Introducing the newest additions to our Area Coach (AC) team, Kim Gribble and Jacob Lozier! Both leaders were promoted to their new roles in early October and oversee a large portion of our Nashville operations.
Kim‘s Path Onward & Upward
Kim started in 2004 as a Shift Manager at the Cookeville, TN location (she says if she could clone that team, she would). She has enjoyed a steady ascent up MRCO’s career ladder, bouncing around to different locations throughout the years to “help in other stores where needed.”
Nineteen years in, Kim’s supervisor asked if she’d consider an AC position if the opportunity arose. For her, that was a tricky question. You see, Kim has six kids and three grandchildren — moving was not something she wanted to do. After some thoughtful discussion with company leaders, she was given the okay to commute from her home in Algood, TN. Today, she is responsible for five Taco Bells in the Nashville market.
“I love this industry, and the hustle and bustle behind it.” – Kim Gribble, Area Coach
Kim calls her locations “cousins of the family.” She has only one bustling Nashville location (Dickerson Pike) and the rest of her restaurants are on the outskirts in Lebanon, Carthage (new!) and Lafayette.
She’s expresses gratitude for the way MRCO has accommodated her need to maintain the same home base.
”Without my great team and amazing managers …” she shares. “I would never [have] had the success I had.”
“Working for MRCO is like working with family. It is a great company,” she continues. ”I have never felt like owners truly care about their employees the way ours show us they do.”
“MRCO is company second and a family first.” – Jacob Lozier, Area Coach
For Kim, the MRCO environment actually IS family sometimes. She says two of her sons, a nephew and several cousins have all worked for her at one time.
“Some are like my sisters, some feel like my own children,” she says of the family culture.
Growing Up at MRCO
Jacob started working for MRCO when he was 16 years old (like Joseph Diffenderfer, he’s grown up with the company). He was RGM for our Dickerson Pike Taco Bell prior to this promotion. Today, he’s responsible for six restaurants, most of which are in metro Nashville with “two outliers” in Portland, TN (his busiest location) and Westmoreland, TN.
“I love every aspect of it,” he says. “The day-to-day challenges drive my performance and allow me to push myself to achieve anything I possibly can.”
Jacob is a highly motivated individual. He says he was likely tapped for the AC job based on his leadership skills and track record for running a restaurant in a more challenging area of Nashville.
Like Kim, he sings praises about the level of support and encouragement MRCO bestows upon its restaurant leaders.
“Almost all of our tenured employees and ASLs have grown through the ranks with this company to the position they are in now,” he says. “The outlook for excelling here is very probable.”
How to Live Más in the New Year
New roles aren’t complete without new goals and aspirations. We asked both of our new ACs how they’re aiming high in 2024.
“My biggest goal for 2024 is to have my entire area at a 5-star Supreme Score at least once!” says Jacob.
Kim also sees opportunity in focusing her teams on star status. She’d like to see all of the restaurants within her area achieve 4-star ratings, a score of 100% on their CORE audits, and have a full, promotable bench (called “R1”) in the queue.
Join MRCO Nashville today and secure your place on the talent bench!