Poke chain Pokeworks revealed several hires bolstering its executive ranks in operations, marketing and development.
The Irvine-based company, founded in 2015 to offer its take on the popular Hawaiian-inspired raw fish dish, is seeing fast growth through franchising with 60 locations in the U.S. More than 130 restaurants are in development.
The company said interim Chief Operating Officer Michael Walters was made permanent COO. Walters was tapped for the interim position in September.
Steve Heeley, the former CEO of Veggie Grill Inc., was hired as Pokeworks CMO. Heeley’s resume includes executive positions at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Baja Fresh, Earl of Sandwich and Au Bon Pain.
Rounding out the executive announcements is Larry Sidoti, who was tapped for the chief development officer position. Sidoti has also been at Yogurtland and Juice It Up, both based out of Irvine, in addition to most recently serving as chief development officer at Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh.
