Our People

Aarsand Management is grateful to its Above Store Leaders and the corporate office staff members for their able leadership in a variety of company tasks. Each one of them provides a piece of the whole helping to make Aarsand & Company one of the largest Quick Service Food Franchisees in the United States.

Biographies:

Carl Heigel - Director of Operations
Born: 11/13/58 in DuBois, Pa.
BA in Production Management, Penn State University, class of '81

Carl has been working in the QSR industry from day one after graduating from Penn State. He started as an assistant manager with the Long John Silver's brand and progressed through all positions up district manager, where he was responsible for 9 units in the Washington DC market. He jumped ship in '94 to join the Taco Bell family and has been with Aarsand Management since fall of '98. Carl was promoted to Director of Operations in 2002.

Carl held the position of Scout Master with the Boy Scouts and is active with his church and local community. He is married (23 years) and has two children. His interests are family, outdoors, carpentry and car restoration.

Jim Cheek - Regional Manager
Born: 1959 St Paul, Virginia
Old Dominion University 1982 with a B.S. in Secondary Education.

Jim Cheek, Regional Manager with Aarsand & Company, was promoted to this position in December of 2002. Prior to his promotion, he was a District Manager/Brand Director for 3 three years.

He has been with Aarsand since March of 1998 and involved with the Taco Bell brand for the last 10 years. Before becoming a restaurant manager he worked in the quality control field for 5 years. Jim was born in St Paul, Virginia in 1959, and moved to Middletown, New Jersey in 1970. He is a 1977 graduate of Middletown North High School. He graduated from Old Dominion University in 1982 with a B.S. in Secondary Education.

Jim is married to Laura since 1986, and they have 2 boys (Corey & Casey). They have lived in Abingdon, Maryland since 1990. When not busy with his work at Aarsand, Jim enjoys playing fast pitch baseball in summer and basketball year round. His family is his number one priority and he feels he is fortunate to work for a company that values family as much as him.

Dave Czapski - Regional Manager
Born: 8/3/60 in Baltimore, MD
University of MD, 1982 BA, Marketing

Dave has been in the QSR industry for over 25 years. Throughout that time, he has managed a variety of restaurants---from themed to full service. Dave joined Taco Bell in 1983 as an assistant manager and within one year became a General Manager for Taco Bell Corporate. During his five years with Taco Bell Corporate, Dave managed 16 stores, which helped him to build a great base of knowledge with the Taco Bell brand. Ultimately, that wealth of knowledge lead him to further his career with Aarsand.

In addition to his responsibilities as the Pizza Hut Brand Manager for the past two years, Dave is currently a Regional Manager with Aarsand and is responsible for 29 stores from Pittsburgh to DC. Dave has also been instrumental in spearheading the openings of the Taco Bell/Pizza Hut Express brands (located in Beltsville, Cumberland, and Frederick) within the Aarsand franchise.

Torben G. Aarsand - Director of the Good Neighbor Program and Community Relations
BA in History and Religious Studies, Lynchburg College (VA)
Master of Divinity, Lutheran Theological Seminary Gettysburg

Torben Aarsand, younger brother of the founder of Aarsand and Company, the late, Knut J. Aarsand, Torben joined the Aarsand team, headed now by his nephew, Kurt, and his niece Krista, in 2004, after serving 25 years as an ordained clergyman.

Torben wears a couple of hats within the company. One of his jobs is running the Good Neighbor Program, a program which seeks to reach out to the communities in which the company restaurants are located. He also serves as director of Community Relations, which involves advertising for some of the restaurants and producing the company Colonel Bella Report, a bi-monthly newsletter.

He is also Executive Director of "A Step 2 Success," a 501 C public charity, which support the efforts of young men and women who are seeking to improve their lives. For more information about the foundation, it can be found on the web: www.astep2success.org

Married to Carol, since 1979, they are the parents of one daughter, Kay. The Aarsand's live in Hagerstown, Maryland.

Torben's interests include: cooking, photography, reading, singing, and travel.

Melanie Fish - Management Recruiter
Born: 2/16/78 in Washington, DC
BA in Mass Communications, Towson University

Melanie was born in Washington, DC on February 16, 1978. She graduated from Towson University in 2000, and has been in the recruiting field for about 6 years. This includes time and experience in nursing and information technology. Melanie came to work with Aarsand in April 2007 as the first Management Recruiter.

Melanie is single and currently resides in Baltimore, MD. She enjoys working for a company that treats their employees like family and that’s why Aarsand has become her home. 

Sharon Tamassia - Payroll Administrator

Sharon is the the first Aarsand employee hired in October 1990.

Sharon Smith - HR Executive
Born:  September 1959, Baltimore, MD
Essex Community College, Maryland / classes in early 1980's
College of Notre Dame, Maryland / Weekend College late 1980's

Sharon has been dedicated to working in Human Resources since 1986. She has been with the Aarsand family since August 2002 as the Director of Human Resources with responsibilities to all Aarsand stores and employees. Previous to Aarsand her Human Resources concentration was performed in the Information Systems industry.

Sharon has lived in and around the Baltimore, Maryland area her entire life. She is the parent of one daughter. Her focus in her personal life is truly dedicated to her daughter and family but because of her strong belief in people she chooses Human Resources as her career. . Her interests are animals, reading, and transferring her belief in people to others in both her career and personal life. That is why she feels very lucky to be part of a team work environment and company that has the same beliefs.

Monica Yashinskie - CPA Controller
Born: Elkton, Maryland
B.S. in Accounting, Salisbury State University 1990

Monica has been working with the Aarsand family since 1993, when she worked on the Aarsand account through C. W. Amos & Company and then Sturn, Wagner & Associates in Annapolis, MD. In 1999, Monica started full time with Aarsand & Company as their in-house Controller. She is responsible for the accounting for all the Aarsand entities.

Monica has lived in Maryland her entire life. She was born and raised in Cecil County, Maryland. She went to school in Salisbury and lived there for a brief time after graduation from Salisbury in 1990. She lived in Anne Arundel County, Maryland for 10 years before moving back to Cecil County. She has two children who take up the majority of her free time. Her interests are her family, the beach and spending time with good friends.