Irvine, Calif. — Gregory V. Hackman, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Boot Barn Holdings, Inc., plans to retire later this year. He will continue with the company until his retirement date, currently estimated for June, and transition his responsibilities to other company executives. “I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Greg for his 8 years with Boot Barn,” says Jim Conroy, president and chief executive officer. “Greg joined Boot Barn as our CFO in 2015, shortly after our IPO, and continued to take on more …
Katie Lee
San Carlos, Calif. — Presto Automation Inc., one of the largest drive-thru automation technology providers in the hospitality industry, has promoted Dan Mosher to president and Xavier Casanova to chief operating officer, effective immediately. “Dan and Xavier have been key leaders at Presto and were instrumental in successfully developing and implementing Presto Voice, the industry’s most advanced drive-thru AI voice ordering platform,” says Presto’s chairman and interim CEO, Krishna Gupta. “I am delighted to partner with these two and the rest of our exceptional management team as we continue to …
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. — IT’SUGAR, one of the largest specialty candy retailers in the U.S., has opened its newest and largest candy department store at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf. Spanning nearly 30,000 square feet and three floors, this massive candy department store is full of immersive candy experiences celebrating the world’s most popular and iconic “sugary” brands. “We are extremely excited to bring the ultimate sugar high to one of the world’s most visited tourist attractions — Fisherman’s Wharf — with our largest store yet,” says Jeff Rubin, founder and …
Orlando, Fla. — Berner International LLC, a New Castle, Pa.-based manufacturer and innovator of air curtains, has honored foodservice manufacturer’s representative Swanson-Girard Associates (SGA), based in Pineville, N.C, with its Presidential Gold Award for Outstanding Sales Achievement–2021-2022. Brian Paolucci, sales manager with Berner International, presented the award to SGA principals Paul Swanson and Sean Girard at the North American Food Service Equipment Manufacturers (NAFEM) Show 2023 on Feb. 1 in Orlando, Fla. Other honored award winners were: Presidential Silver: Preferred Marketing Group, based in Chatsworth, Calif. Presidential Bronze: LMS Associates, …
Jersey City, N.J. — Imperial Dade, a leading distributor of foodservice packaging and janitorial supplies, has hired Devashish Saxena as its first chief digital officer. He will be focused on identifying how the organization can use the latest digital technologies to create a world-class omnichannel customer experience powered by data science. For over 20 years, Devashish Saxena has built digital organizations and guided them in making data-driven decisions to deliver business impact. Most recently Devashish led digital transformation as vice president, chief digital officer at PPG, a Pittsburgh-based coatings manufacturer. …
New York City — Macy’s, Inc.’s chairman and chief executive officer, Jeff Gennette, plans to retire in February 2024 after serving the company for 40 years. Tony Spring, Macy’s executive vice president and Bloomingdale’s chairman and CEO, has been appointed by the board of directors as the company’s next president and CEO-elect, and a member of the board of directors. As president, Spring will be responsible for leading Macy’s, Inc.’s digital, customer, merchandising and brand teams, while overseeing Bloomingdale’s and bluemercury. As a part of the leadership transition, Macy’s chief …
Atlanta — Carvel, the nostalgic ice cream franchise under the Focus Brands portfolio, is moving westward beyond its East Coast roots with its debut in a new market: Houston. This first-of-its-kind collaboration will bring Carvel to eight Houston-area locations over the next 5 years. The new locations are Buttermilk Baby restaurants — the newest concept developed by Berg Hospitality. Each Buttermilk Baby restaurant integrates the Carvel brand in its design and menu offerings, bringing Carvel to Houstonians in a unique way. Ben Berg, owner of Houston-based Berg Hospitality Group, is …
— By Hara J. Prager and Tom Coble — Whose leak is it anyway? HVAC provider or roofer? Imagine — it is a beautiful spring day; the air is cool and crisp, the sun is bright, with the promise of summer days near. You’re enjoying your first day off after the holiday rush. At least now, with the ice of winter behind you, you won’t be facing water leaks…right? Think again! On this beautiful 50-degree morning, as you’re enjoying a stroll, you get a panicked call from …
Phoenix — PetSmart has released its first annual corporate social responsibility (CSR) report. The report shares PetSmart’s progress across key priorities: (1) healthy and happy pets, (2) empowered people and (3) responsible stewardship. “This report captures the important progress we’ve made and sets the foundation for continued industry leadership across our commitments to our people, the pets in our care, the planet and the communities we serve,” says J.K. Symancyk, president and CEO of PetSmart. “I’m proud that our priorities reflect the thoughts, beliefs and passions of our more than …
Atlanta — Neel Patel joins Church’s Texas Chicken® as vice president, strategy & growth, a newly created role. He joined the company in late March. He reports directly to Joe Guith, CEO of Church’s Texas Chicken® and Texas Chicken™. In this role, Neel will drive strategic planning, data & analytics, and business transformation in addition to accelerating growth initiatives across all aspects of the business, including marketing, development, finance, supply chain and international. Patel joins Church’s Texas Chicken® from McKinsey & Company where he led growth-focused client engagements across several …