We’re celebrating our latest Taco Bell opening in Sparta, MI. Opening its doors in late February, this newest location marks Border Foods’ 64th in Michigan!
Along with a ribbon cutting, we ran a special opening day promotion – the first 50 guests received an exclusive Border Foods golden ticket, valid for four free tacos per week for a year!
Looking for something to do? We’re going to need help fulfilling these orders. Apply now to become a taco warrior. Positions range from cashiers and cooks to Shift Leads and management.
Thirty-five years – that’s a whole lot of time and energy devoted to one company and brand! Today, we tip our tacos to two remarkable men who’ve been a part of shaping culture at Border Foods and growing people daily for countless years.
Ziggy Arrington started his career with Taco Bell in 1991, and came over to Border Foods from another family owned franchisee in 2015. He’s been a General Manager (GM) ever since and continues to lead our East 10th Street location in Sioux Falls, SD.
I’m right where I’m supposed to be, doing the things that I love.
-Ziggy Arrington, GM
Ken Lund is one of our esteemed Directors of Operations who celebrates 35 years with our company! Ken began his career as a team member and has progressed steadily to where he leads today. He also happens to be a member of our Culture Committee.
I feel fortunate to have worked with the Engler family over the years … The Englers, along with Carol and Jeff Williams, established a strong culture from the beginning that makes people want to be part of Border Foods … [It’s] why our company remains exceptional.
– Ken Lund, Director of Operations
We quizzed these two legends to get a sense for what they love, what they’ve seen and where they’re looking for joy in 2026.
Q: What’s the best part about your job?
Ziggy: The best part about this job I think is not just my own growth, but watching everybody around me grow.
Ken: [It’s] undoubtedly the opportunity to work with so many fantastic individuals, from our dedicated team members and restaurant management teams to our above restaurant leaders, peers, and the leadership team – everyone contributes to making lives better on a daily basis.
I am surrounded by the best people, and I feel truly blessed.
– Ken Lund, Director of Operations
Q: How has Border Foods made your life better?
Ziggy: I mean, I kind of pinch myself, you know, as far as how far I’ve come in my life … it’s beyond my wildest dreams with this company.
Ken: In countless ways, it’s truly hard to quantify. Border Foods has provided me with the opportunity to grow within the company, offering coaching, development and the support needed to excel in my role. They have invested not only in my growth but also in the development of everyone within the company.
What keeps me young, it’s all the people … it’s the culture.
– Ziggy Arrington, GM
Q: Reflect on Border Foods’ evolution since you joined. What stands out? How’s this the same great company as always?
Ziggy: I go back to family. It’s just so awesome to see two brothers work together and have that vision … working with family. Sometimes I’m overwhelmed by the emotions – that’s what I would want for my family.
Ken: I was part of an acquisition by the Engler brothers in 1992. When we first met, Lee assured me that he would teach me how to run the business at a high level, manage financials and help me grow – and that’s exactly what he did. Lee and Jeff took me in like family … they have taken great care of their team and me, which is why I’m still here.
Q: What’s your proudest achievement?
Ziggy: [It’s] just being somewhere, able to work; being valued, appreciated, seen every day. Watching the growth from a professional level.
Ken: It’s hard to define really one … I have a few … I think of all of the people we have been able to impact, making their lives better through development and promotions. And receiving the Heart of Border Foods Award, which reflects the values that Border Foods has instilled in me.
Q: Any good lessons learned on the job?
Ziggy: The lesson in life to treat people the way you want to be treated.
Ken: It starts with integrity and personal accountability. Control what you can, namely yourself, and your actions and your reactions. When you do that, you can navigate any situation.
When you take care of your team, they will take care of your guests.
– Ken Lund, Director of Operations
Q: What do you look forward to in 2026? How do you keep things exciting?
Ziggy: I think what keeps it exciting for me is again, continuing to watch a new group of people come in – or people internally – [who] are still growing.
Knowing the company and the people we have, I feel like we’re in good hands.
– Ziggy Arrington, GM
Ken: l’m really looking forward to our company’s growth. What keeps this exciting is our ability to adapt to situations and make the best of whatever comes our way. It’s like coaching a team in the Super Bowl, making adjustments to ensure our success. We’ve had fantastic years, and the challenge is to grow and adapt to surpass our previous achievements.
Q: Any famous words for aspiring future leaders?
Ziggy: You get to be who you are when you work for Border Foods. You get to show your talents, show exactly who you are. We embrace that.
Ken: Every one of us has the opportunity to make good decisions that benefit both ourselves and our teams. Love your team, coach them, support them and take care of them. When you do that, everything else usually falls into place.
This month we bid farewell to loyal Taco Bell brand champion, Area Coach (AC) Kelly Lawver. Kelly retires from his post as AC of Territory 3, which covers the Rockford, IL DMA. He joined our company in 2015 with an acquisition and celebrates more than 35 years with the Taco Bell brand. Check out his career highlights!
We threw Kelly a surprise retirement party in early February. He was clearly touched and couldn’t believe how many people came. “It was awesome,” he shares. “It was quite the surprise to have the executive team show up.”
Kelly expresses pride in seeing people from his past at the party, all of whom found success in their current pursuits.
You don’t realize the impact you have on people.
-Kelly Lawver, Area Coach
Of course, we couldn’t let him go without a proper sendoff! Kelly is going to be missed around here. Kasey Baeza, Director of Operations, says endearingly that Kelly is “like the most loving and supportive version of everyone’s dad.”
Emotional Transitions
Retirement is bittersweet for this hardworking leader. In 2020, Kelly lost his wife unexpectedly. He says one of his biggest regrets is that she never got to retire. “That’s the emotional piece,” he shares.
“When my wife passed, I had to find a new norm,” he confesses. “It took over three years to adapt to that.” There were big changes – their daughter got married shortly thereafter and Kelly had to learn to live on his own for the first time at age 55!
Yet he admits he’s been planning for retirement for a long time and can also appreciate what’s coming: “No more alarm clocks, no more meeting notices, no more calls in the middle of the night!”
Fun Fact: When Kelly started working for Taco Bell in 1990, he had never even eaten a taco!
What has he enjoyed the most? “I love being an Area Coach, but probably the job I loved the most was Market Training Manager because I had the ability to develop the new talent that was coming into the area,” Kelly says. “And I really enjoyed that, seeing them grow with the company and become big leaders.”
Teaching is Kelly’s passion. He’s able to unlock potential in his people who work for him because he truly cares about them as people.
-Kasey Baeza, Director of Operations
The Finale & New Beginnings
Kelly’s last day is February 24. AC Ann Kurich has been tapped to combine his territory with hers. He says that the people are what he will miss most, the daily interactions. Region Coach Jennifer Copeland says she’ll miss Kelly’s ability to connect and make his people feel important.
“I’m super close with my people,” he says. “It’s just going to be important to have that really strong conscious effort to stay in touch … see how people are doing.”
In the meantime, Kelly has a new special someone in his life, someone he ran into in October. Now dating, he’s excited to share retirement with his girlfriend. He plans to buy an RV so they can travel half the year, and spend the other half at home.
Kelly, we wish you the best! May you have lots of new adventures as you chase sunsets, explore new places and enjoy what the world has to offer. You will be missed!
For Hunter Charneski, Taco Bell General Manager (GM) is just the first in his long list of impressive titles. In addition to leading our Zeeland, MI team, Hunter is also a published author, professional athlete and motivational speaker.
We sat down with Hunter to learn more about his many areas of expertise — and how his career at Border Foods has helped him achieve some of his biggest dreams.
Starting Over
Just a short while ago, Hunter’s career was in a very different spot. In September 2023, he hit six months of unemployment. While he had an impressive resume (master’s degree, record-breaking life insurance salesman, consultant for the NFL, Toastmaster’s public speaking champion, private training facility owner), none of his avenues of expertise seemed to be translating into professional success.
Hunter found himself at a crossroads. Leaning on his faith, he made the decision to take the one job he could find: a Subway Sandwich Artist role at the location near his Michigan home.
Little did Hunter know that this choice would change the course of his career forever.
Fast food can fast track your dreams.
Hunter Charneski, Taco Bell General Manager
Stepping Stones
Hunter shares that his mental state at the time of his Subway start date ended up being a major advantage: “I had gone so long without being able to provide, I was humiliated — so I had a really good attitude!”
Hunter’s positive energy, excitement about work and dedication to his role earned him a quick promotion to Senior District Manager for the Grand Rapids Subway market, a role that had him overseeing 16 stores.
Looking to grow in the industry — and recognizing the opportunities for advancement that Border Foods is famous for — Hunter applied for a job with us and was hired as a Taco Bell GM in May 2025. After he completed 12 weeks of training, he began leading our Zeeland location.
“Since then, we’ve been 100% green on all metrics,” Hunter shares. “I’m very excited about where the team is at.”
Finding Balance
It’s clear that Hunter has had a big impact on our business — but our business has also had a big impact on him!
“The biggest difference between [my former employer] and Border Foods, has to be, without a doubt, the protection of my time,” Hunter says. Having more flexibility in his schedule has allowed Hunter to spend more time with his family and pursue other things he’s passionate about — which, right now, are mainly writing and football.
Hunter is a published author and his first book, released in 2024, is titled The Way: Out of Self Sabotage into Self Mastery. It became a #1 Amazon bestseller in the Christian Men’s Living category. Hunter is now writing his second book, the working title of which is Please Dream Responsibly. In it, he hopes to address how the age of social media and instant gratification keeps men from their true purpose — and offer them ways to work through it.
Hunter also plays for the West Michigan Ironmen, a professional indoor football team that recently won the 2025 American Indoor Football (AIF) championship!
Border’s support during these ventures has been “incomparable” Hunter says, who shares that his co-workers even come to his football games to cheer him on.
This company not only protects my time, but they push me to be great in the other arenas I have authority in.
Hunter Charneski, Taco Bell General Manager
Leading the Way
While Hunter’s day-to-day may seem wide-ranging, a lot of what he does overlaps. Hunter shares that his experiences in football and writing also help him in his role as GM. “I can use analogies and metaphors from the track, the gridiron, behind a keyboard, and then use them in a cogent, coherent message that aligns the teams that I lead,” he says.
Hunter’s advice for others in the same place he found himself in 2023? “When you chase your dreams instead of your duty, you get neither,” he says. “But when you chase your duty, your dreams start chasing you.”
Hunter’s career in the quick service restaurant industry has given him a strong financial and professional foundation, allowing him to explore multiple interests. And he couldn’t be more grateful that he’s found himself here.
Hunter, we couldn’t be more impressed by all of your endeavors! Thank you for being such an incredible inspiration for all of us here at Border Foods.
After a very impressive tenure with Taco Bell, our very own Operations Services Manager is set to start a new life chapter: retirement! We sat down with Rhonda Topp to hear more about her incredible career — and what she has planned for life beyond her 9-5.
Crunching the Numbers
In 1992, right after graduating from college with an accounting degree, Rhonda started as a Taco Bell Assistant General Manager (AGM). Her original plan was to work there for a little while while she planned her wedding and studied to take the CPA exam.
It didn’t take long for Rhonda’s Restaurant General Manager (RGM) at the time, Carol Williams, to recognize her AGM’s incredible skill set. Carol took the time to ask Rhonda what she enjoyed doing most on the job and offered to help teach her anything else she wanted to learn. Rhonda took her up on the offer, and in the process, found out how rewarding running a restaurant can be! Rhonda says of her special bond with Carol: “When you find someone who cares about you and treats you like family, it becomes a reason to stay.”
Rhonda distinctly remembers one conversation with Carol that would change the course of her career forever. In it, Carol made the point that being an RGM is a lot like being the CEO of your own company. Not only do you get to call a lot of the shots, there’s also plenty of numbers and accounting to do! You might say it was a perfect fit for Rhonda.
Climbing Up the Career Ladder
After Rhonda’s stint as an AGM, she was promoted to RGM. And after that, she was a Multi-Unit Manager (a title that no longer exists), which is when Border Foods acquired the locations she oversaw. At Border, she became a District Manager, then an Area Manager, and finally, moved over to the corporate side and into her current position as Operations Services Manager.
Rhonda’s day to day largely involves vendor relations and managing contracts. From trash hauling to snow plowing, she keeps our businesses running smoothly! Rhonda is the lucky team member who gets to problem-solve QSR emergencies — like, for example, when a tree falls and blocks the drive-through at one of our restaurants!
“My favorite part of my career has been … the ever-changing adventure. There’s never the same day twice.”
Rhonda Topp, Operations Services Manager
We asked Rhonda what the wildest incident she’s dealt with has been. She shares that once, there was a huge snow storm at one of our locations. The snowplow assigned to the job wasn’t big enough for the amount of snow, and ended up plowing it all into the drive-through lane. Rhonda shares, “There was so much snow that it looked like a mountain!”
While challenges like these would stress a lot of people out, Rhonda thrives. “I’ve always liked that fast pace,” she says. “Nothing shocks me anymore!”
Trying Something New
It’s safe to say that Rhonda’s retirement will be a little less hectic than her current routine. She’s looking forward to slowing down, spending time with family, and working on mastering her newest hobby — baking sourdough!
“It’s going to be a change, that’s for sure,” Rhonda says of the transition. Luckily, Rhonda has a little bit of time to prepare for the adjustment — she won’t officially retire until June 2.
Please join us in congratulating Rhonda on an incredible career! Rhonda, we’re so appreciative of all of your hard work and can’t wait to see the amazing things you’ll do next.
We’re proud to ring in this year’s Golden Bell and Signature Restaurant winners. Five of our Midwest Taco Bells and their GMs were named Golden Bell recipients plus one exceptional Area Coach (AC), Kent Farris of Area 32! In addition, 148 Border Foods Taco Bells are 2025 Signature Restaurants.
Golden Bell represents the “best of the best” in the entire Taco Bell system, our famous brand’s highest honor. Being named as such means a restaurant has also achieved “signature status.” Top General Managers (GMs) and ACs are awarded a trip!
Achieving Signature Restaurant status according to Taco Bell means you’ve demonstrated “the mastery of both the science and the art of running a premier Taco Bell.”
For Golden Bell consideration, restaurants and managers are evaluated on: Supreme 5-star ratings, transaction growth and guest reviews. Criteria for Area Coaches includes:
Highest number of restaurants
Highest Supreme standing
Most guests served
Top-tier service (5% Bells)
Congratulations to the following good as gold winners (who are heading to Hawaii)!
29904 Little Falls, MN GM: Chad Zinda
37583 Jamestown, ND AGM: Keily Mittleider
37588 Rock Island Place – Bismarck, ND GM: Colleen Gruchow
It may be the start of the new year, but we still have plenty of 2025 holiday season recapping to do — there were just too many great outings not to mention!
One of them was our team’s volunteer trip to the Boys & Girls Club of the Sioux Empire. Organized by our Community Engagement and Outreach Specialist Mollie Sommer and Area Coaches Steve Spindler and Brett Bengston, it was the perfect example of our team’s commitment to giving back.
This is the highlight of the year for a lot of our teams.
Brett Bengston, Area Coach
Fa-la-la-la Fun
We’ve been visiting this Boys & Girls Club every holiday season since 2015, and it’s quickly become a beloved tradition here at Border Foods. This was Steve’s third year and Brett’s second. The two share that not only is our team’s visit a fantastic way to give back to the community, it’s also a lot of fun!
So, what exactly does the event entail? Our team’s goal is always to spread a little (or a lot of) holiday cheer — and we go above and beyond to do so. This year, Brett dressed up as Santa Claus, while the rest of our helpers arrived in elf costumes! SantaBrett read a holiday story to a group of kids and listened to each of their Christmas wishes. Then, the elves passed out gift bags — a new addition to our annual visit.
It’s the littlest things that mean the most in life … this is one that truly is a privilege to be a part of.
Brett Bengston, Area Coach
We’re honored to be able to give back in such an impactful way. Thank you to Mollie, Brett, Steve and all of the other volunteers who gave the children such a wonderful experience. We already can’t wait for next year!
More history in the making! As we celebrate Border Foods’ 30-year anniversary, we transformed our company rally into a full week of high energy festivities and recognition – a first!
Our company rally has always been about people, progress and a whole lot of pride.
Rally Week 2026 comprised daily sessions with messages from leadership, business and operations updates, and the doling out of countless awards.
Highlights included several fun reveals:
The debut of our founders’ story video, a firsthand account featuring on-camera interviews with Co-founders and brothers Jeff and Lee Engler;
The rewarding part is the amount of lives that we’ve touched.
-Jeff Engler, Co-founder
In addition, perhaps the most memorable session was an intimate conversation with two generations of family business leaders – Jeff, Lee and Jeff’s son Aaron Engler (current CEO and President) – moderated by Chief Ops Officer Vince Bosscher. Here, we witnessed their passion for the business and its people, and on-camera dynamics. Key topics included:
The origin of Border Foods’ name (credit given to Lee’s wife Patti whose “south of the border” idea became the launching pad);
Aaron’s insights about growing up in the business with hands-on experience from the many roles he’s had since age 15;
Reflection on the late Carol Williams’ lasting impact on company culture; and
Lee and Jeff’s continued awe of this success story, and how they’ve impacted the livelihood of thousands of people.
All in all, it was another fantastic show of how our company leadership rallies behind our incredible people!
2026 is going to be a great year because we keep making things better.
We’re pleased to give bragging rights to this year’s Best of the Best (BOTB) award trip winners!
Each year we reward top performers with a much-deserved spot on Border Foods’ BOTB Mexico trip. Recognized recently during our first-ever “Rally Week,” these lucky people join a long list of past recipients who’ve worked hard to beach harder!
Border Foods has been rewarding excellence, one beach at a time, since 2016.
This April, we’ll whisk these winners away to Marival Resort & Spa’s five-star, all-inclusive Armony, located on Destiladeras Beach in Punta de Mita. Congratulations, you deserve this!
Region Coaches
Dawn VanMaanen, Region 7 Debra Fraser, Region 9 Jarret Persons, Region 8 Jennifer Copeland, Region 4 LouAnn Hansen, Region 6 Nathan Besler, Region 5 Octivia Erickson, Region 3 Steve Daggett, Region 2
Area Coaches
Alfredo Briones, Area 10 Alyse Eckert, Area 2 Amanda Hobbs, Area 9 Bobbie Hansen, Area 33 Chelsea James, Area 28 Constance Horan, Area 40 Dan Pesota, Area 6 Heather Aos, Area 31 Jacob Woltjer, Area 26 Jeremy Stepp, Area 7 Josh Miller, Area 21 Juli Froehlig, Area 45 Kent Farris, Area 32 Melvin Mora, Area 11 Nicole Davis, Area 4 Tina Brown, Area 39 Yasser Gharib, Area 8
General Managers
Alexander Joshua Bray, Cambridge, MN Alicia Schaefer, Albertville, MN Amy Dawson, Plymouth Station, MN Andrea Ramirez, Fridley, MN Angela Buffington, Crystal, MN Araceli Aguilar, Hopkins, MN Barb Bunney, North Street, SD Brandon Rosillo, Fairmont, MN Brittany Caldwell, Monmouth, IL Cesar Figueroa, Nathan Lane, MN Chad Zinda, Little Falls, MN Christian Scribner, University, ND Dakota Gleason, Sherman, MI Douglas Sibley, Whitehall, MI Edgar Medina Ortiz, Minnetonka, MN Edna De Leon Sanchez, Edina, MN Elizabeth Danielson, Northfield, MN Ezra Young, Alexandria, MN John Wen, Grandville, MI Jordan Melaragno, Brookings, SD Jose Jimenez, Woodbury, MN Jose Tapia, Lakeville, MN Justin Perry, Sturgis, MI Kevin Stimeling, E Main Street, IL Laura Swenson, Perryville, IL Lindsay Stimeling, Henderson Street, IL Luann Fuerstenberg, Sun Prairie, WI Mackenzie Hass, Willmar, MN Manasseh Williams, Ridgedale, MN Martika Cox, Whitney Way, WI Mary St. Clair, Maple Grove, MN Matar Ndiaye, Roseville, MN Matthew Hicks, Portage, MI McKenzie Murphy, Andover, MN Melinda Cegielski, Hudson , WI Merlyn Rodas Martinez, Edinburgh, MN Michelle Luoma, Grand Avenue, MN Nid Lee, Vadnais Heights, MN Purnell Moralez-Barnes, Cottage Grove, MN Robert Ball, Fruitport, MI Scott Squires, Victory Lane, MN Seng Thao, Brooklyn Center, MN Shane Huggins, Kalamazoo, MI Tiffany Bowyer, Cedar Springs, MI Timothy Wegler, Osseo, MN Tracy Jackson, Apple Valley, MN William White, Lowell, MI
Support Staff
Kyra Hennek, Payroll Specialist Logan Alderson, Loss Prevention Manager Regina Zeddell, Payroll Specialist Teri Staggemeyer, VP, Finance and Accounting Evan Hatton, Business Intelligence Analyst
Heart of Border Foods
LouAnn Hansen, Region 6 Coach Tranquility Deveroux, Territory Training Leader Vince Bosscher, Chief Ops Officer
When you join the Border Foods family, your career can grow by leaps and bounds! Case in point? Taco Bell’s theLeap Program, a leadership development initiative for high potential Restaurant General Managers (RGMs) and Area Coaches (ACs).
Running six months in duration, theLeap consists of monthly training conducted online with four in-person sessions at the Taco Bell Corporate Office in Irvine, CA. The course focuses on skills like authentic leadership, bold thinking and system management that can have real impact on your teams. We were proud to send three of our brightest minds to participate and recently caught up with them to learn more about their experiences!
Border Foods’ Leap Leaders
Brenda White says she made it known to our leadership team that she’d love to be considered for this opportunity, and, being newly promoted to Area Coach, she was an obvious choice!
Brenda’s goal was to learn how to handle shifting priorities in her new AC role.
“There’s always so much room to grow and understand yourself as a leader,” Brenda shares.
She particularly enjoyed the in person classes, describing them as fun, interactive and busy! She has her sights set on being named an AC of the Year someday, and understands the tools she received from this training will bring her one step closer to achieving her goal.
[theLeap program] has given me a new perspective on my coaching style and how I can adapt to others based on their needs.
– Brenda White, Area Coach
Through it all, Brenda is most appreciative of her Border Foods family. “They truly are my world and I thank all of my peers and supporters for being there for me when I need them,” she says.
Manasseh Williams is another friendly, familiar face around here! “I love the people-side of the job,” Manasseh shares. “I enjoy building relationships, supporting others and being part of a team that truly feels like family.”
Manasseh’s goal as an AC is to make an impact, and theLeap program gave him plenty of learnings to fortify this selfless mission. He says he looks back on theLeap’s practice modules, planning tools and leadership strategies whenever he needs guidance.
theLEAP program gave me more confidence and clarity in my leadership style,
– Manasseh Williams, Area Coach
Manasseh shares what it was like to hear from AC peers during the in-person sessions. They called the exercise “sharing the room” and Manasseh says it made the experience meaningful.
“It helped me understand how to lead in my own way while still adapting to what others need,” he says.
With the insights taken from the course, Manasseh says he feels more comfortable, intentional and effective as a leader. He highly recommends the program!
“No matter how long someone has been in the Area Coach role, it’s a great refresher and a strong kick start,” he says.
Lindsay Wurhman was training to be an AC when our Chief People Officer Sharla Hennek reached out to her about theLEAP opportunity.
“I was open to learn[ing] anything and everything as I was not even an Area Coach yet, and I wanted to get as much knowledge as I could from this class,” Lindsay says.
The biggest takeaway for her was understanding how to be confident, and how to productively coach and set up strategies for each restaurant in her care. Lindsay’s aim is to make each of her locations the best version of themselves, and she views their performance as a direct reflection of her.
“The experience was really interactive, gave you tons of tools to use and made a great network of peers to be able to reach out to,” Lindsay shares.So if you want to become part of a team that sets you up to be the best version of yourself, consider joining us!
