Westward Alliance gains full control of Aviary

In a complete buyout of founder Mark Burgess, Westward Alliance LLC last month gained full control of Aviary Cafe and Creperie LLC.

In January, Westward Alliance purchased an 80 percent stake in the company, and at the time, Burgess held on to a 10 percent share, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.

Westward Alliance then promoted General Manager Jeff Anderson to chief operating officer for Aviary Shares LLC, which serves as the operator of the restaurants, he said.

Westward Alliance owner Ryan O’Reilly serves as CEO of Aviary Shares, while Reed Hopper of Westward Alliance is chief financial officer.

Executive chef John Allen and executive pastry and bakery chef Bruno Marchandise have stayed on board, and the company promoted Olivia Croessman and Kathy Kline to general managers. They team also hired catering operations manager Brad Lyons, former executive chef at The Tower Club, and event center Director of Sales Heather McGuigan, who was previously catering manager for University Plaza Hotel & Convention Center.

Anderson said the company currently is looking in the Bentonville, Ark., and Kansas City markets for future Aviary locations.