First Friday: Your Small Business Resource
First Friday: Your Small Business Resource
Presented by
Topic:
Millennial Marketing, Management and Mentoring
Speakers:
Claire Marshall Crowell
Chief Operations Officer
A. Marshall Family Foods, Inc.
www.amarshallfamilyfoods.com |
As a Tennessee native, Claire Marshall Crowell grew up in the grocery and restaurant business: her father, Andy Marshall, owned a string of Piggly Wiggly stores before purchasing Puckett’s in Leiper’s Fork, Tenn., when she was 11 years old.
Throughout her middle school and high school years, Crowell helped cook, run tables, and stock shelves at Puckett’s. Following her 2008 graduation from Middle Tennessee State University, she took on a management role at Puckett’s in Leiper’s Fork until Rob Robinson bought that location. She transferred to the downtown Franklin location, working under longtime General Manager Max Stephenson. When Marshall expanded the Puckett’s brand to downtown Nashville in 2010, Claire was at the helm as the restaurant’s General Manager. Significantly larger than the Franklin restaurant, Puckett’s Nashville far exceeded three year growth projections in its first year in business.
In 2013, Crowell was named the director of operations for A. Marshall Family Foods Inc. and in 2015 was promoted to chief operating officer. Today, she helps manage the A. Marshall Foods brands, including the operations of Puckett’s Gro. & Restaurant locations in downtown Franklin, downtown Nashville, downtown Columbia, and downtown Chattanooga; Puckett’s Boat House in
downtown Franklin; Puckett’s Trolley, the brand’s mobile food venue; the multi-layer Homestead Manor property in Thompson’s Station; Scout’s Pub in Franklin; and Puckett’s Events & Catering. In 2016, she opened Hattie Jane’s Creamery as co-owner with her father Andy Marshall.
In both 2014 and 2015, A. Marshall Family Foods Inc. was recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest growing private companies, under the direction of Marshall and Crowell. It also was awarded the Nashville Business Journal’s Best in Business award in 2015.
Crowell is involved in various industry and community organizations, serving in leadership roles for several of them. She currently sits as vice chair for the DISTRICT organization in downtown Nashville, a nonprofit dedicated to economic and community revitalization of historic districts Broadway, Second Avenue/Riverfront and Printers Alley.
In addition, Crowell serves as the president of the board of directors of the city’s independent restaurant association, the Nashville Originals.
In January 2015, Crowell joined the Women in Business Steering Committee for Williamson, Inc. Other organizations where she is an active member include the Tennessee Hospitality and Tourism Association, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals, Heritage Foundation’s NextGen group, and Williamson, Inc. Young Professionals.
In August 2015, Crowell was honored in Nashville Lifestyles Magazine’ s “Women in Business” issue as a leader moving the city forward.
Also in 2015, she was also named a finalist in the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and YP Nashville Emerging Leader Awards, a program that recognizes individuals under the age of 40 who have made significant accomplishments professionally and contributions to their community.
In 2016, Crowell was honored with a “Women of Influence” award by the Nashville Business Journal , as well as a Williamson County IMPACT Award. She was also awarded with the Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee’s inaugural Outside of the Box Award in February of 2016.
Crowell lives in Franklin, Tenn., and is married to Tyler Crowell of Corsair Distillery. Together they have a daughter, Hattie Jane.
Rachel M. Layton
Director of Marketing
A. Marshall Family Foods, Inc.
www.amarshallfamilyfoods.com |
Rachel Layton is a native Hoosier with a strong background in media, broadcasting and marketing. After starting in professional broadcasting at the age of 17, she went on to obtain a Telecommunications degree from Ball State University. Upon graduation, she moved to Nashville to pursue the vibrant music culture and creative young professionals movement.
By 2013, Layton found her way to graduate school at the Jack C. Massey Graduate School of Business at Belmont University. During her studies, she became President of two student run organizations, the Massey Graduate Council and the National Association of Women MBAs group, and still is the first and only student ever to do both simultaneously. Layton focused on crafting initiatives for both student groups by founding a professional photo day for students, arranging multiple food sorts for the Second Harvest Food Bank, and organized resume workshop nights to benefit the women of Thistle Farms.
In 2014, Layton joined A. Marshall Family Foods. By 2015, Layton began driving all major campaigns, programming, and sponsorship decisions for the company’s then 5 locations. This inspired her most notable philanthropic campaign for Puckett’s Gro. & Restaurant, Mission H2O. The campaign raised more than 10,000 water bottles for the Nashville Rescue Mission in just one month and recently won the Stars of the Industry Award given by the Greater Nashville Hospitality Association. Additionally, Layton founded the Puckett’s Playhouse campaign in support of fundraising efforts for the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Williamson County. In total, the campaign resulted in more than $14,000 in new budget funds for the organization.
In 2016, Layton was named a Finalist for the Nashville Emerging Leader Awards in the hospitality category. Now, Layton oversees all marketing related strategy and decisions for the soon to be 9 locations company wide at A. Marshall Family Foods. Besides living in Nashville and going hiking, Layton loves volunteering for GraceWorks Ministries and trying out new restaurants. She’s a resident of Sylvan Park and has a Persian cat named Alyce.
Breakfast Provided By:
Date and Time
Friday Aug 5, 2016
7:30 AM - 9:00 AM CDT
Friday, August 5
7:30 a.m. - 9 a.m.
Location
E|SPACES
1550 W. McEwen Dr., Suite 300
Franklin, TN 37067
Fees/Admission
FREE for Chamber members and guests
Contact Information
Abby Bass
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