restaurants with the guest in mind as a way to not only achieve great results, but also position the company for continued growth. A seasoned executive with more than 30 years of experience in the restaurant industry, Lippert’s impressive history includes executive leadership roles at Pilot/Flying J Travel Centers, Captain D’s Restaurants, Arby’s Restaurant Group and RTM Restaurant Group.
Joe provides direction to our District Leaders and restaurant teams in the Gulf Division. He’s a strong believer in two of GPS’ core values – goal setting and people development – and knows his success is dependent on the success of his team. He focuses on hiring the right people to help our restaurants provide a great customer experience. Joe has spent more than 25 years in the restaurant business, including 14 years at Arby’s running 82 restaurants as the Senior Director of Operations for Indiana.
Carmen leads our team in the Central Division to achieve great results and help people achieve their goals. A big proponent of servant leadership, he believes in sharing responsibility with his team and fostering an ownership mentality to help others develop leadership skills and grow the business. For the past twenty years, Carmen has been in quick service industry with brands including Arby’s and Taco John’s.
