Pokeworks, the nation’s leading premium fast-casual poke destination, announced today that three new additions have joined the dynamic concept’s team. Diego Ortiz will serve as Vice President of Operations, Jayson Tipp joins as the new Senior Vice President of Marketing and Regina Cheung rounds out the team as the brand’s Vice President of Finance. Combined, these franchise industry experts bring more than 50 years of quality experience to the table as they support Pokeworks in its rapid yet intelligent growth. 

Starting his career with the notable fast-casual concept Au Bon Pain, Ortiz swiftly rose through the ranks of the franchise industry over the past 15 years. In his most recent role, Ortiz served as the Vice President of Operations for Paris Baguette America, supporting the concept’s expansion across the U.S. Ortiz brings his passion and industry insight to the Pokeworks team to help the brand reach new heights. 

Getting his start in the industry working in restaurants, Tipp went on to serve in leadership roles with Starbucks, Potbelly, Redbox, Papa Murphy’s and was formerly CEO at Pincho. With a background spanning development, technology and marketing, Tipp most recently held leadership positions with firms delivering breakthrough software solutions to the industry – Bridg and Perfect Company. Tipp brings a wealth of experience to help Pokeworks implement best-in-class digital and strategic marketing capabilities.

Regina Cheung joins Pokeworks with a wealth of industry experience from high growth Brands. Regina was most recently Vice President of Finance at Blaze Pizza where she built the finance and analytics function as Blaze doubled in unit growth and pivoted to a digital platform. During her 5-year tenure, she was a trusted partner with franchisees focusing on initiatives to drive unit level profitability. Prior to joining Blaze Pizza, Regina was the Strategy and Finance Manager at Panda Restaurant Group where she supported the brand through rapid growth and scaling. 

“We are excited to welcome Jayson, Regina, and Diego to the Pokeworks family. Each of these individuals bring proven experience, talent, and innovative thinking, which complement other recent additions to the leadership at Pokeworks.” says Steve Heeley, CEO of Pokeworks. “We continue to build an exceptional team to leverage our rapid growth, support our operators, and propel our leadership position in the poke category. I believe that we now have an incredibly well-rounded leadership team to continue our disruption of the poke space, as well as driving the innovation that has allowed Pokeworks to continue scaling and growing rapidly.”