Our Team

GROUP970 Team

Brian Nolan

    
Owner & Operator, GROUP970 Restaurants
 		    
Brian Nolan, owner of GROUP970 Restaurants, originally left Tarrytown, NY at the age of 17 for Texas A&M University’s college town, College Station.  It was here, with his brother, that he began learning the fundamentals of the hospitality industry by opening and operating a multitude of restaurants.  Then, in search of adventure, Brian moved to Aspen, Colorado in 1982.  This move started his true career as a leader in the restaurant industry.  He began working for the renowned Red Onion and shortly after moved into the role as Food and Beverage Director of the Snowmass Club.  Having built a sound foundation in the industry after several years in Aspen, Nolan opened his first restaurant in Beaver Creek, Colorado with partner Jeff Forbes. This restaurant, the Coyote Café remains one of  Brian’s proudest accomplishments and is still a favorite watering hole for locals and visitors alike. The success experienced at the Coyote Café ultimately motivated Brian to open his very own restaurant, again in Beaver Creek, Blue Moose Pizza.

From this start, Brian went on to establish multiple restaurant locations and concepts throughout the area including in Steamboat Springs, Copper Mountain, Avon and Vail. While busy between restaurants Brian had the forethought to establish the GROUP970 Restaurant Management Company which now oversees each restaurant’s growth and operations.

Twenty three years after moving to the Vail Valley, Brian now owns and operates a successful restaurant group, with five restaurant locations spread throughout the Vail Valley; the Beaver Creek Chophouse, the Vail Chophouse, Blue Moose Pizza Beaver Creek, Blue Moose Pizza Vail, and, the newest to the group, C BAR.

Today Nolan’s original aphorism, Food. Drink. Adventure. holds true on a personal level and as a guiding mantra for the company.  These three simple words appropriately describe the forces behind Brian’s passion for business, life, family, community and world-wide travel.  Always with a firm understanding of the importance of the community within which he operates, Nolan has remained incredibly dedicated to the Vail Valley throughout his time in the area. He currently serves as President of the Beaver Creek Merchant Association and sits as a board member of the Beaver Creek Resort Company, Vail Valley Foundation, Vail Economic Advisory Council, Eagle County Board of Education and the Organizing Committee for the 2015 FIS World Ski Championship, taking place in Vail and Beaver Creek.
 		    

Jay McCarthy

    
Corporate Chef, GROUP970 Restaurants
 		    
Born in New York, raised in Jamaica, West Indies and educated in Texas – Chef McCarthy comes from an extremely diverse background.  Through this vast experience McCarthy has developed a unique and innovative culinary style that has earned him repeated accolades.

Designated as a Certified Culinary Professional, McCarthy is a well-respected and well renowned member of the culinary community.  In the kitchen, McCarthy has overseen all aspects of several notable establishments, including San Antonio’s Cascabel Restaurant, a South Texas landmark that was awarded coveted AAA Four Diamond status.  Additionally, he has overseen the kitchens of HEB Central Markets, supervised the train kitchen for the American Orient Express (AOE) and,is a highly sought after as a guest lecturer and spends much of the year traveling the world for the Texas Beef Council, Nebraska Beef Council and U.S. Meat Export Federation. The co-author of Traveling Jamaica with Knife, Fork and Spoon, his recipes and opinions have appeared in countless publications. He is a frequent guest on TV and radio and a much sought after lecturer, consultant, panelist, and judge.  In November, 2005, McCarthy brought this expertise to GROUP970 Restaurants and has remained a critical member of the management team ever since.  With a strong background in restaurant back of house development and oversight, McCarthy has raised the culinary bar for the company’s multiple restaurant concepts, assuring high quality and consistency throughout the GROUP970 restaurant locations.  In addition to driving the creative force behind menu and recipe development for all three company concepts, training and managing all back of house employees and providing oversight on recipe production and presentation; McCarthy also holds responsibility for the management of company food cost and development of vendor relationships and partnerships, assuring all GROUP970 restaurants receive only the best product available at the best value possible.
 		    

Sarah Franke

    
Communications Manager, GROUP970 Restaurants
 		    
Hailing from St. Paul, Minnesota and spending her college years at the University of Michigan, Sarah grew up spending most of her days outdoors, regardless of season.  She also spent a great deal of that time period traveling to Colorado with her family on ski vacations.  Which is why it came as no surprise to anyone in her family that upon graduating from the University of Michigan in 2001, with a double major in business and psychology, Sarah decided to head West.  With this move Sarah began her career in hospitality, accepting a position as the Assistant General Manager of Park Plaza, a premier lodge located in Beaver Creek, Colorado.  Two years later a decision to relocate to first Minnesota and then back to the Vail Valley a year later created a fortuitous meeting between Sarah and company owner Brian Nolan.  Her timing was impeccable, as her return to the Valley in 2004 coincided perfectly with an opportunity opening in Nolan’s developing restaurant company.

Starting at this time as the Owner’s Assistant, Sarah has worked her way up through the ranks and has filled a wide range of GROUP970 roles during her tenure with the company.  As the company and Sarah’s knowledge of the industry grew she transitioned from owner’s assistant to marketing manager and finally to her present position as Communications Manager.  In this role Sarah manages a variety of tasks for the company, ranging from the branding and marketing of each restaurant location to creative development and web design to public relations and community involvement.  Outside of the office, whether she is snow skiing or water skiing, snowshoeing or hiking, Sarah still enjoys spending her days outdoors, regardless of season.
 		    
     

Kim Anderson

    
Controller, GROUP970 Restaurants
 		    
Born and raised in the state of Michigan, Kim stayed close to home for her undergraduate schooling, attending Michigan State University.  Upon graduating in 1990 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting she accepted a job in nearby Chicago, Illinois as an auditor for Coopers & Lybrand.  After gaining a great deal of experience, Kim began to look for other options within the industry and decided to shift to the private sector, accepting a job with Sportmart as a staff accountant in 1993.  Quickly grasping the new challenge she rapidly ascended the ranks of the company, becoming the Director of Financial Planning and Reporting in 1995.  A merger with Gart Sports moved Kim and her husband Chuck to Denver for their first taste of Colorado living.

Both quickly grew accustomed to the mountain lifestyle and were therefore thrilled when a job opportunity for Chuck opened in the Vail area.  Based on the new opportunity, the couple again packed up their belongings and moved to the Vail Valley in 1999.  At that time Kim left Gart and accepted a job as Controller of Spark Creative, a small local advertising agency.  She remained at that position until her move to GROUP970 in 2008.  Upon joining the group, Kim immediately established herself as a key component of the management company.  With a strong background in finance in both the public and private sector, her broad experience and knowledge has served as a huge asset to the GROUP970 Management Team.  When out of the office Kim can still be found taking advantage of the Colorado lifestyle, enjoying skiing, hiking, playing tennis and spending time with her family.
 		    
     

Kathleen O'Toole-Gilles

    
Human Resources Director, GROUP970 Restaurants
 		    
Kathleen was born and raised the youngest of six children in St. Louis Missouri.  An upbringing with much music, singing and dance, moved Kathleen to Chicago in 1999 where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in music from Columbia College – Chicago.  She furthered her education at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park, where she received her Certification in Travel and Tourism Studies.  After school, Kathleen began her professional career working for Preferred Hotels and ABC Corporate Travel Services in Chicago from 2004-2006.  A love for the mountains and outdoors prompted Kathleen to pack up her life in Chicago and move out west to the Rockies, accepting a position on the sales team at the Beaver Creek Lodge in 2006.

After a year in the Vail Valley, Kathleen met Brian Nolan Slopeside at the Beaver Creek Chophouse in 2007 and decided to join the GROUP970 team as the Group Sales Coordinator.  Looking to take on more and further develop her career path, Kathleen eventually moved in to an entirely different realm of work within the company, becoming the Human Resources Manager and Owner’s Assistant.  She quickly proved her fit for the position and was promoted to her current position as Human Resources Director without much time or hesitation.

When not working for Group 970, Kathleen enjoys hiking, snowboarding, yoga, reading, creating healthy cuisine and spending time with her husband and dogs.