ABOUT

Troy is the founder and CEO of Rise Brands. Having a focused passion for branding, design and strategy, Troy excels at transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary. He has extensive brand and creative development experience that can be seen across multiple industries. Prior to Rise, Troy founded ELEVATEthinking, a brand design and strategy agency focused on creating deep consumer engagements for its clients. Troy’s excitement for creating new and unique destinations can be seen throughout our development process – from the creation of a simple idea to our precise execution bringing that idea to life – his focus on every detail ensures each concept delivers an unparalleled experience.

Matt is a proven leader that gets sh!t done! He has a passion for elevating the guest experience, and understanding what is important to internal and external customers. As Integrator for the company, he turns creative vision into strategic direction within the home-office and on the front line. Prior to Rise, Matt had extensive multi-discipline business experience as an operator and consultant in industries including retail, finance, technology, and hospitality. He’s dedicated to working on growing Rise’s business and brands, but what really knocks his pins over is spending time with his wife and three kids, immersing himself in travel and enjoying a good bottle of Cabernet.

Chris is an experienced financial executive with a focus on driving finance, accounting, strategy and operations with impactful data and analytics. Prior to Rise, Chris most recently worked with a leader in on-demand apparel fulfillment where they fulfilled for numerous marketplaces. He has diverse experience in a variety of high-growth retail environments during his career. When he is not at the office, he enjoys spending time with his wife and kids, sports, traveling, or finding another reason for the family to eat some ice cream.

As the Director of Development, Dan Basto is behind the strategic growth and expansion of Rise's kick-ass brands. Dan helps to discover the hottest spots for our next locations, wheels and deals on the real estate negotiations, and maintains stellar relationships and workflow between vendors, consultants, contractors, and Rise's Creative Team. With a passion for Real Estate, Design Development, and Construction, Dan's got an impressive track record when it comes to working with well-known companies, such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Victoria's Secret, Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, and HumanCo. Dan is a family man, a lover of dad jokes, and a Maumee River pontoon boat captain.

Crystal is a seasoned HR professional with 15+ years of experience as a leader in the hospitality industry. She joined Rise Brands in June of 2017 and has helped to establish and grow the Human Resources function across our portfolio. As Director of Human Resources, Crystal oversees all facets of the team member life cycle and is focused on fostering a culture where team members feel empowered to show up authentically. Prior to joining Rise, Crystal held various roles in human resources, operations, and training for large scale public and private hospitality organizations based in Ohio and California. Outside of work, you’ll most likely find Crystal sipping on a French Rosé, watching football or screaming her face off at a Harry Styles concert.

Craig has held various senior leadership roles for such global brands as TGI Fridays, Macaroni Grill and The Cheesecake Factory. Most recently Craig held the post of SVP of global strategy for TGI Fridays. He has extensive experience in scaling brands both locally and internationally. Craig has a passion to develop teams that can deliver kick ass guest experiences. When not at work Craig enjoys traveling with his wife, attending as many Buckeye games as possible and spending time with his awesome dogs!

Erin oversees the Marketing and Creative departments that help bring our kick-ass brands to life. When she’s not building brand identities or driving sales and engagement across the portfolio, she’s keeping track of how often her team uses “balls” in marketing copy. Prior to Rise, Erin held various marketing leadership roles at a Fortune 50 financial services company where she helped launch national advertising campaigns, develop multi-million dollar media plans, and build a first-to-market insurance product. She’s fueled by vanilla lattes, good chardonnay and a passion to uncover untapped insights.

Todd is responsible for the machinery that helps our kick-ass brands run fast! Things like Technology, Facilities, Training, and Operational Excellence. He has a passion for building scalable solutions that support our teams and enable our impressive growth. Prior to Rise, Todd held leadership roles for emerging, mid-market, and hyper-growth companies with industry experience in retail/e-commerce, real estate, consumer packaged goods, and management consulting. Away from work he is driven by a love of the outdoors, spending time with his family, and supporting our military veterans.