Triumph Together

Mark Lyso, who holds a doctorate in healthcare, is a Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) with the International Franchise Association and brings over three decades of franchising expertise. Applying a rigorous methodology informed by his academic background, Mark excels in identifying and addressing gaps within business models, enhancing systems, processes, and procedures essential for franchise growth and scalability. His experience spans seven brands in the casual dining, fast casual, and family dining sectors, where he has developed key strategies for franchise development, unit-level operations, training, and marketing. Mark has played a crucial role in the startup phase of companies, overseeing the opening of over 80 restaurants and facilitating a franchise model's public listing. His strategic efforts have revitalized underperforming units and managed the sale and acquisition of restaurants, ensuring the effective management and scalable growth of franchise systems.

Tom Scalese is a distinguished Senior Director of Zorability, where he spearheads strategic initiatives for supply chain and provides expert guidance for distribution to emerging and re-emerging franchise owners. With over 35 years of experience in the restaurant industry and over a decade of experience with a variety of distribution companies, in key leadership roles, Tom has a proven track record of optimizing costs, and enhancing menu offerings through his relationships with manufacturers, producers, and GPO’s.

Tom’s career in the restaurant industry spans family owned and operated restaurants, as well as a culinary leadership position with a major hotel chain. Joining the ECW+G team in 2008, as the VP of Operations, he continued his leadership role with franchising assisting Franchise owners with unit level economic success. Tom led the team in creating a proprietary commissary for the brand which refined the distribution model to reduce costs and maximize efficiency. "Success in franchising is not just about replicating a business model; it's about nurturing a culture of excellence and continuous improvement."

Sammy Gianopoulos is a seasoned culinary professional with a robust background in culinary innovation, menu engineering, and R&D. With over 30 years of experience in the food and beverage industry, Sammy has established a reputation for driving culinary excellence and innovation across various dining establishments.

Graduating from the prestigious Johnson & Wales culinary school, he worked hard to prove his determination and fine-tune his art while managing kitchens in several North Carolina restaurants before opening his first restaurant in High Point, NC. In 2022, he received the food service industry's most iconic and historic IFMA Gold & Silver Plate Awards as the Independent Restaurant & Multi Concept category winner.

Sammy brings to the team a valuable combination of advanced culinary training, expertise in menu engineering, detailed gross profit analysis, comprehensive restaurant operations, and extensive business acumen. Throughout his career, he has owned and operated multiple successful restaurant concepts, demonstrating his ability to drive both culinary and business success.