Retail Real Talk | Business Market Trends & Economy

This quarterly workshop series will feature various speakers and provide retailers an opportunity to network and learn more about a specific area of focus related to the retail community. Join us to hear from Andy Marshall as he discusses business market trends and the current economy. 

Refreshments and waffle quarters will be provided by Slothful Waffle - a Belgian waffle eatery located inside of the Factory at Columbia!

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Andy Marshall, Founder and CEO of A. Marshall Hospitality

Andy Marshall is Founder and CEO of A. Marshall Hospitality, restaurant management group, where he oversees the administration and staff of over 400 employees representing: Puckett's Restaurant locations in the downtown areas of Franklin, Nashville, Columbia, Chattanooga, Murfreesboro; on the main strip of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee; and in Cullman, AL. The group also owns Americana Taphouse in downtown Franklin; Burger Dandy in downtown Franklin; Puckett’s Trolley, the brand’s mobile food venue; Puckett’s Events & Catering; Scout’s Pub in Franklin and Midtown Nashville; and Deacon’s New South, a Southern steakhouse in downtown Nashville. In Spring of 2024, Marshall and team will open a new location for Puckett’s Restaurant in Hendersonville. Each family-owned eatery focuses on providing chef prepared Southern inspired foods and hospitality, the Marshall way.

In early 2020, Marshall served on the Governor’s sub-committee to the Economic Recovery Committee to help establish guidelines for the safe opening of restaurants in Tennessee during the Covid-19 pandemic.. Through this process, A. Marshall Hospitality was one of the leading
brands in the country to reopen its restaurants. The group’s idea to reintroduce the QR code, sanitation and safety standards was an integral key to opening the economy safely and productively across Tennessee.

In addition to the restaurants, Marshall serves on the board for Williamson County Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Predators Foundation, the Boys & Girls Club of South Central TN, the Williamson County Fair, the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, Hospitality TN, and the Nashville State Community College. A. Marshall Hospitality members are all members of Hospitality TN.

In 2019, Marshall was presented with a resolution from the Tennessee General Assembly recognizing his services to the citizens of Tennessee. He was also honored with the Ed Moody Award of Excellence by Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee (BGCMT). He was named the 2017 Restaurateur of the Year by the Tennessee Hospitality and Tourism Association and was a 2017 recipient of the Joe M. Rodgers Spirit of America Award, presented by his alma mater, Middle Tennessee State University. He received the 2017 state-level Friend of Extension award from Epsilon Sigma Phi (ESP), a national leadership organization which governs the local and state-wide extensions of state universities’ agriculture branches. The Friend of Extension award is the highest honor presented to a non-Extension member.

In 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, A. Marshall Hospitality was recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies. The company was also awarded the Nashville Business Journal’s Best in Business award in 2015 and 2018. In 2014, 2015 and 2016, Marshall received the Nashville Business Journal’s Williamson County IMPACT award. In 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019, the publication also recognized him as one of Nashville’s Most Admired CEOs.

A Tennessee native, Andy Marshall grew up in the grocery business. At age 26, he purchased his first grocery store in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. This investment quickly led to three additional locations, and his being named President of the Tennessee Grocers Association and the Piggly Wiggly Association. During his grocery career, Marshall earned Small Business of the Year in Hopkinsville for two years in a row. Marshall was also awarded the National Spirit of America Award by Congress for entrepreneurship. In 1998, Marshall sold those stores and bought Puckett’s, a small grocery store in the village of Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee. He launched a formal dinner and music program to enhance the shop and complement the town’s roots. He sold that location in 2008, to branch out his brand that is now A. Marshall Hospitality.

Marshall and his wife Jan have been married for 39 years and reside in College Grove, Tennessee. They have three children, all who have made significant contributions to the family business. They also are blessed to have five grandchildren.