We’re a multi-disciplinary team whose experience and expertise spans decades (and even generations) across all facets of lifestyle and hospitality. Many of us are founders ourselves, driven to create lasting, positive impact for our communities and for the planet. With a collective 1B+ of real estate project development under our belt and seasoned market acumen, we offer strategic brand growth and operating expertise for some of the most innovative and beloved brands across our industry.

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A Portland, Ore.-based hospitality firm has reached an agreement to acquire 

, the operator of a quirky but influential hotel chain known for its cafes, in-house DJs and reclaimed furniture scattered throughout its lobbies.


Click below to read coverage in The Wall Street Journal.

Sortis Hospitality to pay $85 million for Ace brand and hotel management company

WSJ - Funky Boutique Operator Ace Hotel Reaches Deal to Sell the Company

Portland, Ore. — Jan. 17, 2023: Sortis Holdings, Inc. (OTC: SOHI) (the “Company” or “Sortis”) — an ecosystem of innovative, experiential hospitality brands — has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Ace Group International, along with its management company, Atelier Ace. With the acquisition, Sortis Holdings, Inc. will be ushering in a new chapter for the iconic brand in an era of cultural collaboration, innovation, and conscious growth, for both the company and the Ace Hotel brand at large.

The purchase consideration is comprised of $85 million in an all-cash transaction pursuant to the terms of the purchase agreement. The transaction is expected to close at the end of Q1 2023, subject to customary closing conditions.

From award-winning restaurants to cult coffee to the world’s first sustainable sushi bar and now adding the Ace Group, the Sortis platform is an evolving ecosystem of idiosyncratic brands united in their vision and innovation. Equal parts incubator, operator, and development platform, Sortis helps these brands amplify their unique voices through strategic guidance and value-adding resources, like optimized capital access, real estate growth strategies, co-location opportunities, as well as our in-house digital team for data and analytics, and e-commerce capabilities.

“The Sortis platform is rooted in innovation, purpose, and impact, and aims to foster consumer brands that are at the forefront of culture,” said Paul Brenneke, Executive Chairman of Sortis. “Our acquisition of the storied Ace Hotel brand, long known for embodying and celebrating the unique culture of each of its destinations worldwide provides us with an opportunity to advance this vision by scaling the legacy brand in a thoughtful way.”

Sortis Holdings’ hospitality partner Kelly Sawdon led the acquisition. Prior to joining Sortis in 2021, she was a partner at the Ace Hotel Group and has been a key player in the Ace Hotel brand since shortly after its inception, leading its boundary-breaking creativity and success. With the Sortis team’s robust experience in innovative hospitality and intuitive brand development — along with decades of seasoned market acumen — Sortis is uniquely poised to amplify the Ace Hotel brand as a series of spirited cultural hubs that ignite neighborhoods and foster collaboration.

“From the very beginning, Ace has had evolution built into its DNA. This acquisition marks an exciting turning point for the brand — tapping some original key players to usher in Ace’s next chapter of growth,” said Kelly Sawdon. “Armed with a team that boasts nearly two decades of experience with the brand, Sortis can help evolve Ace’s position as the hospitality powerhouse it has always been, synonymous with community, creativity and culture.”

The acquisition of the Ace Group International includes 12 hotels - 10 Ace Hotel properties in Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Seattle, Kyoto, Sydney, New York and beyond as well as the innovative hospitality brands Sister City and Maison de la Luz. These strategic additions build upon Sortis Holdings’ existing

hospitality portfolio, which includes the Ace Hotel Portland, Woodlark Hotel in Portland, Mayflower Park in Seattle, the ALUM brand, and several hotels under development including Hollywood, Seattle, Nashville and Carpinteria. The combined entity of Ace Group International and Sortis Holdings will have 15 hotels under management and a robust pipeline.

From award-winning hospitality to cult coffee to the world’s first sustainable sushi bar,

Sortis Holdings is an ecosystem of idiosyncratic brands that live at the intersection of radical vision, cultural relevance and expansive potential. Through decades’ worth of seasoned market acumen,

intuitive brand development and creative business strategy, we empower brands to become more of themselves, amplifying unique voices and moving culture forward in the process. www.sortisholdings.com

Founded by three friends in 1999 in Seattle, Ace Hotel redefined the hotel as a community gathering space for locals and visitors alike. Today, Ace finds its home in vibrant cities around the globe — with its newest locations in Toronto, Canada, Kyoto, Japan and Sydney, Australia — celebrating the culture, history, and humans that bring them to life. Everybody is welcome.

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “should,” “would,” “plan,” “predict,” “potential,” “seem,” “seek,” “future,” “outlook,” and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. All statements, other than statements of present or historical fact included in this press release, are forward-looking, including statements: regarding future operations of businesses recently acquired by Sortis Holdings.; potential future acquisitions; attributes of the Sortis Holdings. platform; and growth opportunities. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including the inability of the parties to successfully or timely complete proposed or desired transaction; failure to realize the anticipated benefits of proposed transactions; the challenges with managing a diversified business portfolio; and risks associated with the acquired businesses, including changes in customer behavior or government regulation to address COVID-19. If any of these risks materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements

Sortis Holdings Press Contact: Gateway Group, Inc.
Zach Kadletz / Anna Rutter 949-574-3860 SOHI@Gatewayir.com

Sortis Aims to Double Its Hotel Footprint by 2025

Sortis Holdings Signs Definitive Agreement To Acquire Ace Hotel Group

 (OTC: SOHI) (the “Company” or “Sortis”), — a platform enabling highly scalable experiential lifestyle brands to accelerate growth and impact — today announced the appointment of Dusti Guzmàn to its executive leadership team as Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer. Guzmàn and his team within Sortis’ portfolio of individual brands will lead the holistic people offense for the company.

“At Sortis, we’re committed to the success not only of our exceptional collection of brands, but to the hardworking and talented individuals who bring them to life,” said Paul Brenneke, Executive Chairman of Sortis. “As a functional leader, Dusti will be a key partner in advancing Sortis as a choice employer, inspiring our team members, and upholding our culture and core values.”

Guzmàn boasts three decades of experience in the hospitality industry, having started his career as a server and going on to succeed in various leadership roles in operations and human resources. He is passionate about his work in developing and leading teams responsible for human resources, talent acquisition, talent training and development, benefits, risk management, HRIS, and organizational development.

“Sortis is at the forefront of culture and is helping legacy brands scale in a meaningful way as a catalyst to move society forward,” said Guzmàn. “I have dear admiration for that mission and am proud to have an opportunity to build comprehensive programs to support the incredible team members behind our brands.”

Guzmàn was recently the Global Head of Human Resources as Azumi Ltd. Prior experience also includes a similar role at McCormick and Schmicks Restaurants, Starr Restaurants, Sprinkle Cupcakes, and Innovative Dining Group.

About Sortis Hospitality, Inc.
Sortis Hospitality, Inc. (OTC: SOHI) is a collection of brands that combine creative vision with business acumen. Sortis intends to power its brands across hotel & lodging, coffee, food & beverage, and beauty & wellness to drive culture forward, uniting purpose and profit to thoughtfully scale its companies and offer exceptional experiences to its customers. To learn more about Sortis, please visit 

Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer
Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “should,” “would,” “plan,” “predict,” “potential,” “seem,” “seek,” “future,” “outlook,” and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. All statements, other than statements of present or historical fact included in this press release, are forward-looking, including statements: regarding future operations of businesses recently acquired by Sortis; potential future acquisitions; attributes of the Sortis platform; and growth opportunities. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including the inability of the parties to successfully or timely complete proposed or desired transaction; failure to realize the anticipated benefits of proposed transactions; the challenges with managing a diversified business portfolio; and risks associated with the acquired businesses, including changes in customer behavior or government regulation to address COVID-19. If any of these risks materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements.

Sortis Press Contact:
Gateway Group, Inc.
Zach Kadletz and Anna Rutter
949-574-3860


Sortis Investor Relations Contact:
Gateway Group, Inc.
Cody Slach and Cody Cree
949-574-3860


Portland, Ore.

Sortis Hospitality Names Dusti Guzmàn as Chief Human Resources Officer

 (OTC: SOHI) (“Sortis” or the “Company”), a platform enabling highly scalable, experiential lifestyle brands to accelerate growth and impact, has announced that it acquired long-time partner 

, a full-service digital creative agency bent on direct to consumer (D2C) growth acceleration via technology-based solutioning.

Sortis’ growing portfolio of consumer brands share four key characteristics: passionate customer bases; differentiated brand identities; integrated commitment to Environmental, Social, and Governance (“ESG”) priorities; and digital tailwinds. To that end, WLCR will supercharge the digital efforts of Sortis’ portfolio brands to accelerate and scale both organically and inorganically.

“The Sortis team has maintained strong partnership with WLCR since early 2020, and this acquisition comes as a natural and mutually beneficial progression of that relationship,” said Paul Brenneke, Executive Chairman of Sortis. “The WLCR team is not only trailblazers of digital marketing, having developed revolutionary eCommerce work with revered brands such as Nike, Intel, Ticketmaster, and the Comedy Store, among dozens of other companies, but their values directly align with the Sortis vision. Our teams are eager to come together to enhance the digital ecosystem of our portfolio of brands so they can continue to spark conversation and move culture forward through greater connectivity between brands, communities, and individuals.”

WLCR was founded in 2009 to create strategic digital advantages for authentic and meaningful brands by developing and optimizing digital ecosystems and unlocking substantial benefit multiples for stakeholders. The agency leverages psychology and an intimate understanding of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) to develop strategic tech-based approaches to business problem solving centered on art, technology, and an empathy-based user experience. These core strengths have driven WLCR to become one of the most highly sought-after innovation accelerators in the US, with a growing inbound partner roaster that includes some of the influential brands and celebrities in America. Starting today, WLCR will deliver an unfair advantage to the Sortis’ portfolio. A massive aggregation of first-party analytics, which will be used to assess consumer and market trends across millions of consumer and brand interactions, is among the first priorities. The addition of WLCR, a best-in-class full-service digital creative team, will allow Sortis to unlock the highest potential of its platform and continue to deliver perpetually greater results.

Adam Shearer, Founder and CEO of WLCR added, “all great ideas have their time. Few simultaneously have all the ingredients required to create a meaningful shift in human behavior or the consumer paradigm. The ecosystem we are creating at Sortis will allow our united team to intervene at the most opportune time in the life of a business by creating a confluence of the merchant, the money, and the moment. We are excited to expand our work across the full Sortis platform as it presents the perfect cross section of values and service with brands that are enthusiastic to cultivate and take their impact to the next level through technology.”

Shearer brings more than 15 years of executive experience, backed by a formal education in Psychology, published research on human-computer interaction (HCI) and recommendation engines, and extensive applied experience as a consultant and thought leader for globally recognized brands. As part of the agreement, Mr. Shearer and WLCR will lead digital strategy and execution for Sortis’ portfolio companies as well as key, strategically identified, partners outside of the platform which will continue to nurture an ever-increasing relevance and digital agility to support the monumental growth of Sortis.

Sortis Hospitality, Inc. (OTC: SOHI) is a collection of brands that combine creative vision with business acumen. Sortis intends to power its brands across hotel & lodging, coffee, food & beverage, and beauty & wellness to drive culture forward, uniting purpose and profit to thoughtfully scale its companies and offer exceptional experiences to its customers. To learn more about Sortis, please visit 

WLCR accelerates growth, relevance, and durability by perfecting your digital ecosystem and maximizing ROI. The key to our success record is a seamless blend of entrepreneurial perspective, the ability to parse risk and opportunity simultaneously, our unique smooth funnel architecture, and our soup to nuts digital toolkit.

We identify the primary goals, values, and concerns of all ecosystem stakeholders, from consumer to shareholder, and then apply data-based insights to pragmatic problem solving. While some agencies make decisions based on data, and others make decisions from the gut, we recognize and act on both at speed.

In addition, and in contrast to other creative agencies, WLCR partners directly with PE, VC, and AI capital (and their portfolios) as well as other visionaries, founders, and business leaders in a way that accelerates innovation at every step. As a result, we consistently achieve what most agencies fail to ever understand: Business.

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “should,” “would,” “plan,” “predict,” “potential,” “seem,” “seek,” “future,” “outlook,” and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. All statements, other than statements of present or historical fact included in this press release, are forward-looking, including statements: regarding future operations of businesses recently acquired by Sortis; potential future acquisitions; attributes of the Sortis platform; and growth opportunities. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including the inability of the parties to successfully or timely complete proposed or desired transaction; failure to realize the anticipated benefits of proposed transactions; the challenges with managing a diversified business portfolio; and risks associated with the acquired businesses, including changes in customer behavior or government regulation to address COVID-19. If any of these risks materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements.

Gateway Group, Inc.
Zach Kadletz
949-574-3860


Gateway Group, Inc.
Cody Slach and Cody Cree
949-574-3860


Full-Service Digital Agency Brings Innovative, Industry-Leading Capabilities to Boost Brand Growth and Impact

Sortis Hospitality Acquires WLCR to Accelerate Digital Capabilities

. (OTC: SOHI) (“Sortis” or the “Company”), a platform enabling highly scalable, experiential lifestyle brands to accelerate growth and impact, has announced the resignation of two independent directors, Stan Morris and Gary Delorit, effective January 17, 2022.

Morris and Delorit were founding directors for the legacy banking and fund management businesses. They are retiring following their 27 years of service and in conjunction with Sortis’s strategic transition to a collection of scalable lifestyle brands.

“As we continue to position Sortis as a platform business with a focus on brands that spark conversation and move culture forward, we are also aligning our board of directors with the new vision,” said Paul Brenneke, Executive Chairman of Sortis. “With Stan and Gary’s retirement, we anticipate announcing appointments of additional board members who will bring relevant lifestyle industry expertise. I’d like to thank Stan and Gary for their invaluable contributions to our board over the past three decades, and we wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors.”

Sortis Hospitality, Inc. (OTC: SOHI) is becoming a collection of brands that combine creative vision with business acumen. Sortis intends to power its brands across hotel & lodging, coffee, food & beverage, and beauty & wellness to drive culture forward, uniting purpose and profit to thoughtfully scale its companies and offer exceptional experiences to its customers. To learn more about Sortis, please visit 

Gateway Investor Relations
Cody Slach and Cody Cree
949-574-3860


Sortis Hospitality Provides Business Update on Board of Director Changes

Announces Acquisitions of Bamboo Sushi, Rudy’s Barbershops, and Current Co Brands

Appoints Proven Consumer Finance Executive, Ryan Smith, as Chief Financial Officer

 (OTC: SOHI (“Sortis”), a leader in diversified alternative investment strategies, is providing a business update on several key initiatives as it transitions to become a platform enabling highly scalable, experiential lifestyle brands to accelerate growth and impact.

On December 31, 2021, Sortis sold its fund management business to Sortis, LLC (“Sortis Fund Management”), a private entity owned and operated by former Sortis Hospitality managers. The asset purchase was seller financed through a promissory note. With the divestiture, Sortis is positioned to execute its brand platform strategy.

The initial transactions in support of the new business strategy include several noteworthy acquisitions to expand its portfolio into the restaurant and beauty and wellness space.

On December 31, 2021, Sortis acquired Sustainable Restaurant Group, the Oregon-based operators of nine Bamboo Sushi (“Bamboo”) restaurants across four states, through a combination of cash, debt and stock. In 2008, Bamboo became the world’s first certified sustainable sushi restaurant. Since then, it has changed how consumers eat, how the industry operates, and continually aspires to protect the planet, the ocean, and the evolving global ecosystem. Bamboo is pushing the conversation forward on sustainable fishing while simultaneously serving innovative, delicious fare.

On December 31, 2021, Sortis acquired Rudy’s Barbershops (“Rudy’s”), the Washington-based operator of 30 locations, including 11 former company-owned Bishops Barbershops locations, as part of a share exchange agreement. For 29 years, Rudy’s Barbershop has been the authority on effortless style, combining self-care with culture. Rudy’s pioneered the modern barbershop movement and redefined a new generation of beauty and grooming, starting with one location in the heart of Seattle and expanding to Oregon, Georgia, Arizona, and NYC.

On December 31, 2021, Sortis acquired Current Co Brands, Inc., an upstart hospitality developer originally formed as a joint venture between Sortis and five hospitality industry veterans. The portfolio of Current Co Brands, Inc. includes management of the Mayflower Park Hotel in Seattle and the Ace Hotel in Portland and anticipates the development of several new hospitality brands.

With this new platform, Sortis begins to bring together an ecosystem of original brands with purpose and impact. As stewards of legacy and new companies alike, the platform will enable sustainable growth, cultural equity, and scalable innovation for brands with things to say. Sortis’ goal is to build a portfolio of consumer brands that share four key characteristics: a passionate customer base, differentiated brand identity, commitment to Environmental, Social, and Governance (“ESG”) priorities, and digital tailwinds. Sortis believes these acquisitions are strongly aligned with these attributes and offer significant growth opportunities. With a platform that provides enhanced access to capital, real estate strategy expertise, creative and operational talent, and cutting-edge digital capabilities, Sortis believes it can accelerate these brands’ ability to scale both organically and inorganically.

“These acquisitions mark a new beginning for Sortis as we transition into a platform business with a focus on brands that spark conversation and move culture forward,” said Paul Brenneke, Executive Chairman of Sortis. “Bamboo Sushi is the forerunner in sustainable sourcing in the restaurant industry and Rudy’s is a pioneer in LGBTQ-inclusive policies and practices within the beauty industry. We look forward to leveraging our expertise to scale these and other forward-thinking businesses under the Sortis umbrella.”

Sortis, beginning the strategic transition to an operator of scalable, lifestyle brands, has appointed Ryan Smith as its Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. In addition to leading Finance, Accounting, Technology, and Human Resources, Smith will serve as a strategic business advisor to the CEO and broader executive leadership team.

Smith brings over 20 years of corporate finance experience with broad consumer, product, brand, distribution and operational expertise. He spent two decades at Nike (NYSE: NKE), where he held numerous domestic and international roles in the finance function, including roles as divisional CFO and leadership roles in Investor Relations, Business Planning, Corporate Audit, Revenue and Gross Margin Planning, and Commerce. Prior to Nike, Smith spent five years as an active CPA in public accounting.

Commenting on his appointment, Smith stated: “It’s an exciting time to be joining the Sortis team as we embark on the transition to a platform that can accelerate growth among a variety of strong lifestyle brands. Having been a finance leader for numerous businesses within Nike for two decades, I am confident in my abilities to guide Sortis through this strategic transition. I look forward to leveraging my deep consumer and operational experience, along with my expertise in building organizations and integrating acquisitions, to strengthen the performance of our current and future portfolio companies.”

Brenneke concluded: “As we embark on this transition, it was imperative that we had a CFO with a proven track record of delivering results and creating value. Ryan is a high-impact executive who brings a compelling blend of strategic and capital allocation discipline, deep operating skills, and transformational leadership abilities. He is the perfect candidate to drive the business as a member of our executive leadership team given his experience at one of the most recognizable consumer brands in the world.”

Incorporation Change and Stock Transactions

On December 31, 2021, Sortis changed its corporate domicile from Oregon to Delaware, adopted new charter documents, and issued new shares constituting approximately 10% of post-acquisition outstanding shares to affiliates of Executive Chairman Paul Brenneke resulting from the redemption of preferred stock and conversion of previously issued warrants.

Sortis, LLC is a leader in diversified alternative investment strategies focused on real estate, lending, distress situations and rescue opportunities. Sortis Funds include the Sortis Rescue Fund, the Sortis Income Fund, and the Sortis Opportunity Zone Fund. Operating under the principles of client focus, integrity, hard work and creativity, Sortis, LLC provides its accredited investors with well-managed, diverse asset-based investment strategies. Learn more at 

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