One can not think of the Sonic in Brandon, MS without thinking first of Barry Porter. After Majoring in Psychology from MS State, Barry received his MBA from MS College. Barry trained at the Pearl Hwy 80 location while the Brandon Sonic was being built in 1988. Barry has been the only managing partner at this location for 33 years.
He was a father figure in his Sonic. He built up the people around him, and guided them not only in the Drive In, but in life’s journeys. One of his former employees, Michelle Holder, had this to say about Barry, “He was a great boss, because he actually cared about his people. All he asked was that you come to work and do your best! He was a second father to me. He took me on vacations with his family, cheered me on through high school and college. But most of all, I will never forget standing at my dads funeral and seeing him walk through the door.”
Barry helped give so many employees a purpose in Brandon and this did not go unnoticed in the community. There is much to learn from someone like Barry that pours into the community. What we at MVP learned over the years is that the community poured right back into his store. The community supported Barry through employee referrals, being loyal guests, and telling others about how the Sonic on Hwy 80 in Brandon had smiling faces and jokes over the switchboard.
Thank you Barry for teaching us what it means to lead by example, and to treat every employee like your child and every customer like they were sitting around your dinner table. This is truly what made this store number one in sales over the past 30 years.
We also want to thank his family for sharing him all these years. To his wife Debbie Porter, his daughter Rachel, his sons Michael & Jason, each one of you will always be apart of the MVP Sonic Family.
In true Barry Style, Barry opted for a Tico’s Steakhouse Dinner instead of a Retirement Party.