Our Team
Our Team
Our outstanding team is ready to serve you
Paul Swanson
Principal
Paul has been in the foodservice industry for 25 years. Since 2002, with the inception of Swanson Girard & Associates, Paul has been successful in building strong relationships with key dealers, chains, consultants, and end-users. With experience in many different sectors of the foodservice industry, Paul possesses a keen understanding of how to solve problems and present foodservice equipment and supply solutions for customers to get the most out of their operation. Paul is also an avid golfer, advanced-level scuba diver, and musician.
Sean Girard
Principal
Sean graduated from Augusta College in 1995 with a BA in communication. A 27-year veteran in the commercial food service industry, Sean’s sales, management, and marketing abilities have been a sizable factor in Swanson-Girard’s growth. Over the past 20 years, he and Paul have led SGA into a new era in foodservice and have seen their company grow into one of the leading and most innovative manufacturers representatives in the country. Sean is extremely proud of the Swanson-Girard team and enjoys working with the best people in the industry.
George Harris
Outside Sales
George has over 30 years in and around the foodservice business. He was been an operator for over 14
years and has 17 years on the sales side. George has had advanced factory training with numerous
factories which helps in problem solving. He specializes in positive relationships and open
communication to find the right solutions to customer needs. Covering NC with Swanson-Girard since
2014, George has worked with hundreds of end users to find the best solutions for their business. In his
spare time you can find George on the lake skiing in summer or in the mountains skiing in winter.
Laura Smith
Outside Sales
Laura has more than 16 years of experience in representing commercial foodservice equipment. She is experienced in multiple sectors, with a majority of that time being focused on K-12, restaurants, and dealer networks in South Carolina. She brings her blend of relationships and equipment solutions to the industry with a collaboration of kitchen processes and new technology from our manufacturers. In her spare time, Laura enjoys spending time with her family on the lake and shuttling her 3 girls around to their activities.
Frank Faulkner
Outside Sales
Frank has worked in the commercial foodservice industry for over 20 years, with experience working for
an equipment manufacturer, as a foodservice kitchen operator, and currently as an equipment manufacturers representative. Frank uses his knowledge and experience to help his customers troubleshoot, specify, and determine solutions for their commercial equipment needs. He handles the NC territory, with a focus on chain accounts, K-12, and our equipment dealer partners. In his spare time, Frank enjoys working out, going on trips with family and spending time with friends.
Chef Mason Martinez
Corporate Chef
Chef Mason Martinez has worked in commercial foodservice for well over a decade, working his way
from dishwasher to head chef in some of the best kitchens in the Carolinas. On his cooking journey, he is proud to have been immersed in a wide variety cuisine cultures, from classic American to Asian to
Mediterranean and Italian, from casual eateries and coffee shops to fine dining. At the top of the list is his time spent at Motor Supply Bistro in downtown Columbia, SC, a regionally recognized, award-winning farm-to-table kitchen that specializes in new takes on traditional recipes from the American South; during his tenure at Motor Supply, they were named 5th best restaurant in the South by
Southern Living Magazine. Chef Mason also spends a lot of his time off exercising and playing sports.
Becky Jersey
Inside Sales / customer service
For over 16 years, our customers have relied on Becky in our office. During that time at Swanson-Girard, she has gained valuable knowledge about the foodservice industry, our customers and overall customer service/inside sales. Her focus is on quoting, bid jobs, fielding customer service calls and handling questions. In addition to those things, Becky has trained much of our inside sales team. She is relied upon by our customers, factories, and especially by us. Becky spending time by the beach or on the lake.
Laura Craig
Estimating / Bally
Laura has been with Swanson-Girard since July 2008. She has a strong background in customer service and estimations/ quotations. Prior to joining our team Laura was a 12 year employee of Bally we she quoted walk-in coolers/freezers and serving the customers and creating solutions. In her off time she
plays with her 2 boxers and enjoys her grandchildren.
Carey Hurley
Inside Sales
Carey has been part of our Inside Sales Support team since 2017 and is responsible for all aspects of purchase orders including, pricing, tracking and acknowledgements. Carey has built strong relationships with our factories and dealers alike. With her background in hospitality and event planning, Carey also helps our office coordinate seminars, events and social media. Carey loves family time and vacations with her husband, two kids and their dog Biscuit.
Chris Salerno
Estimating / Bally
As one of the newer members of our team, Chris has joined us from a background of being an executive chef for 12+ years. He currently quotes Bally walk-in coolers and freezers and works to establish customer relations and support for the team. He brings knowledge of customer service and management experience which offer him skills that provide the best level of customer care possible. During his free time, he enjoys the outdoors, mountain biking and spending time with his family and two Bernese Mountain dogs.
Kim Maiorano
Accounting
Kim joined Swanson-Girard in 2018 after many years in accounting for the auto industry. She has over 34
years’ experience in accounting and is a key part of our office team. Kim and her family enjoy spending
time outdoors in the Charlotte area.
John Lydon
Distribution / Parts
John has been with Swanson-Girard since 2015 and is charged with managing the distribution side of the business. John has years of experience in multiple avenues of the foodservice industry. He has worked in sales and as purchasing manager for distributors in our territory. John and his wife enjoy traveling.
Michael Horton
Warehouse
Michael is responsible for managing and coordinating all aspects of the Swanson-Girard warehouse, shipments and receiving. Michael joined us in 2020 with years of experience in managing freight and
logistics.