AMPAL Group is a diversified company that consists of retail, restaurants, and real estate. The history behind this Group dates back to 1985 when Patel initially began his career by opening a single convenience store in Hillside, NJ. This eventually developed into a regional franchise by the name of “Speedy Mart Food Stores” and expanded to 30+ locations throughout the Tri-State area. After establishing a strong presence in the retail industry, Patel’s next venture was to explore the restaurant and real estate business.
Although Patel had more than 20 years of experience, he decided that the involvement of his son, Amit Patel, would make a key impact on the future of AMPAL Group. Amit’s entrepreneurial approach, coupled with his background in Sports Management, offered many innovative and fresh ideas for the Group. This ultimately led to AMPAL Group expanding into the restaurant industry with development in New Jersey, Maryland, Washington D.C., and Northern Virginia..
The Group is devoted to continuously evaluate the overall perception of its businesses and to set clear employee training goals in order to improve the quality and services provided to its consumers. AMPAL aspires to be a forthcoming leader in the industry by always living up to its core values of hard work, integrity, and dedication, which are at the heart of the company’s culture.
It all started in 1982 with one restaurant in Columbus, OH. Since then "Buffalo Wild Wings" has grown to have a store in almost every state in U.S. and continue to open B-Dubs around the world.
Exceptional quality at crazy fast speed is what "Blaze Pizza" is all about. Fresh, made-from-scratch dough. Healthful, artisanal ingredients on the assembly line. Inventive to classic. You decide.
Mr. Bipin Patel is the founder and CEO of AMPAL Group, which owns and operates a number of retail stores, restaurants, and real estate. Mr. Patel started AMPAL Group in 2008 but the history goes back to 1985 with the Speedy Mart brand of retail convenience stores. Speedy Mart first opened in Hillside, NJ, and has since expanded to over 30 stores in the Tri-state area. In recent years, Mr. Patel diversified AMPAL by entering the restaurant business. Currently, AMPAL develops and manages several restaurant franchises including Buffalo Wild Wings, BurgerFi, and Blaze Pizza spanning across New Jersey, Maryland, Washington D.C., and Northern Virginia.
Beyond AMPAL, Mr. Patel is an active member of the South Asian communitycommunity in New Jersey,
contributing his time to various financial and non-profit organizations. From 2007 to 2011, Mr.
Patel served as the Director of Indus American Bank (IAB), based in Iselin, NJ. He was also the
Chairman of the Board from 2009 - 2011. Furthermore, he is the founding president and current
chairman of the Asian American Retailers' Association (AARA), a non-profit organization that has
over 1,200 member stores throughout New Jersey. Additionally, Mr. Patel is on the Board of
Directors for the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS).
In 2008, Mr. Amit Patel joined his father at AMPAL Group as the Chief Operating Officer. Amit had a vision to expand AMPAL by entering into the restaurant industry. His first venture was with Buffalo Wild Wings, a sports bar & grill franchise, in Monmouth, NJ. Since then, AMPAL has added multiple Buffalo Wild Wings through out New Jersey. With Amit's management, each of AMPAL's Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants has ranked in the top 50 among 950+ restaurants nationally. In the past year, AMPAL Group has expanded its portfolio of restaurants by developing Burger Fi and Blaze Pizza franchises. Through this expansion, AMPAL now has a presence in Maryland, Washington D.C., and Virginia.
Prior to joining AMPAL Group, Amit attended Seton Hall University focusing in Sports Management. While attending Seton Hall, Amit volunteered as an Assisstant Coach for the football team at his alma mater, Watchung Hills Regional High School. Amit's passion for the service industry will continue to drive the success of the restaurant division of AMPAL Group.
Mr. Galvin is the CFO of the Ampal Group. He is a seasoned, hands on leader who has contributed to the growth and success of many organizations. He has an extensive background in the restaurant industry.
He served in a financial and operations leadership role for the New Jersey franchisee of Panera Bread which operated 37 bakery cafes.
Most recently, he partnered in the development and operation of four independent restaurants and a catering business in the Princeton, NJ area.
A CPA with a bachelor of arts degree in economics / accounting from the College of the Holy Cross and an MBA degree in finance/ management from the University of Connecticut.
Rich is married and has three children.
Daniela Cheraibi has served as the Human Resources and Recruiting Manager since October 2010, she was promoted to VP Of Human Resource in December 2015. She is responsible for all aspects of the human resources and recruiting functions.
Prior to joining AMPAL Group, Dani was the Senior Accountant and Human Resources Generalist for Fenwick Group (d/b/a Panera Bread).
Dani has over 10 years of human resources experience in the hospitality sector. Her expertise has included roles across a variety of HR and recruiting functions: compensation and benefits, training and development, employee relations, and recruitment and selection.
Dani has a five year degree in Hotel & Restaurant Management with focus on Human Resources.
Eugene Juryn joined the Ampal Group in February 2014. He is responsible for all financial functions of the company including finance and accounting.
Eugene started his career as a financial analyst for Food Circus Supermarkets (T/A Foodtown). Prior to joining Ampal, Eugene was the Controller for Mascott Corporation, which operates many restaurant brands including Smashburger, Noodles & Co., and Cinnabon.
Eugene brings over 11 years of financial experience in the restaurant and retail industries. Eugene holds a bachelors degree in finance as well as an MBA in finance/accounting from Rider University.
Mr. Tornabene has a diverse background in mixed use development including residential, retail, hospitality, and commercial projects. Prior to joining AMPAL Group, Mr. Tornabene worked both domestically and internationally developing large scale mixed use projects. Mr. Tornabene has a master’s degree in Real Estate Development (MRED) from the University of Southern California, as well as a professional degree in Architecture from the University of Oregon (BARCH). At AMPAL Group, Mr. Tornabene manages the real estate portfolio, including site selection, contract negotiation, and asset management.
