Professional Background: Mr. Emerson has more than 40 years of experience in analysis, investment banking and consulting in the food service industry. He is the author of two books on the economics of the restaurant industry, “Fast Food: The Endless Shakeout” (Lebhar Friedman Books, 1979) and “The New Economics of Fast Food” (Van Nostrand 1991). Mr. Emerson began his career as a restaurant analyst at Oppenheimer & Company in New York in 1973, when the firm sold the original TGI Friday’s chain created by Alan Stillman to the Carlson family. He became the youngest member of the Institutional Investor All America Research Team in 1976, while serving as Supervisory Analyst responsible for overseeing the entire written output of a 33 man research team. At Salomon Brothers in 1977 he advised PepsiCo on the acquisitions of Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. He later worked with securitized lending specialists at Salomon to create a lending facility for Wendy’s franchisees. He worked with James Wolfensohn on the creation of the U. S. Treasury rescue of Chrysler Corporation in 1979. He served as a partner with Fred Alger Management in New York from 1980 until 1989, when he formed his own investment management firm, Stonehill Capital.

Food Service Investment Experience: Mr. Emerson arranged the IPO of Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon in March, 1992 when the company operated only seven restaurants. The closing market value on the day of the IPO exceeded $120 million, and within two years exceeded one billion dollars. Mr. Emerson subsequently acquired strategic block positions of 19.9% of a variety of restaurant and food technology companies, including Chart House, Morton’s of Chicago, Landry’s Seafood and Turbochef Technologies. All of these companies were eventually privatized at substantial premiums. In 2001 Mr. Emerson advised Fox & Hound sports bars on a privatization and in the same year advised the management of Checkers on a management LBO. From 2009 until 2011 he was a member of the Board of Governors that refinanced, modernized and reopened Mory’s Association, the largest private dining club in the country.

Personal: Mr. Emerson received an AB from Yale and an MBA from Stanford. He is married with two adult children and resides in Old Black Point, Connecticut. He is a trustee of the General Israel Putnam Homestead in Danvers, Massachusetts. He is past President of the Board of Governors of Mory’s Association.

Professional Background: Mr. Hollihan has over 30 years of global banking and investment/asset management experience, first in NYC, then in London at Morgan Stanley International. At Morgan Stanley, he was responsible for a group of corporate and cash flow-based banking businesses, and was a member of the MSIIB Operating Committee. Then Mr. Hollihan was Head of European Industry Investment Banking for Banc of America Securities (“BAS”), where he was a member of the BASL European Capital and Operating Committees and Board.

Growth Investment Management Background: Mr. Hollihan has substantial experience in founding, growing and, when appropriate, successfully exiting a number of start-up businesses. Specifically, he is an initial investor and founding trustee in ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. (NYSE:ARR) with some $9Bn+ of assets under management; ARR started with $35MM in 2011. He has previously served in the same founding investor and trustee capacities for two other NYSE-listed REITS, Javelin Mortgage Investment ("JMI") and American Financial Realty Trust ("AFR"), both of which were acquired by strategic investors in recommended transactions. Additionally, Jack has acted as founding stage investor, advisor and director for several US tech/med tech startups, including Recombine Inc. (bioinformatics) and Pixm LLC (cutting edge big data image recognition). Mr. Hollihan joined the board at each of these companies at their formation, and has actively helped guide their growth and positioning. Recombine was capitalized with <$4MM during 2012-2014, and was acquired by Cooper Surgical (NYSE:COO) for $85MM in mid-2016. Pixm is a 2015 start-up, performing well above its business plan. Jack is also a founding investor in Artsy.net, a highly successful internet "disruptor" in the global high end fine arts/auction sector. Lastly, Jack is the 2015 founder and now former executive chairman of LCH Biomass Leasing (I) Limited. This company long-term leases commercial "renewables" assets in the UK, receiving RHI (renewable heating incentive) payments averaging mid-teens unleveraged cash on cash returns from the UK Government for their use. It was recently profitably sold to a French strategic investor.

Personal: Mr. Hollihan received B.S. (Wharton) and B.A. degrees with honors from the University of Pennsylvania, and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. Mr. Hollihan is a dual UK and US citizen. Jack is married with two children, and resides in Palm Beach, Florida. Jack and Robert Emerson have known each other professionally and socially for several decades.

SENIOR ADVISORS

Bradley D. Houser is a Miami capital markets attorney with nearly 30 years of experience handling corporate and banking transactional matters. He is a partner with Holland & Knight. Mr. Houser focuses his practice on a wide range of securities matters, as well as mergers and acquisitions. He has extensive experience with real estate investment trusts (REITs), special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) and banking transactions. Mr. Houser also advises boards of directors and senior management teams of public and private companies regarding corporate governance and control issues.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Houser practiced corporate and securities law at a large Miami firm for more than 20 years, including chairing the firm's Miami corporate practice. He began his career as an attorney at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in Washington, D.C. Mr. Houser is also a certified public accountant (CPA).

Charles Spathakis established the Coastal Gourmet Group in 1993 with Mystic Market, the first gourmet market in the area to offer an array of specialty products, prepared foods, and fine desserts. The community embraced its quality and variety, and by 1995, Mystic Market expanded into the catering business. Later, Mystic Market acquired a larger competitor to form a second location, Mystic Market East. This second location allowed Mystic Market Catering to expand and become Coastal Gourmet Catering, which has since built a reputation for creative presentation, culinary excellence and, above all, quality customer service.

With the continued success of his Mystic Market locations, Charles was inspired to open a restaurant that offered contemporary American cuisine using sustainable ingredients and methods. Opened in 2007, and awarded “Best New Restaurant” the following year, Aspen Restaurant and Bar has an inviting, clean design that plays off of its Farm to Chef Program, which connects Connecticut chefs with natural Connecticut-grown products.

In 2010 Charles was awarded the food service contract for Mystic Seaport, which involved re-launching a community institution into a significantly new concept — Latitude 41 Restaurant & Tavern. Latitude’s outdoor patio, dining room, and Shipyard Tavern allows Mystic locals and visitors to experience New American cuisine in the atmosphere that appeals to them most. As with Latitude, Charles has made each addition to the Coastal Gourmet Group about upholding choice, quality, and community.

Charles is a graduate of Johnson & Wales University with a BBA in Hospitality Administration and Management.