Jeffrey Martinson
Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning
George Wooten
Senior Vice President of Operations
Michelle Gessner
Senior Vice President of Administration and General Counsel
The three industry pros joining the company include Jeffrey Martinson as Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning, George Wooten, Senior Vice President of Operations, and Michelle Gessner as Senior Vice President of Administration and General Counsel.
“We are working day and night to not only re-invent our brands but to actually create a new category of family-style dining by combining the best attributes of buffet and casual style dining,” said Anthony Wedo, CEO of Ovation Brands. “To do that, we need innovative thinkers who can bring new solutions to our business keeping the guest in the forefront of our decisions.”
Jeffrey Martinson will be focused on uncovering breakthrough insights that will continue to help the brand create a new category of family-style casual dining. He will be charged with quantitative, qualitative and data analytics to find the key insight to drive strategy, programming and tactics.
"Jeff brings with him more than (20) years of finance experience, business partnering and leadership skills, making him the perfect candidate for this newly created position,” said Keith Kravcik, CFO for Ovation Brands. “I am excited to have someone on board whose daily mission will be focused on our future vision and associated business modeling.”
Martinson previously worked various leadership positions at Target, most recently as the Senior Director of Strategic Pricing. He also worked with Midcontinent Media as the Director of Financial Reporting and for Deloitte & Touche as the Senior Auditor.
George Wooten is the Senior Vice President of Operations for Ovation Brands, reporting to Greg Graber, Chief Operating Officer. Wooten has been in the operations side of the restaurant industry for more than 35 years and joined the Ovation Brands team to lead the operations team in rolling out the new Hospitality Program system-wide. Wooten is a veteran in the turnaround culture.
“George’s extensive operations and entrepreneurial experience paired with his passion for hospitality is a perfect match for our operational objectives,” said Graber.
Wooten will be responsible for seeding, training and completing the rollout of the Hospitality Program to all 331 buffet restaurants. The Hospitality Program is part of Ovation Brands’ focus on elevating the guest experience through building a culture of hospitality through "real food for real people." The Hospitality Manager in each restaurant, will connect with guests on the dining room floor and to set a positive example for the rest of the staff by training them to do the same.
Wooten started his career as an hourly team member at Wendy’s in 1978 and grew up the operations chain into a managing position. He served in restaurant development positions such as marketing, franchise management, and brand innovation.
Restaurant and retail industry veteran Michelle Gessner joined Ovation Brands as Senior Vice President of Administration and General Counsel. Gessner’s responsibilities include overseeing both the Corporate Headquarters Human Resources function and Legal teams for Ovation Brands. She will also serve as secretary to the Board of Directors and is based in Greer.
Gessner most recently served as VP and Division General Counsel of Employment Law and Litigation for Darden Restaurants. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Mountain State University, a Master’s degree in Industrial Labor Relations and a law degree, both from West Virginia University.
"These recent enhancements to our leadership team will allow us to take many areas of our business to improved levels and further enable us to execute and grow our brand while increasing value for all our stakeholders,” said Kravcik.