Jim Balis joined CapitalSpring in 2014 where he serves as Managing Director and Head of the Strategic Operations Group. He has over 40 years of restaurant experience and has served as CEO for more than 19 restaurant companies. Jim is currently CEO of Sizzling Platter which is a 660 unit multi-branded franchisee business operating restaurants in the US and Internationally. Previously he served as CEO of Buddy’s Pizza (the originator of Detroit Style Pizza), Norms Restaurants (an iconic family dining brand), and many other restaurant companies. Jim also serves on the board of directors of more than 10 different restaurant and restaurant service companies, and as an advisor to other boards. Prior to joining CapitalSpring, Jim was Founder and President of the Restaurant Management Group, a boutique advisory firm specializing in the restaurant industry.

Alonso Castañeda is VP of Brand Development & Strategy at Savory Restaurant Fund, an arm of Mercato Partners that focuses on delivering outsized returns through strategic growth and replication strategies. He leads the strategic oversight of brand initiatives, brand campaigns, and implementation of customer-facing systems that enhance the experience for their fast-growing consumer-facing brands. During his career, he has specialized in taking fast casual and polished casual food and beverage concepts and scaling them into 50-unit+ powerhouse brands.

Christine Johnson serves as Chief Operating Officer for Le Duff America (LDA). LDA is a Dallas-based subsidiary of Groupe Le Duff, an international bakery conglomerate. Le Duff America operates multiple restaurant concepts in the U.S. and Canada, including la Madeleine French Bakery & Café, Brioche Dorée, and Au Pain Doré. Ms. Johnson is accountable for business leadership, project delivery, client relations and delivering profit contributions consistent with global business targets. Furthermore, she bears the responsibility for continuing to develop the operational capability and leadership team to support business growth for the restaurant brands. Under Ms. Johnson’s leadership, despite inflation and skyrocketing cost of goods and labor, la Madeleine delivered a record performance in 2022. Prior to this role, Ms. Johnson served as Chief Administrative Officer, providing oversight to the human resources and legal departments.

Jose Gonzalez is a seasoned business professional with long experience in numerous business domains. From managing and performing consulting work for a software company, spearheading integrated marketing teams at large international ad agencies to launching beverage brands, Jose has done it all. He brings expertise in using empirical data, modeling and consumer insights to help businesses solve problems and transform their growth trajectories. Jose has always been deeply passionate about the field of advertising technology, and as the head of sales for Datawrkz in North America, he works closely with organizations of all sizes across the US to help them define and execute ambitious advertising campaigns that deliver incredible outcomes and returns.