Mellow

Buddy Finethy is Mellow Mushroom's Creative Guru. Buddy has been with Mellow Mushroom since the late 1980's. After being told in Art School that there was "no future in hippie art", he set out to prove them wrong. A Rheinhardt college graduate, Buddy did work for numerous Atlanta based restaurant chains, as well as work for Frito-Lay, Coca-cola, Relix magazine and as a consultant on G.I. Joe for Hasbro toys. His work has been featured in Creative Loafing, The AJC, CBS televisions "In The Heat Of The Night", and on VH1's "Up ALL Night". Buddy currently lives on deadlines and caffeine, and loves every minute of it.

Jeff Wiggins joined HGI in May 2010. An alumni of Florida State University, Jeff was the former CFO of Atlanta Bread Company. He brings 30 years of experience in the world of finance and accounting. Earlier in his career Jeff worked as an auditor for Pricewaterhouse Coopers.

David Danowitz, or just "Danowitz" as we call him, joined HGI in August 2009, but he's no newbie. With 17 years experience in the restaurant industry, he brings with him a brain filled with great ideas. This guy's "The King of Quality Control", "The Titan of Training", and "The Sultan of Consultin'". Danowitz oversees an amazing team of field coaches, and together they are responsible for new store openings, franchisee training, quality control, and store consulting, among other operational duties. His passion and intensity for his job is rivaled only by his intense love of Penn State Football!

Mayu Arita moved to Atlanta from sunny South Florida in September 2009 to join the HGI family. A graduate of the University of Hawai’i, she started her marketing career at one of the top ad agencies in the U.S., where she developed and grew the digital and website presence for their clients. A self-professed "tech geek", Mayu manages the Mellow website and trains all Mellow locations on social media. When not attached to her iPhone, she enjoys cooking new recipes and watching professional football.

Aric Wynkoop, otherwise known as “Steamy,” a nickname given to him due to his intense work ethic, joined HGI in March 2010. Born in sunny Tampa, Florida, Aric brings over 25 years of restaurant experience with him. He works with the Director of Operations in managing a team of personnel, who work with each Mellow location to ensure the highest of standards. A loyal FSU Seminoles fan, in his free time he enjoys playing golf, spending time with his daughter Tyne and is a self-proclaimed beach bum.

Michael "Keep up the good work" Shepherd joined HGI in August 2009. He carries a B.S. in Building Construction from Georgia Tech and brings over 15 years of construction experience. After spending most of his career working up and down the east coast as a project manager constructing projects for several national restaurant chains, Mike committed himself to helping Mellow Mushroom sprout more locations nationwide. His strong work ethic, outgoing attitude and cast iron stomach for the construction business makes him a valuable asset to the Mellow team.

Kevin Bridges joined the HGI family in September 2000 after working in the accounting department at Blue Cross/Blue Shield & Crystal Springs Water. He holds a B.S. in Underwater Basket Weaving with an emphasis in Accounting from Georgia State University. An avid golf & tennis player, he enjoys all sports including rooting for his all-time favorite team, the Atlanta Falcons.

Richard's Mellow experience began while studying in Atlanta, where he worked at the Mellow Mushroom in our early years. He worked in almost every line level function including the restaurant and manufacturing side during this time span. After an outside career in corporate law, Richard rejoined Mellow Mushroom in 1999 as the General Manager and became CEO in 2005. He graduated with honors from Emory University and received his J.D. degree from University of California – Hastings College of Law and was a member of Constitutional Law Quarterly. Richard and his wife Kimberly reside in Georgia with their two daughters. He enjoys playing golf and cheering for Miami football.

Peter Nehen a.k.a Booze Dude joined the HGI family in February 2010. Born and raised in a quaint little Hamlet nestled in California’s San Gabriel Mountains, he made his way to Atlanta after a 14-year stop in Vegas. Peter brings over 14 years of experience in the food & beverage industry ranging from Beverage sales, General management, multi-unit management, nightlife development and most strongly education/menu development. In his spare time, Peter is a crime fighting superhero, stuntman and model but his most important role is playing dad to his son Robert.