Founder & CEO

Brandon Ezra

Brandon Ezra is an experienced operator/entrepreneur. Brandon started his first company in his early twenties and within 10 years has successfully founded several vacation-related businesses. Brandon’s earliest venture in this space was JetLiving, an online travel agency which focused on vacation homes in Southern United States.

Based on knowledge gained through JetLiving Brandon founded JetLuxury Resorts, a business focused in the condo-hotelindustry. JetLuxury Resorts was successfully launched and exited within two years. Shortly after which Brandon started his first short-term management operation in Mammoth Lakes, California. After many years of expansion into other locations and by developing industry-leading marketing, technology, and operational techniques Brandon founded Grand Welcome Franchising to support other entrepreneurs in achieving their goals.

VP of Accounting & Finance

Jimmy Modi

Jimmy Modi has 17 years of experience in Accounting and finance. Jimmy joined Grand Welcome in 2020 as the Director of finance & accounting. Prior to Grand Welcome, he was the Senior finance manager at Helloworld Travel Limited where he led the US division of an Australian-owned travel company. He has been managing finance teams in big and small organizations for the past 8 years and has extensive experience in corporate finance, Treasury & cash flow management, tax planning, financial planning & analysis and budgeting and forecasting. Jimmy is originally from India and has built his career in Australia and then migrated to the USA in 2018. He has had experience in Manufacturing, Retail, Logistics, IT, Recruitment, and Travel & Tourism industries. 

Jimmy has an MBA in Finance from the University of Technology, Sydney, and a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology from South Gujarat University, India. 

Director of Human Resources

Monica Garcia

Monica Garcia has 22 years of experience in the Human Resources field and has worked in various industries, including vacation rental, healthcare, consumer home entertainment, and service organizations, for small entrepreneurial businesses as well as global organizations.  As the head of Human Resources for Grand Welcome for the past 4 years, Monica has created a strong and efficient HR structure to support our people strategy.  Monica has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, with an emphasis on Human Resources Management from Cal State Northridge.  

Monica lives in the San Fernando Valley (suburbs north of Los Angeles), with her husband Jeff, son Mark Anthony, and their 2 dogs, Trigger and Chico.

Director of Commercial Operations

Steve Costa

Since Joining Grand Welcome in 2016 Steven has been involved in most aspects of the organization including Customer Service, Owner Relations, Finance, Marketing, Sales, and Pricing for all locations bearing the Grand Welcome name. Through these channels, he specializes in driving and optimizing revenue to realize the highest levels of sales goals regardless of market conditions.

While in this position Steven has been instrumental in putting together a technology stack of software designed to optimize any vacation rental property pricing and be fully adjustable to meet a variety of owner goals. Prior to joining Grand Welcome Steven spent 10 years as a real estate investment analyst and property marketing specialist.  Entering the industry in 2006 Steven had the foresight and ability to not only survive the Real Estate crash of 2007 but thrive creating a luxury Real Estate Investment Trust Group which specialized in analyzing, acquiring, developing and re-marketing multi-million-dollar luxury home portfolios. His work in this field lead to record return margins for his investors and clients and allowed him to be recognized as a multiple-time recipient of the Platinum Chairman Circle award for outstanding production and achievement.

VP of Technology

Mike Abbott-Whitley

Mike has 20 years of experience leading information technology teams in the vacation rental, healthcare, and banking industries.  As the head of technology for Grand Welcome, Mike and his team are responsible for IT strategy, IT operations, and project management.  Mike is also a partner in the Grand Welcome franchise operating in Newport Beach California.  Mike has an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Business, a Master of Science in Management Information Systems from Boston University, and a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology from American Public University.  Mike is a Los Angeles native and currently lives and works in Southern California.  When he is not working, he spends his time with his wife Maria and daughter Luna, golfing with friends, and hosting BBQs on the weekend. 

VP of Operations

Ben Sackett

Ben Sackett has been a leader in operations for over 16 years. Ben joined Grand Welcome in 2019 as the Vice President of Operations. Prior to Grand Welcome he was the Director of Inventory Control at Joerns Healthcare where he led logistics, supply chain, and data integrity teams to success. Ben was also the General Manager of U.S. Legal Support for two years, operating the legal services business in West Los Angeles, leading a team of fifteen as well as managing over 75 independent contracted court reporters. 

Ben earned his MBA in 2019 from Louisiana State University in Shreveport and values the continuous improvement of education. Ben has lived in Los Angeles since 1996, originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, with his wife and two sons.

Director of Marketing

Ashley Regan

Ashley Regan has over 10 years of experience in building brands, enhancing strategies, and achieving corporate goals. As the leader of the Marketing & Sales Department, Ashley’s primary role is to motivate the sales and marketing team to embody and champion the Grand Welcome brand, drive strategic projects from start to finish, and ensure that new franchisees are successful in their owner growth efforts.  

Prior to Grand Welcome, Ashley was Director of Marketing for a healthcare brand in the greater New York City area. Within three years of launching a healthcare start-up, the business grossed over $2 million in revenue. Ashley is based in Austin, Texas. She enjoys hiking, camping, playing music, and spending time with her Bernedoodle, Kala.

Director of Sales

Jennifer Sireika

Jennifer has been working in a Sales capacity her entire career. From retail to hospitality, she has been a top performer and led teams to surpass their goals. She is passionate about meeting new people and inspired by their success stories. Jennifer leads by listening, contributing, and being accountable to her team. She roots for the underdog and is a constant optimist.

Jennifer lives in the San Bernardino mountains to enjoy the four seasons. She has been married for 32 years and loves to road trip on the back of her husband’s Harley. She’s proud of her son and daughter who are creating their own paths in the world. She’s obsessed with Zeppelin, her 70 lb. pittie ;who is by her side 24/7. She loves to travel to a new location every year and immerse herself in their culture. Her next adventure is to build a tiny home community in Tennessee!

VP of Franchise Development

Kevin Drudge

Kevin Drudge, CFE has been in franchising for over 25 years. Kevin joined Grand Welcome in August 2019 as Vice President of Franchise Development. Prior to Grand Welcome, he was Vice President of Sales and Operations United Water Restoration Group. Prior to UWRG, Kevin spent five years as Chief Development Officer and Vice President of Franchise Development with AdvantaClean. Kevin also has nine years collectively with Driven Brands where he was responsible for the company’s franchise development efforts focusing on the Maaco and Meineke brands as well as roles in marketing. Kevin also worked with other major franchise brands including six years leading franchise development for Valpak Direct Marketing as Vice President of Franchise Development and one year with Sign*A*Rama as a Regional Vice President. Kevin is a Certified Franchise Executive and obtained his CFE designation in February 2007. 

Kevin lives in Concord NC and is getting married in October to his Fiancé Chelsea and has 2 teenage kids as well as a mini golden doodle named Teddy.

CFO

Lisa Guild

Lisa Guild is an active Certified Public Accountant (CPA), with over 25 years of finance and operational experience, both in public accounting and private industry. Lisa recently joined Grand Welcome in 2022 as Chief Financial Officer (CFO).  Prior to Grand Welcome she was the CFO for multiple companies in a variety of industries to include consumer products, retail, e-commerce and education. She has tremendous experience scaling organizations, building infrastructure as a skilled finance architect, supporting both corporate and brand growth. She has developed and lead accounting, finance IT and operations teams with an emphasis on lean processes, automation and accountability. Lisa has advanced financial modeling skills which are utilized for intuitive reporting and tracking KPI’s for Private Equity Groups and Boards. 

Lisa earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in 1990 from California State University Fullerton.  As an active CPA, she is required to maintain a level of continuing professional education.  Lisa is originally from Southern California and currently resides in San Clemente, CA.