Leadership Team

Chris Smith is a visionary entrepreneur and founder of 26X Industries, a company redefining the hospitality landscape through innovation, technology, and community. With a passion for creating meaningful connections between people, brands, and experiences, Chris built 26X as a tech-first ecosystem designed to transform how restaurants operate and how the service industry thrives.

Throughout his career, Chris has blended creativity with strategy, turning bold ideas into scalable realities. His leadership style—equal parts fearless and empathetic—has attracted a team of innovators committed to building a new kind of hospitality model that merges AI, finance, and culture under one purpose: to serve the service industry.

Driven by a belief that hospitality can be both human-centered and data-smart, Chris continues to push boundaries and inspire others to see opportunity where others see challenge. His vision for 26X is not just to build restaurants—it’s to build systems that empower people, elevate communities, and leave a lasting mark on the future of work and experience.

As Chief Financial Officer of 26X Industries, Efrem Weiss brings financial discipline, strategic insight, and operational clarity to one of the most forward-thinking organizations in hospitality. His leadership ensures that innovation and profitability move in tandem, enabling 26X to scale intelligently while maintaining its entrepreneurial spirit.

Efrem’s background spans finance, analytics, and business transformation, giving him a rare ability to translate data into direction. Known for his analytical rigor and calm, pragmatic leadership, he plays a key role in shaping 26X’s long-term investment strategy, guiding decisions that balance ambition with accountability.

At the heart of Efrem’s work is a commitment to transparency and impact. He believes great finance doesn’t just fund ideas—it fuels movements. His stewardship ensures 26X’s mission to redefine hospitality is both visionary and viable.

Loren Bontrager serves as Chief Development Officer for 26X Industries, where he oversees the company’s rapid expansion and operational growth strategy. Known for his precision, foresight, and people-first leadership, Loren ensures every new market, concept, and partnership reflects the integrity and vision of 26X’s tech-driven model.

With deep experience in business development, real estate strategy, and systems design, Loren bridges creativity and execution—translating bold vision into measurable results. His ability to navigate complex development landscapes with agility and optimism has been instrumental in scaling 26X from concept to emerging national platform.

Loren’s approach to growth is rooted in sustainability and innovation. He builds environments that empower teams, delight guests, and strengthen communities—creating spaces where the future of hospitality takes shape.

As Chief of Staff for 26X Industries, Mark Spurling serves as the connective tissue between strategy and execution. His role touches every corner of the organization—aligning leadership priorities, driving cross-functional initiatives, and ensuring that bold ideas translate into meaningful outcomes.

A dynamic and versatile leader, Mark brings a unique blend of strategic thinking, operational insight, and cultural intuition. His ability to bring order to complexity and foster collaboration has made him a cornerstone of 26X’s executive team.

Mark’s leadership philosophy centers on clarity, communication, and trust. At 26X, he helps turn vision into movement—keeping teams aligned, focused, and inspired as they work together to build the next generation of hospitality innovation.

Chrissy Clary is the Chief Marketing & Technology Officer of 26X Industries, where she leads the company’s vision for integrated marketing, digital innovation, and content automation. Known for blending creative strategy with emerging technology, Chrissy is driving the evolution of a tech-first hospitality ecosystem built to serve the service industry.

A seasoned strategist and technologist, Chrissy’s background spans global brands and pioneering institutions, including L’Oréal, Angi (formerly Angie’s List), Reynolds American, and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Her experience in brand transformation, digital systems, and storytelling fuels her mission to humanize technology and amplify impact at scale.

As the founder of Interact Digital and creator of The Content Beast—an AI-powered content engine—Chrissy continues to push boundaries at the intersection of marketing, automation, and human experience. A graduate of Harvard University with a professional certification in Generative AI from MIT, she remains dedicated to building tools and stories that connect people, purpose, and progress.

Kevin Nelson is the Chief Operating Officer of 26X Industries, where he drives operational excellence across the company’s fast-evolving ecosystem. Known for his executional precision and steady leadership, Kevin ensures that the innovation happening at the strategic level translates seamlessly into day-to-day success.

With a background in scaling complex operations, Kevin brings structure to creativity—building systems that enable growth without sacrificing culture or quality. His deep understanding of process design, team leadership, and performance optimization allows 26X to deliver experiences that are both consistent and exceptional.

Kevin’s leadership reflects the company’s ethos: people first, systems second. He believes that operational excellence begins with empowered teams and ends with extraordinary guest experiences—a belief that continues to shape the foundation of 26X’s future.

As Chief Brand & Innovation Officer at 26X Industries, Tony Edgerton leads the creative heartbeat of the organization—fusing brand storytelling, product innovation, and guest experience into a unified vision. Known for his sharp eye and strategic imagination, Tony transforms abstract ideas into experiences that resonate, inspire, and drive growth across the company’s expanding ecosystem.

A seasoned creative leader with a history of shaping brands that stand out in competitive markets, Tony combines strategic insight with a designer’s intuition. His approach bridges aesthetics and analytics—ensuring every innovation aligns with purpose and performance.

At 26X, Tony’s work transcends branding; he helps define the cultural DNA of the company itself. Through design thinking, experimentation, and relentless curiosity, he helps chart a course for what modern hospitality can become when innovation leads the way.