Upward Projects

Upward Projects was founded by Lauren Bailey and Craig DeMarco - opening their flagship concept, Postino, in 2001. The brand now has seven locations in Phoenix, Arizona and Denver, Colorado. Postino opened its first Texas location in Houston’s up-and-coming, historic neighborhood, The Heights, in April 2018. Bailey remained in her role as Chief Executive Officer and DeMarco continued to serve as a Director and strategic advisor after a significant investment from Brentwood Associates in 2017. Concurrent with the transaction, Upward Projects has added Rahul Aggarwal, Steve Moore and Greg Dollarhyde to its board of directors. Aggarwal and Moore are partners at Brentwood, a consumer-focused private equity firm that has an extensive track record in the restaurant industry, having previously partnered with seven high-growth restaurant concepts including its current investments in Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza, Lazy Dog Restaurants, Pacific Catch and Veggie Grill. Dollarhyde is a restaurant industry veteran who has served as the Chairman or CEO of eight different companies, including publicly held Zoës Kitchen (NYSE: ZOES).