Board of Directors

Michael Pruitt founded in 1999, Avenel Financial Group, a boutique merchant banking firm concentrating on value oriented investments both public and private on behalf of 40 families. Mr. Pruitt formed Chanticleer Holdings, now Amergent Hospitality Group, which commenced operations in June 2005 with him as Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO, roles he continues to serve today. In January 2011, Mr. Pruitt became a director of the board of Hooters of America, LLC and was early investor/board member in Appalachian Mountain Brewery which was sold to Craft Brew Alliance (Nasdaq:BREW) in 2018.Mr. Pruitt received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina, where he played on the 1982 and 83 World Series Baseball teams. Today he sits on the Board of Visitors of the E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration, the Coastal Education Foundation Board, and the Athletic Committee of the Board of Trustees.

A highly accomplished senior executive and corporate officer with extensive experience in business and technology management, accounting systems, financial controls, business development and management intelligence. Previously, Mr. Johnson served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of The Telemetry Company in Dallas, Texas (1997-2004). He had previously been at Brinks Home Security from 1986-1992 where he was a member of the start-up team and the original Chief Financial Officer responsible for creating the business model and servicing operations infrastructure. From 1992-1995, Mr. Johnson was the Chief Financial Officer of BAX Global in London, England. BAX was an ex-patriot assignment in which Mr. Johnson was responsible for Europe, Africa and Middle East business development, financial planning and accounting functions with a global staff of 75 professionals.

Mr. Wagoner has served as a Managing Director and Head of the High-Yield & Distressed Securities division of Source Capital Group since 1995. Mr. Wagoner has over 35 years of investment securities experience and has developed specialized expertise in high yield and distressed debt instruments. Over the years, he has served on a variety of creditor committees for high profile commercial bankruptcies. He serves as a member of the board of directors of Argus Research Group, a leading independent equity research firm, and is a member of the Board of Visitors at Wake Forest University.

Mr. Wagoner is a graduate of the University of North Carolina with a BA in psychology and received his MBA from the Babcock Graduate School of Management at Wake Forest University. Mr. Wagoner holds NASD Series 7, 24 and 63 licenses.