LEADERSHIP TEAM

Greg Flynn

Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer

Greg Flynn is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Flynn Restaurant Group and Flynn Properties. With approximately 2,400 Applebee’s, Taco Bells, Paneras, Arby's, Pizza Huts and Wendy’s restaurants generating $4 billion in sales and employing 73,000 people in 44 states, Flynn Restaurant Group is the largest franchise operator in the world. Flynn Properties invests in commercial real estate and has owned and managed more than 3 million square feet since its founding in 1994; it also owns 120 hotels including the luxury resorts Esperanza and Chileno Bay, both located in Los Cabos, Mexico, the Carneros Resort and Solage, both located in the Napa Valley, and the Hotel Madeline in Telluride.

Greg has been recognized as one of the Bay Area’s Most Admired CEOs by the San Francisco Business Times, as Restaurant Leader of the Year by Restaurant Business Magazine, as Operator of the Year by Nation's Restaurant News, as Dealmaker of the Year by the Franchise Times, and as an Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst and Young. He has been named Applebee’s Franchisee of the Year and Operator of the Year four times each, and was named Arby’s Franchisee of the Year for 2021.

Greg has an AB Magna Cum Laude from Brown University, an MA from Yale University, and an MBA from the Stanford GSB. He serves on the boards of the Exploratorium and the International Franchise Association. He also serves on the Brown University Advisory Council for the College, the Applebee’s Franchise Business Council, the Panera Franchise Advisory Council, the Strategic Advisory Group of Goldman Sachs’ West Street Capital Partners VII, the Executive Advisory Board of Cove Hill Partners, L.P., and as a Yale GSAS Advisor. He is a past chairman of the Golden Gate Chapter of the Young Presidents Organization and a past Member of the Brown University President’s Leadership Council.
Lorin Cortina

Chief Financial Officer
Lorin Cortina serves as EVP and CFO of Flynn Restaurant Group and Flynn Properties. He joined Flynn Holdings in 2001 to oversee capital markets, corporate development, mergers and acquisitions, financial planning and accounting, and restaurant development activities. Prior to joining FRG, Lorin was a VP, Investments for Starwood Financial, Inc. and VP, Acquisitions and AVP, Capital Markets at TriNet Corporate Realty Trust, Inc. Lorin also worked as a consultant with PWC and Deloitte & Touche. Lorin has held senior management positions involved in corporate finance, capital markets and M&A activities, and has successfully led the investment and related capital raise in transactions totaling over several billion dollars in value. Lorin received a B.A. in Business/Economics from the University of California at Santa Barbara and an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Brad Pettinger

Chief Operating Officer
Brad serves as Chief Operating Officer for Flynn Restaurant Group and has worked with Greg Flynn for seventeen years and with AAG since its founding in 1998. As COO of FRG, he is responsible for operations of all Applebee’s, Taco Bell, and Panera units. Direct reports include all Vice Presidents of Operations, Training and Human Resources. Prior to joining Apple American, Brad served as VP, U.S. Operations, for Vancouver-based Spectra Group of Restaurants and VP, Operations, for Keg Restaurants.

Brad serves on the Applebee’s Operations Council. He holds a B.S.B.A. in Hotel and Restaurant Management from the University of Denver and an M.B.A. from the University of Washington.
Ron Bellamy

Chief Improvement Officer
As Chief Improvement Officer, Ron is focused on driving incremental value in the business by realizing operational improvement opportunities across Flynn’s more than 2,400 restaurants. He is also responsible for overseeing the organization’s Arby’s, Pizza Hut, and Wendy’s businesses and leads Flynn’s support center based in Cleveland, Ohio.

Prior to joining Flynn, Ron worked for Teachers’ Private Capital where he helped establish Teachers' approach to value creation planning and portfolio management. He also spent more than a decade in management consulting most recently as a partner with Oliver Wyman.

Ron graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Business Administration and a BA in Applied Mathematics and Ancient Literature from the University of Michigan.
Jeremy Biser

President, Hut American Group

Jeremy started with Flynn Restaurant Group in July 2021 as the Vice President of Strategy and Ops Services for Hut American Group. While in this role, Jeremy oversaw all strategic planning, FP&A, ops services, training, communications, call centers, loss prevention, and coordination of strategic initiatives between support center functions, field operations, and outside vendor partnerships. In addition to his Strategy and Ops Services role, he had oversight of our Atlantic Division of stores. While in that role, he served as a key liaison between Hut American Group and Pizza Hut LLC, ensuring a close working relationship between our company and the Brand. In July 2022, Jeremy was named Brand President of Hut American Group and currently oversees the operations of 945+ units across the US.

Prior to joining Flynn Restaurant Group, Jeremy spent more than 20 years in leadership roles in the restaurant industry. Most recently, he served as the Executive Vice President for Roy Rogers Restaurants, and prior to that he was part of the international leadership team at Dunkin’ Brands and held operations leadership roles at Starbucks. Jeremy also served in community leadership positions, including being elected to City Council and Board Member for several local community organizations.
Adam Van Horn

Senior Vice President Of Operations, Hut American Group

Adam serves as Senior Vice President for Hut American Group overseeing more than 300 Pizza Huts in 7 states. In this role, Adam is responsible for leading his team to excellence in execution while on the quest to be the Premier Pizza Hut Operator.

Adam began his multi-unit career in 2002 with Ovation Brands, the largest operator of Buffet restaurants in the US. Adam then spent 3 years working for Dine Brands the parent company of Applebee’s and IHOP. While at Dine Brands, Adam worked in Franchise Support and then lead strategic projects launching some of the biggest innovations and changes in the history of the Applebee’s business.

Adam then joined Del Taco out of Lake Forest, CA where he led Operations Support & Training for both company-owned and franchised restaurants. During his tenure with Del Taco, Adam led meaningful change across the business with the launch of a new E-learning platform, a new Elevated Hospitality & Service program, and developed enhanced New Restaurant Opening processes and procedures that enabled double-digit restaurant growth. While at Del Taco Adam also led his team through the development, testing, and launch of several key initiatives designed to reduce operational complexity.

Adam then joined NPC International where we led the East Central Division, consisting of 300 plus Pizza Hut stores and spanning over 6 states. In January of 2020, Adam took on the role of Interim COO leading the Operations Team through the restructuring and sale process. Adam joined Flynn Restaurant Group in March of 2021 as part of the purchase of NPC International.

Adam lives in Atlanta, GA with his wife Charity and their three children.
Aaron Kirkman

Vice President Of Operations, HUT American Group

Aaron started with Flynn Restaurant Group in 2014 as Director of Operations for Apple American Group in the Nevada and New Mexico markets. In 2018 Aaron was promoted to Market President, and in 2019 Aaron became Vice President of Operations for Apple American Group, having oversight of markets in California, Nevada, New Mexico, Indiana, Georgia and Alabama. Aaron joined Hut American Group in June of 2021 as Divisional Vice President of Operations.

Prior to joining Flynn Restaurant Group, Aaron spent more than 20 years in the restaurant industry, holding various leadership positions in companies such as; Ruby Tuesday, The Cheesecake Factory and Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. Most recently before joining Flynn, Aaron worked as Regional Director of Operations for The Palm Restaurant Group, and then Director of Operations for Wolfgang Puck Worldwide, where he managed regional territories throughout the United States and Tokyo, Japan.
Richard Wykes

Vice President of Operations, Hut American Group

Richard started with Pizza Hut in 2018 as the Director of Operations for the Denver Market, leading a turnaround of a struggling market to become one of the top-performing markets in the company. In 2021 he was promoted to VP of Operations. Richard currently oversees the West Division which includes markets in Colorado, North and South Dakota, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Iowa, Oregon, Idaho, and North Carolina.

Richard began his restaurant career while in college, working at Domino’s as a driver before starting his first management position. After progressive advancement with McDonald’s and Wendy’s, Richard began his multi-unit career with Jim Dandy Chicken, a local Massachusetts chain. He later joined Ovation Brands where he spent twenty-two years progressing from General Manager to District Manager to a variety of executive positions, including Regional Vice-President, Senior Vice-President of Operations Services, SVP of Operations, and concluded his career there as COO, responsible for operations of 320 restaurants with $750 million in annual sales.

Richard graduated Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree from Southern New Hampshire University and currently resides in Colorado with his wife Jennifer and their two sons.
Jennifer Zika

Vice President of Human Resources, Hut American Group

Jennifer started with Flynn Restaurant Group in 2014 as the Director of Human Resources for Apple American Group and the Support Center. In 2017, Jennifer was promoted to Senior Director of Human Resources, joining Pan American Group. In 2021, she joined Hut American Group as the VP of Human Resources. Jennifer serves as the strategic business partner for brand operations and division market leadership within Hut American.

Prior to joining Flynn Restaurant Group. Jennifer spent 20 years in retail with Dots specialty clothing brand, where she progressed through various leadership positions within Operations and Human Resources. Most recently before joining Flynn, Jennifer was the Director of Store & Field Support for Dots.

Jennifer graduated Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree from Cleveland State University. She resides in Ohio with her husband Joe and their two sons.
Betsy Mercado

Chief People Officer

Betsy joined Flynn Restaurant Group in 2011 and serves as its Chief People Officer. At Flynn, Betsy partners with Brand Leadership across all businesses to lead the People Strategy inclusive of Attracting, Developing, and Retaining top talent. Betsy also has oversight for the HR support center team which includes the shared service functions of Benefits, Compliance, HR Technology, Talent Acquisition, Diversity and Inclusion, and Learning and Development.

Prior to joining FRG, Betsy was Vice President of Human Resources for The Palm Restaurants for 9 years. Prior to The Palm Betsy provided HR leadership in the areas of Employee Relations, Talent Management, and Compensation and Benefits to large and small organizations across multiple industries. Betsy received a B.A. in Psychology from Towson University and an M.S. in Human Resource Management from Johns Hopkins University.
Diann Banaszek

Marketing Partner

As Marketing Partner, Diann oversees marketing and public relations for all FRG brands with a concentration in Applebee’s Grill and Bar and Panera Bread Bakery and Café.

Prior to joining Flynn in 2006, Diann was an Applebee’s franchisee for ten years and a Burger King franchisee for twenty years serving on many national committees including Marketing and Franchise Relations/Development.

Diann graduated from Northwestern University with degrees in English Literature and History and went on to San Jose State University to get her Master's in Communications.
Kasey Mania

Senior Vice President of Procurement

Kasey joined the team in 2017 and serves as Sr. Vice President of Procurement providing oversight for our procurement, licensing, and facility management functions that support all 2,400+ Flynn locations. Kasey’s team is responsible for improving financial performance, streamlining operations, and maintaining compliance across the business while working in close partnership with each of our operators, franchisors, and supply chain cooperatives.

Prior to joining Flynn Restaurant Group, Kasey spent 10 years, most recently Director of Global Procurement, with Bloomin’ Brands based in Tampa, FL where she was responsible for optimizing the company’s approach to Indirect spend management and ultimately positioned the Global Procurement team to facilitate the organization’s long-term growth strategy.

Kasey graduated summa cum laude from Berkeley College in New York with an applied sciences degree in International Business.
Jacqueline Lee

General Counsel

As Vice President, General Counsel, Jaci oversees legal matters at Flynn Restaurant Group alongside a high-performing, diverse team that she built from the ground up. Drawing upon more than a decade of experience litigating and negotiating high-stakes commercial matters, Jaci leverages her strengths as an effective communicator and cross-functional collaborator to craft practical solutions that achieve her clients' business objectives. Jaci prides herself on her approachable style to counseling and leadership, seeing the big picture, and being able to anticipate and navigate potential obstacles to growth. In 2021, Jaci was named one of San Francisco Business Times’ Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business and honored with Corporate Counsel’s Women, Influence & Power in Law Award for Leadership Through Crisis: Retail & Consumer Goods.

Prior to joining Flynn Restaurant Group in 2018, Jaci was a partner in the Intellectual Property practice of global law firm Jones Day.
Dan Rieger

Senior Vice President of Real Estate and Development

Dan Rieger currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Real Estate and Development for Flynn Restaurant Group. At Flynn, Dan is part of the Leadership Team and oversees the entire portfolio of restaurant assets, including the development of new restaurants. He has a proven history of influencing the strategic direction of companies at the senior executive and Board of Directors level and then successfully leading companies to meet those strategic goals.

Prior to joining FRG, Dan spent eight years with H&R Block, with three and a half of those years as the Vice President and Managing Director of the International division at H&R Block. He also had the opportunity to serve as both the Vice President of Field of Operations and as the Vice President of Real Estate. Before his roles with H&R Block, Dan had an 11-year career with DineEquity in a variety of leadership roles.

Dan sits on the Executive Committee and Board of Directors for the Downtown Council of Kansas City, a private, nonprofit membership organization representing Kansas City’s best businesses, property owners, nonprofit organizations, and anyone else invested in Downtown’s success.
He also is on the governing board of Make-A-Wish for their Missouri and Kansas chapter.

Dan received his B.A. in Business Administration and his B.A. in Psychology from William Jewell College in Liberty, MO, where he was a scholar athlete and is currently in the business school hall of fame.
Ashley Fenn

Vice President of Business Insights and Value Creation

As VP of Business Insights and Value Creation, Ashley oversees analytics across the organization’s 6 brands and Support Center departments. She leads marketing and pricing insights to help drive profitable sales and aids in the development and implementation of value creation initiatives across the business.

Prior to joining Flynn, Ashley worked for four years at McKinsey & Company specializing in operational transformation, procurement, and spend analytics across several sectors including electric power natural gas, retail, and quick-service restaurants.

Ashley completed her postdoctoral studies in Immunology at Massachusetts General Hospital in association with Harvard Medical School, her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from The Ohio State University, and graduated cum laude with degrees in Biochemistry and Zoology from Colorado State University.

Market Leaders

Hut American is built on a substantially differentiated business model. Each geographic region is led by a Market Leader who operates his or her market with great local autonomy while receiving support from the central organization.

Thomas Nelson – Central Virginia

Kyle Ross – East Coast

Eric Contizano – Georgia

Chris Eubanks – Nashville

Michael Hallman – Ozark

Christopher Griffin – Iowa

James Warren – Little Rock

Kelly Kramer – Dakotas

Adam Mitchell – Midwest

Manuka Abeykoon – Mobile

Matthew Lewis – TX/LA

Christopher Lindsly – Northwest

Mark Hardy – Rocky Mountain

Joseph Icolano – Birmingham

Beth Gaia – Memphis

Brent Salzwedel – South Tampa

Darrel McCrory – North Tampa

Bonita Nichols – St. Louis

Stoney Jones – Tallahassee

Zachary Cone – Jacksonville

Fred Boone – Carolinas

Department Heads

Our Department Heads work together with our senior operating team to support the growth of Hut American.

Betsy Mercado, Senior Vice President of Human Resources

JP Wiedemer, Senior Vice President of Finance and Accounting

Diann Banaszek, Marketing Partner

Kasey Mania, Vice President of Procurement

Jacqueline Lee, General Counsel

Ashley Fenn, Vice President of Business Insights and Value Creation

Dan Rieger, Senior Vice President of Real Estate