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Baltimore, Md. — Under Armour, Inc. has named Stephanie Linnartz as its new president, chief executive officer and member of its board of directors, effective February 27, 2023. Linnartz currently serves as the president of Marriott International, Inc., the world’s largest hospitality company, with a portfolio of nearly 8,200 properties across 138 countries and territories and 30 brands, including The Ritz-Carlton®, St. Regis®, Marriott Hotels®, W® Hotels, and Westin® as well as the industry’s most extensive customer-loyalty program, Marriott Bonvoy®, which has 173 million members. “As a 25-year veteran of one of …

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West Palm Beach, Fla. — The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill®, a rapidly expanding Mediterranean fast-casual concept, is reporting 2022 as the most successful year in its company history, signing 24 franchise agreements and 16 multi-unit development agreements. The brand is also reporting 48 restaurants in active development that will further expand its footprint in states like Maryland, California and Texas beginning in 2023. These 48 locations are part of a robust development pipeline that The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill has generated, totaling 282 locations to be opened in the next …

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Livonia, Mich. — Pet Supplies Plus, the largest independent pet franchise in North America with over 640 stores in 41 states, and Wag N’ Wash, the emerging self-wash, grooming and natural pet food franchise, have collectively signed 115-plus franchise agreements year to date. The secured franchise commitments for Pet Supplies Plus include a 50/50 mix of existing owners who realize the recession-resilient value of this franchise and brand-new franchisees who are attracted by the simplified retail model and consistent growth. The companies also welcomed the first dual-branded multi-unit agreement, which …

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San Francisco — SpotOn, the top-rated software and payments partner for restaurants and small businesses, has named Bryan Solar as its new chief product officer. Solar joins SpotOn from Block, where he was the general manager for Square for Restaurants. He has also held leadership positions at Google, where he managed various SMB and restaurant-related projects. SpotOn’s co-founder and former chief product officer, Doron Friedman, will take on the newly-created role of chief innovation officer. “I’ve been closely watching SpotOn since its founding in 2017. Their ability to combine innovation, …

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Atlanta — Gala Capital Partners (GCP), an investment firm focused on emerging restaurant franchise brands, has reached an agreement to purchase Rusty Taco from Atlanta-based Inspire Brands. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Rusty Taco leadership team has co-invested in the acquisition and will remain in place to guide this new phase of the brand’s evolution. Inspire Brands acquired a majority interest in the Rusty Taco brand along with its purchase of Buffalo Wild Wings in 2018. Inspire successfully reinvigorated the brand, clarifying its positioning and rebranding …

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Seattle — Seattle-based fashion retailer Nordstrom, Inc. plans to open a new Nordstrom Rack in Aurora, Colo. The 30,000-square-foot store will be located in Southlands, a popular shopping center that includes Sephora, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Bath & Body Works and H&M. The new store is scheduled to open in fall 2023. “We look forward to opening this new Nordstrom Rack location in Aurora, strengthening our network of stores and introducing new customers to Nordstrom Rack’s unique product offering,” says Carl Jenkins, senior vice president of Nordstrom Rack Stores. “In addition to shopping the brands they love at a great …

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Houston — In 2022, Daddy’s Chicken Shack opened a flagship restaurant in Houston Heights (Houston), as well as signed eight franchise agreements across California, Oregon, Texas, Colorado, Arizona, Georgia and Florida. The brand now has 120 units in development nationwide. During 2022, the emerging chicken brand also hosted its first-ever regional developer conference, a rare achievement after launching its franchise opportunity only in 2021. The brand’s first conference was hosted by founders Pace Webb and Chris Georgalas, as well as Dave Liniger, former CEO and co-founder of RE/MAX realty, who …

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Newport Beach, Calif. — Clean Energy Fuels Corp., the largest provider of the cleanest fuel for the transportation market, has opened another renewable natural gas (RNG) fueling station that will provide an anticipated 1.4 million gallons of the clean fuel annually for Amazon and other truck fleets in the greater Chicago area. “The addition of the Romeoville station to our fueling network represents another step in the pathway for Amazon to realize significant carbon reduction for its transportation fleets,” says Chad Lindholm, senior vice president, Clean Energy. “Trucks that operate …

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Skokie, Ill. — Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield is underway on the redevelopment of the Westfield Old Orchard shopping mall in Skokie, Ill. Plans call for retail, apartments, restaurants, gourmet markets, health and wellness amenities and entertainment space. The project will also include a park and event space designed as the center’s focal point and social gathering space. The multi-phase project began in fall 2022 with the modernization of the existing shopping center, starting with enhancements to the common areas as well as the opening of new restaurants, health and wellness components and retailers …

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Grand Rapids, Mich. — Meijer, a retailer that operates one of the largest fleets in Michigan with 250 semitrucks and the first in North America to implement the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2010 near-zero emissions standards in 2009, is once again leading the retail industry by deploying two of the first all-electric semitrucks outside of California. The Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer is also the first nationwide to track the performance of the Freightliner eCascadia semitrucks in a cold weather environment as part of a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. …

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