Our Team

Jeff Ahlers initially joined La Tortilla Factory as a Board Member in 2013 and was immediately captivated by the company’s values and culture. A year later, he accepted the opportunity to take on the role of President and CEO.

Jeff has worked in the food industry for over 30 years, embracing an entrepreneurial approach to cultivate business success and build strong relationships. Jeff and his wife, Kelly, have been active with many non-profit organizations over the years including Courage Worldwide and locally in fostering youth and adoption advocacy. Jeff enjoys spending time with his family and keeping fit. He has two grown sons, three young children and one grandson.

Susan Barnes is the owner of Barnes & Company, an award-winning strategic consulting firm specializing in the areas of land planning, land use approval, communications, public outreach and strategic communications. Susan works throughout Northern California in a wide spectrum of businesses, industries and nonprofits. Susan earned both a B.A. Political Science and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Irvine. Susan has over 30 years of experience in dealing with federal, state, county and local government providing public affairs, land use, public outreach and media services.

Matt Brewer was born and raised in Sonoma County, and graduated from Sonoma State University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in accounting. Matt is a certified public accountant and works for Pisenti & Brinker where he is a manager in taxation and assurance services. Matt provides corporate, partnership and individual tax planning and compliance services and oversees audit, review and compilation engagements. Matt married the love of his life, Chloe, in 2010. When he is not working and volunteering, he keeps busy raising his three children.

Jared is the Director of Leasing/Financing for Hansel Leasing, a local company focused on providing equipment leasing across the US including the local Sonoma County wine industry.

Born and raised in Northern, CA, Jared spent 15 years in the commercial banking industry after receiving his BA from University Nevada Las Vegas and MBA from California State University Sacramento.

Jared spends his time outside the office with his wife and 3 young children supporting their interest in sports and his interest in cycling/mountain biking.

Peter Hsu is a Managing Director and North Bay Regional Manager for Bank of the West’s Wine & Beverage Group.  Peter has more than 25 years of financial services experience and has worked in various positions in both the community and wholesale banking.  Peter’s work experience also includes several years at Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., ABN AMRO Bank, N.V. and Allied Capital Corporation.  Peter received his double B.A. in Economics and International Relations with a Minor in Chinese from the University of California at Davis.

In his spare time, Peter enjoys serving as a Finance Committee board member for Social Advocates for Youth, a Sonoma County based non-profit, and volunteering as a high performance driving coach for several local car clubs.  Peter grew up in Marin County and current resides in San Rafael, CA with his spouse, two teenage sons, and his yellow Labrador.

Ted Patchet is a Client Executive at Alight Solutions, a benefits administration and cloud-based HR services provider. He has expertise in strategic business planning and has led clients through a wide variety of projects across the HR landscape over the past 24 years. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the University of Nevada, Reno and a Master of Arts in Sports and Fitness Management from the University of San Francisco.

Ted lives in Petaluma with his wife Patience and their two teenage sons, Gavin and Colin. He is the Secretary for the Northern California Chapter of US Lacrosse. Other organizations that Ted has served previously include Petaluma Youth Lacrosse, the Marin Cricket Club, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Massachusetts-Rhode Island and Boys Scout of America. In his down time, Ted enjoys playing golf, visiting new craft breweries and relaxing with his family.