Orangewood Partners, a private investment firm, has hired Jake Brewer as managing director of operations and Chuck Sonsteby as an operating partner.
In Brewer’s new role, he will focus on operational diligence and driving value add including institutionalization and innovation at Orangewood’s portfolio companies. He brings 15 years of experience leading restaurant operations, strategy and technology. Most recently, he was chief strategy officer at Miso Robotics where he led the company’s product strategy, marketing, fundraising and general corporate strategy. Prior to Miso, Brewer served as vice president of restaurant excellence at CKE restaurants.
Sonsteby has experience in several areas of business including business strategy, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, domestic and international operations, supply chain and logistics, e-commerce, franchising, finance, accounting and investor relations. He is currently the lead independent director for Darden Restaurants, serves on the Valvoline Inc. board and was previously a board member of the Zale Corp. He has held several management positions, including chief financial and chief administrative officer at the Michaels Companies Inc. where he helped transition the company from private to public before retiring as vice chairman in 2017. Prior that, he spent two decades with Brinker International Inc. and served as chief financial officer and executive vice president.