Our Leadership

In the early 2000’s, friends and college roommates Ashley Morris and Jason Smylie were attending the University of Nevada – Las Vegas. As students they discovered Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop and ate there so often that they actually moved closer to the restaurant. After graduation, despite pursuing careers in entirely different industries, Ashley and Jason’s love for Capriotti’s kept pulling them back. Finally, in 2005, they decided to venture toward owning a franchise. The two best friends became Capriotti’s multi-unit operators in Las Vegas in 2005 and eventually bought the company from the founder in 2008.

Ashley Morris is the CEO of Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop, Inc., the parent franchising company for Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop Restaurants. He is responsible for the oversight of all corporate departments and employees of the company but his main focus is that of visionary. Ashley’s vision combined with a natural aptitude for strategic formulation and business implementation keep Capriotti’s on the forefront of growth brands.

Ashley began his career as a portfolio manager quickly gaining tremendous knowledge and success making him one of the youngest portfolio managers with Well Fargo. But entrepreneurship was always in his veins and when he and best friend Jason met to discuss business options and future plans, they both came to the table with only one idea, Capriotti’s!

In the early 2000’s, friends and college roommates Ashley Morris and Jason Smylie were attending the University of Nevada – Las Vegas. As students they discovered Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop and ate there so often that they actually moved closer to the restaurant. After graduation, despite pursuing careers in entirely different industries, Ashley and Jason’s love for Capriotti’s kept pulling them back. In 2005, they decided to venture into owning a franchise. The two best friends became Capriotti’s multi-unit operators in Las Vegas in 2005 and eventually bought the company from the founder in 2008.

Jason Smylie serves as president of Capriotti's Sandwich Shop, Inc. A few of his many responsibilities include providing day-to-day leadership and management, driving the company professionally and financially, and spearheading development, communication, and implementation of effective growth strategies and processes. Jason is passionate about innovation and still follows his IT roots to make sure that Capriotti’s stays on the leading edge of new technology trends in the market.

While Jason originally set out as a software engineer but his love for extraordinary food (and obsession over Capriotti’s) drove him to follow the path to entrepreneurship. Driven by a passion to be the best Jason and Ashley have taken a path to ownership that has led to tripling the number of stores to the 100+ that exist today.

David Bloom serves as Chief Development Officer, overseeing all aspects of franchise development, operations and training. Bloom’s background includes senior leadership positions in a variety of high growth franchise brands. His early career in the franchise industry began as a multi-unit franchisee and included such milestones as serving as Senior Vice President of Brand Expansion for Quiznos, growing it from a small regional brand to opening over 5,000 locations in 28 countries.

In subsequent senior roles, he was responsible for the rapid growth of numerous enterprises, including Clockwork Home Services, which has system-wide revenues in excess of $2.5 billion; Bridge International Academies based in Nairobi, Kenya, which has schools throughout Africa and India; and Famous Brands International, which has approximately 900 franchised locations in over 30 countries.

Brent Erwin has served as our Senior Vice President of Finance since September 2018. From October 2016 – August 2018, he served as the Senior Director of Finance for Levy Restaurants in Chicago overseeing the East Coast sports and leisure division. Prior, from February 2015 to October 2016, he served as Vice President of Finance at Element Collective in Chicago. Previous roles include an analytics management distinction at global law firm, Mayer Brown and nearly a decade in various finance and M&A roles with consulting firm, Accenture.

Brent received his undergraduate degree from Central Michigan University where he was a varsity letterman in football. He is also currently pursuing his MBA from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. with a focus on analytics and finance. Brent is also active in the Las Vegas community where he serves on the founding board of an upcoming charter school.

Kim Lewis is a seasoned marketing executive with over two decades of experience in the retail and food service sectors. In her current role as the Chief Marketing Officer at Capriotti's Sandwich Shop, Kim oversees all marketing functions, focusing on driving profitable sales and profits while expanding market presence and ensuring consumer loyalty.

Kim's experience in marketing spans more than two decades, including 15 years in the retail industry and most recently, 6+ years with Sonic Drive-In, part of the Inspire Brands family of restaurants, where she held multiple executive roles leading digital strategy, integrated marketing communications and brand experience.

Lewis obtained a bachelor of science degree in integrated marketing communications from Abilene Christian University and a master of business administration from the University of Dallas. A native Texan, Lewis currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with her husband, Shane, and sons, Bowen and Beckett.