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About Us

Our company is led by a team of proven founders, brand builders, operators, and investors with significant public and private experience.

Leadership Board of Directors Advisory Board

Leadership Team

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Steve Salis, Founder, Director, Chairman & CEO

Founder and entrepreneur with 15+ years experience founding, acquiring, developing, and leading hospitality, retail and real estate companies

  • Founder & CEO of Salis Holdings
  • Co-founder and former CEO of &pizza, a fast casual pizza brand with over 40 restaurants across 5 states and DC
  • Acquired multiple iconic Washington, DC/Mid-Atlantic based restaurant and hospitality companies
  • Co-founder of Federalist Pig, a nationally known BBQ brand featured on “House of Cards” and winner of 2 Michelin Bib Gourmand awards
About Steve Salis
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Jamie Karson, Director & Vice Chairman

  • Corporate Executive and lawyer with 25+ years of experience leading private and public companies and navigating complex corporate transactions
  • Previous CEO and Chairman of Steve Madden. During his tenure, sales and profits increased and market capitalization reached ~$1 billion and the company was named "Company of the Year" 2x by Footwear News
  • Founder and CEO of Think pink LLC, a restaurant investment company
  • CEO and Chairman of Original Soupman
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Nestor Nova, CFO & Secretary

  • Multi-brand, multichannel retail, CPG, hypergrowth CFO having worked with brands such as Nando’s Peri-Peri NA (+CPG), Earl Enterprises (6 brands and retail) and Margaritaville (+7 brands and CPG)
  • Experienced in M&A, working with private equity, public and privately-owned companies, and experience across all restaurant segments, including QSR, Fast Casual, Casual Dining, and "Eatertainment.“
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Daniel Lee, Head of Business Development

  • 16+ years as operator, investor, and advisor for public and private companies across the technology, media, consumer, real estate, and financial sectors
  • CFO of RiskSpan, Inc., a private equity-backed analytics company
  • Venture partner at NextGen Venture Partners, an early-stage VC firm focused on tech-enabled startups
  • Deep public equities experience as a senior equity analyst at Profit Investment Management, and a research analyst at middle market investment bank FBR Capital Markets

Board of Directors

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Karen Kelley, Director

  • President of Jack’s Family Restaurants, a 200+ unit southern American fast casual chain
  • Previous President and COO of Sweetgreen
  • Previous Chief Restaurant Operations Officer at Panera Bread
  • Previous President of Dry Bar
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Warren Thompson, Director

  • Founder Thompson Hospitality, one of the largest minority-owned food service and facilities management company in the US with over $760M in revenues
  • Acquired several restaurant chains and other retail dining brands
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David Perlin, Director

  • Senior VP and an investment advisor at Shepherd Kaplan Krochuk
  • Over 15 years of experience at Goldman Sachs, where he was a Managing Director in the private wealth management division
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Carolyn Trabuco, Director

  • Co-founder of Azul Brazilian Airlines (NYSE: AZUL), the largest commercial airline in Brazil
  • Principal and Founder of Thistledown Advisory Group, LLC, a research consulting firm

Advisory Board

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Geovannie Concepcion, Strategic Advisor

  • CEO and President of The Greene Turtle Franchising Corporation, a PE-backed restaurant platform company
  • Previous Chief Operating Officer of Famous Dave’s of America, a publicly traded franchise concept
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Rick Camac, Strategic Advisor

  • Dean of Culinary and Hospitality Management at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York
  • Previously, VP of Concept Development at Asthetique Hospitality