Ron Lynch, President

Ron’s business and franchising experience is extensive, spanning four concepts and 30 years. He has been a multi-unit operator, a developer and a franchisee. His experience on all sides of the franchise business model gives him a perspective few in the industry can boast. Ron and his team developed and opened over 100 Schlotzsky’s Deli franchises. For this effort he was named “Developer of The Year” five consecutive years. He also built a successful six-store sporting goods chain. Ron believes in building customer loyalty through exceptional service and commitment to family and community. He is a member of the Tempe Diablos, a civic organization which devotes its time and energy to promoting, organizing and supporting community-based programs. Their focus is on Youth, the City of Tempe, Arizona and Education. Ron, and his wife Debra, have two daughters, Torie and Veronica.

Richard Berns, Vice President
Director of Operations and Training

The man of a thousand details, Rich Berns is the quintessential team builder and master at making sense—and profit—from the dozens of interdependent parts of the food service business. He started his food service career by turning around a degraded deli operation, which caught the eye of Ron Lynch and other Schlotzsky’s executives. He moved up to area manager and then lead trainer, auditor and consultant for the area developer. He oversaw the day-to-day operations of eight Schlotzskt’s Delis. He’s a hands-on food service man, who knows and understands the numbers and brings an innovative bent to every task. Among other things, he developed and installed a back of the house software package for profit and loss control, and he developed in-store marketing and spearheaded local marketing through a local marketing group made up of 16 franchisees.

Debra A. Lynch, Director, Franchise Communications

Before she spent 10 years in successful franchise development, Deb was a dynamo of energy as a high school coach, elementary Physical Education teacher, head of a women’s fitness program and Intramural Coordinator for a major university. She served her community in many capacities including that of Red Cross Health Services Director. One honor she received was as the Hi Noon Business & Professional Women’s Club “Working Mother of the Year”.

Torie Stevenson, Director of Marketing

Torie earned her bachelors degree in Arts and Media from California State University, Northridge in 2005.  During her schooling she held an internship with CNBC out of Burbank, California.
Torie worked for ten years in service, bartending and management with concepts such as Moose McGillicuddy’s, Dimples Karaoke Bar, Caioti Café, The Starlite Room and La Petite Chateau.
Prior to her hospitality career Torie was involved in the entertainment industry performing in a number of television commercials, shows, films and theater productions.

Torie worked in management at the Tilted Kilt in Scottsdale for nine months in 2006 as well as the Tilted Kilt in Tempe for seven months before joining the corporate staff in marketing. She assumed the role of Marketing Director in September of 2007

John Stevenson, Director of Training

John Stevenson has spent most of his working life in the restaurant business. Prior to joining the Tilted Kilt Team, John enjoyed working for The Cheesecake Factory and Jerry’s Famous Deli in Los Angeles. He is a graduate of Georgia Southern University and being an Army Brat, calls Phoenix and Savannah, Georgia “home.”

Mark Hanby, Director Franchise Sales

Oklahoma native, Mark Hanby, comes to the Tilted Kilt with a world of business development experience and entrepreneurial energy. The 90s saw him part of a team that developed more than 100 Schlotzsky’s Deli’s in a half dozen states coast to coast. Hanby was deeply involved in franchise sales and assisting new franchisees in making profitable decisions in their new enterprises. From 2000 to 2003 he was one of the visionaries and shapers of the Kingdom Vision Network, during which time he launched Mark Hanby Ministries, a 501C3 non-profit organization.  The goal of the enterprise was to teach, promote and impart foundational truth to the Body of Christ by providing resource materials that focus Kingdom alignment, Spiritual order, and Ministry networking. He still serves as an advisor to the movement. In 2007 he served as an investment consultant for UBS Diversified. 

Ed Messina, Franchise Business Consultant

Except for a successful, albeit brief, side trip into the tropical fish business, Ed Messina has been in the franchise food service business all of his professional life. From 1978 to 1988 he was on the Jack In The Box management and training team, winding up as District Manager in charge of eight stores that grossed more than $6.5 million a year. Then he took six years away from food to develop a successful chain of Seven Seas Aquarium tropical fish stores in the Arizona market. But he couldn’t stay away and went to work for Arby’s running two high volume outlets for three years.  That’s when he discovered Schlotzsky’s Deli’s.  For seven years Ed was area manager for eight Phoenix-area stores, doing everything from opening new stores to developing new systems like high speed Internet service for Schlotzsky’s customers. Then he went on the road as a Franchise Business Consultant for Schlotzsky’s, responsible for 55 stores in the Western U.S. He assists in development and opening of new restaurants with franchisees; Establishes local marketing plans with franchisees; Performs audits on ongoing franchisee restaurants to insure highest level of quality, service, cleanliness and compliance. He performs the same duties for TKFO LLC.

Michael Lynch, TKFO LLC Counsel

Michael Lynch is one of the most experienced franchise attorney’s in the industry.  As corporate counsel to the Lynch team that developed more than 100 Schlotzsky’s Delis in the 90s, he developed much of the contract language used in the development of the chain. He oversaw the all legal aspects of the company and more than 100 major transaction negotiations and closings.  In 2002, he opened his own sole practitioner law office, all the time keeping his hand in the franchise business.  He is also the Tilted Kilt Area Developer for Oklahoma and parts of Texas. 

Michael A. Cox, Internet and Media Service

Michael has been involved in media and marketing for all of his career life. He started as a disc jockey at age 15 and managed his first radio station at 23. He switched from broadcast to print in the 70s and became a newspaper and magazine editor/publisher. He spent over a decade as an editor for Golf Magazine and founded American Golf and Arizona Golf Journal magazines. Cox owned a family operated company, Digital Pre-Pres Inc. (DPI) for 18 years. He launched his web development and marketing company M&J Southwest in 1999.