New additions bring deep expertise in restaurant food safety, productivity, and operational excellence as SmartSense continues to drive innovation for the restaurant industry

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul. 21, 2026-- SmartSense by Digi, part of Digi International (NASDAQ: DGII, www.digi.com) and a leading global provider of Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity solutions, today announced it has added Jack in the Box, Inc.’s Eric Phernambucq and honeygrow’s John Paul (JP) Thomas to its Board of Advisors. These appointments build on SmartSense’s ongoing commitment to partnering with restaurant industry leaders to deliver greater value and innovation to its customers.

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SmartSense Welcomes Jack in the Box, Inc.’s Eric Phernambucq and honeygrow’s JP Thomas to Its Board of Advisors

“Between heightened food safety skepticism and increasingly complex compliance standards, restaurant operators in 2026 have their work cut out for them,” said Guy Yehiav, President of SmartSense by Digi. “At SmartSense, we make it our mission to address real challenges like these by building technology that puts our customers at the forefront of food safety, quality, and operational excellence. Authentic perspectives from seasoned industry leaders like JP and Eric are what make this mission possible. We are proud to welcome them to our distinguished Board of Advisors.”

As Vice President of Operations Innovation at Jack in the Box, Inc., Eric Phernambucq focuses on improving restaurant performance, productivity, and operational efficiency. Over his 25 years in the restaurant industry, he has built a reputation for driving operational excellence across national QSR brands.

“My life’s work centers around helping restaurants modernize and transform their operations to unlock productivity and improve margins,” said Phernambucq. “I’ve seen firsthand how SmartSense can help deliver on these goals quickly, which is why I’m thrilled to join as a strategic advisor. SmartSense is helping redefine the future of food safety, compliance, and operational excellence for the restaurant industry, and I’m excited to lend insight as the company continues to innovate and scale.”

JP Thomas, Vice President of Operations Services at honeygrow, brings two decades of expertise in restaurant operations, food safety, and field execution. In his role, he oversees operational standards, quality assurance, process improvement, and team development. As an industry leader, Thomas is known for championing a proactive approach to food safety and operational excellence.

“I’ve dedicated much of my career to helping restaurant brands embed systems and behaviors that drive consistency and brand loyalty,” said Thomas. “Joining the SmartSense Board of Advisors provides an exciting opportunity to continue this work. SmartSense has established itself as a trusted leader in enterprise-grade compliance, food safety, and quality management solutions for restaurants. My eight years with honeygrow have taught me just how important this technology is for those hoping to scale a modern restaurant concept while maintaining quality at every location.”

To learn more about SmartSense, visit www.smartsense.co.

About SmartSense by Digi

SmartSense by Digi®, a business unit of Digi International (NASDAQ: DGII), is a leading global provider of Internet of Things (IoT) Sensing as a Service solutions that deliver dynamic and personalized asset tracking, monitoring, process digitization, and digital decisioning across key verticals. The company enables organizations to leverage the power of IoT automation, prescriptive workflows, and insightful analytics to ensure compliance, workforce productivity, brand loyalty, loss prevention, and reduction of waste and energy consumption. Combining new and innovative data-driven approaches with world-class IoT tools, SmartSense partners with enterprises to elevate their business outcomes and asset protection to new heights. For more information, visit www.smartsense.co/.

About Digi International

Digi International (NASDAQ: DGII) is a global technology leader empowering enterprises to build, connect, and manage the critical systems that drive their businesses. Through an integrated portfolio of managed services, intelligent software, secure connectivity, and resilient edge solutions, Digi helps enterprises monitor, update, and control assets in real time, strengthen compliance, streamline workflows, and keep distributed operations running without interruption. Since 1985, Digi has enabled organizations worldwide to modernize operations and confidently connect millions of devices. Learn more at www.digi.com.

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Source: Digi International