Keith Ortiz

About Keith Ortiz

I’ve spent my career in procurement and supply chain leadership and I genuinely enjoy the full spectrum of the procurement process, from taking an idea at the concept stage, sourcing the right partners and negotiating the right terms, all the way through to seeing the finished product in front of a guest. There’s real satisfaction in building something well, protecting margins and knowing the work shows up in the customer experience.For more than 15 years, I’ve led enterprise purchasing and supply chain strategies across restaurant portfolios ranging from 100 to 200 locations, managing $40M to $200M in annual spend and supporting multi-site organizations generating up to $750M in revenue. My focus has always been the same, dig into the financials, understand where the margins live, control COGS and use data, discipline and negotiation to improve EBITDA in meaningful, measurable ways.Negotiation is both an art and a responsibility. I’m fair, prepared and analytical, and I work hard to build trust with vendors and internal partners alike. That trust makes it possible to navigate volatile markets, find creative savings opportunities and make decisions that are realistic, sustainable and good for the business long term. I take pride in being someone vendors want to work with and teams want to follow.As a leader, I enjoy identifying strengths and gaps both in my team and in the organization. Building teams that complement one another and getting people aligned around a clear plan is my specialty. I believe that preparation matters. One of the principles I live by is “chance favors the prepared mind.” I don’t leave results to luck. I do the work, ask the right questions and make sure we’re ready when opportunities or challenges appear.What motivates me most is finding smarter ways to operate. Whether that’s restructuring sourcing strategies, renegotiating contracts, improving procurement governance or aligning purchasing more closely with operations and finance, I look for solutions that reduce waste, protect margins and still deliver quality. As a procurement leader, I understand the numbers, value relationships and know how to turn preparation and negotiation into results.

Experience

1. VP of Supply Chain and Construction

   Yoshinoya America

   Aug 2022 — Present · Torrance, CA, US

   Torrance, California, United States