Leadership Team – Bennett Management Corp.

Privacy Policy

	President and Chairman In 2013, Emily E. Bennett assumed the role of President and Chairman of the Board upon the death of her husband, Robert, the founder of Bennett Management Corp. Mrs. Bennett received her bachelor’s degree in education at Bowling Green State University in 1974 and her master’s degree in educational media from The University of Toledo in 1978. She was an elementary school teacher for 20 years, retiring in 1995. Over the years, Mrs. Bennett has been a member of many charitable organizations, particularly those raising funds for cancer aid and research. She was active with the Toledo Zoo and the Toledo Choral Society before moving to Fort Lauderdale with her husband in 1995. In recent years, she served on the Advisory Board for the Historic Church of St. Patrick and volunteered in the church’s Food Pantry. Mrs. Bennett enjoys spending time with family and friends and her two French Bulldogs, Harry and Lloyd.
	Chief Executive Officer James (Jimmy) Harmon is Chief Executive Officer of Bennett Management Corp., the parent company for 25 Burger King restaurants in Ohio, Michigan and Indiana, with multiple real estate holdings. Hired in May of 2013, Mr. Harmon brings 35 years of experience in the restaurant industry to Bennett Management Corp. Previous positions included National Vice President of Operations, Training and Franchising for Einstein Noah Restaurant Group in Denver, Colorado, and Chief Operating Officer for By the Rockies, d/b/a Carl’s Jr. and Hardees. Mr. Harmon also led teams in the Toledo and Kalamazoo areas as Vice President and Franchise Partner for RTM Restaurant Group, which, at the time, operated Arby’s Restaurants. Jimmy Harmon holds an MBA in management and organization and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado. Jimmy serves on the Board of Directiors for the Salvation Army. When not working, Jimmy enjoys spending time with his family, his wife Reina and his two children, Maya and Mateo.
	Chief Financial Officer Bryan Zacharias is the Chief Financial Officer for Bennett Management Corp. Bryan Zacharias brings more than 20 years of financial management and strategic planning experience to the Bennett Management team. He holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of Toledo and a Master’s in Business Administration from Bowling Green State University. Prior to joining Bennett Management, Bryan served as the Chief Financial Officer for Concept Rehab, Inc. located in Toledo, OH., and oversaw the financial operations, as the Vice President of Finance, for ProMedica Physicians Group and Continuum Services, a $500M service line. He enjoys spending time with his wife Shannon, friends, and family and also likes to fish, hike and spend time outdoors.
	Vice President of Operations Mark Peterson is the Vice President of Operations for Bennett Management Corp. Mr. Peterson joined Bennett Management Corp. in 1986, having started his restaurant management career with McDonald’s in 1976. Bennett Management Corp. hired him in 1986 as a District Manager. In 2001, he was promoted and relocated to Kalamazoo, Michigan, as Area Supervisor for Bennett Management Corp.’s restaurants in the Kalamazoo and Ft. Wayne markets. In 2013, he was named Director of Operations/Managing Director responsible for the overall operations of the 25 restaurants owned and operated by Bennett Management Corp. He relocated to the Toledo area and reports directly to CEO Jimmy Harmon and President Emily Bennett. In 2017 he was named Vice President of Operations. Mark also serves on the Board of Directors for the Great Midwest Franchisee Association and Burger King National Franchisee Association (NFA). Married for 40 years, Mark and his wife, Angie, have three sons and seven grandchildren. He coached football for many years in the Sylvania school system. These days, he enjoys boating, fishing, golf and spending time with his family.
	Senior Director of Recruitment and Training Prior to Bennett Management, Lindsey worked for Dunkin Brands, Inc. the parent company to Dunkin Donuts and Baskin Robbins, Starbucks Coffee and Caribou Coffee in a variety of different roles and positions within those companies. She received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Northern Iowa. Lindsey develops and implements training programs for our managers, leads and develops executive level corporate retreats, recruits great talent, aids in new product development, works closely with the operation teams to ensure restaurant excellence, and works on all aspects of marketing. She was named to Who’s Who of American Business Women, is active with the National Restaurant Association as a CORE certified facilitator, Burger King National Franchise Association (NFA) as a LEAD Committee Member, and is a ServSafe proctor. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters and volunteering for the Spina Bifida Association.
	Senior Director of Information Technology Brent Simmons is the Senior Director of Information Technology. He joined in 2015 and brings many years of restaurant technology management experience to the Bennett Management Corp. team. Prior to Bennett Management Corp., Mr. Simmons worked as the Systems Administrator for a mid-size manufacturing and distribution company. Mr. Simmons is a graduate from the University of Toledo (Go Rockets!) with a Bachelors of Business Administration with focus in Management Information Systems. Mr. Simmons serves as a member of the Burger King Technology Forum. In addition to his professional career, Mr. Simmons volunteers at his local church, Holland FMC. Mr. Simmons enjoys spending time with his wife and his four daughters.