Ignite Employee Directory

Mr. Tibus has served as our Chief Executive Officer since April 2017, and is also a Managing Director with Alvarez & Marsal. Prior to joining Ignite, Mr. Tibus served as CEO of Last Call Operating Co., which owned and managed over 80 restaurants under the brand names of Champps, Baileys, and Fox & Hound. Before that, he served as Chief Restructurin... g Officer to Quiznos, a sandwich restaurant franchisor with over 2,000 domestic and international stores. Prior to Quiznos, Mr. Tibus served as the Chief Operating Officer to Max & Ermas, a $150 million chain of casual dining restaurants. Mr. Leist has served as our Chief Financial Officer since April 2015. He joined Ignite in 2012 and most recently served as Senior Vice President of Accounting and Finance. Prior to joining Ignite, Mr. Leist served in a variety of positions, most recently as Vice President Corporate Controller at Builders FirstSource, Inc. from 2004 to 2012. He also worked for seven years in public accounting for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Mr. Leist holds a Masters in Accounting and a Bachelors of Business Administration from Texas A&M University. Ellen Clarry has more than thirty years of product development and management, quality assurance, planning, pricing, and procurement experience in the restaurant and food processing industries. Prior to joining Ignite in 2006, Ellen held leadership roles with Tyson Foods, Ventura Foods, Carlson Restaurants Worldwide, S&A Restaurant Corp. and Ingredient Technology Corporation. Ellen serves on the board of directors and executive committee of National Fisheries Institute, a trade Association committed to helping its members succeed in the global seafood marketplace. Ellen holds a bachelor of arts degree. from Excelsior College, in Albany, New York. Mr. Metzger has served as our Vice President and General Counsel since July 2016. Prior to joining Ignite, Mr. Metzger served in a variety of positions, most recently as Managing Counsel, at Service Corporation International from 2009 to 2016. He also spent five ...Read More