Rosemont, Ill. — National real estate development and construction services provider The McShane Companies’ board of directors has appointed Molly McShane as chief executive officer, effective October 1, 2020. She previously held the position of chief operating officer. “During this time of transformation, there is no better person to lead The McShane Companies than Molly,” says Jim McShane, company founder and chairman of the board. “Molly is a proven leader with a clear business vision and the ability to bring people together. Her vision for growth and diversification is exactly …
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Chattanooga, Tenn. — Slim Chickens, a leading fast-casual franchise in the “better chicken” segment, has inked a deal that will bring 10 locations to cities throughout Tennessee. The Davis Group, which consists of Scott, Ricky and Cody Davis, will bring the restaurants to Jackson, Knoxville and Chattanooga. The Davis Group is partnering with David Hull, Greg Rowden and Josh Rowden to co-own and operate existing Slim Chickens restaurants in Memphis and Arkansas. They will continue development in those markets as well. “We are so excited to expand our Slim Chickens …
Miami — FRONTIER Companies has completed construction on the Wawa convenience store and gas station located at 10691 Davidson Pl. in Manassas, Va. (pictured above) The site was the former home of Don Pablo’s Mexican Kitchen restaurant, which closed in 2018. FRONTIER Companies purchased the 1.65-acre lot in November 2018. The property is an outparcel to a Lowe’s Home Improvement store. FRONTIER Building, the company’s building division, began the demolition of the former restaurant in September 2019. The gas and convenience store consists of 7,860 square feet of air-conditioned space, …
Louisville, Ky. — Papa John’s International, Inc. plans to open a new global headquarters in metropolitan Atlanta, where menu innovation; marketing; customer experience; HR; diversity, equity and inclusion; communications; and development functions will be located. IT, supply chain and legal teams will remain in the Louisville, Ky., headquarters. Papa John’s also maintains a headquarters office outside of London where its international operations are managed. The opening of the new Atlanta location and related organizational changes are expected to be completed by summer 2021 and do not affect Papa John’s company-owned …
Phoenix — Telgian Fire Safety has promoted Ryan Smith to senior vice president of sales. He will align the sales organization’s objectives with business strategy through strategic planning, sales strategy development, forecasting, resource planning and budgeting. Smith will also develop sales strategies with operations and account executives to ensure successful onboarding of new accounts, implement marketing programs to increase brand awareness, and improve the customer’s experience. Smith’s career spans more than 25 years as an effective corporate executive. His extensive knowledge of management, business development and operations includes forecasting, market …
Bellevue, Wash. — The specialty outdoor retailer REI Co-op has completed the disposition of its newly completed corporate campus in Bellevue’s Spring District. Facebook acquired the property for $390 million. Site developer Wright Runstad & Co. and Shorenstein Properties also purchased an undeveloped 2-acre portion of the property. Facebook’s acquisition includes the 400,000-square-foot campus and approximately 6 acres of land. In August, REI announced its intention to sell its Bellevue campus and shift to a more distributed work model. The co-op’s future “headquarters” will span multiple satellite locations across the …
Cheyenne, Wyo. — Taco John’s International Inc., a leading quick-service Mexican franchise, announced that same-store sales are up at the brand for the third month in a row. From May through August, comp sales were up by an average of 6.85% each month. “The way our system has been able to maneuver and grow through this pandemic is incredible and speaks to the recession-resistant nature of our franchise model,” says Brooks Speirs, vice president for franchise development at the legacy brand. Taco John’s has celebrated nearly half a dozen openings …
Columbus, Ohio — As part of its sustainability efforts, Washington Prime Group Inc. has completed the solar panel system at Weberstown Mall in Stockton, Calif. The system is comprised of 3,456 photovoltaic (PV) modules, spanning more than 76,645 square feet, offsetting approximately 37,400 tons of CO2 equivalent over 25 years. Under the terms of the agreement, Safari Energy developed, financed and built the project, with Washington Prime Group to purchase all the electricity generated by the system from Safari. The rooftop solar system at Weberstown Mall allows the company to …
Irvine, Calif. — Juice It Up!, one of the nation’s leading handcrafted smoothie, açaí bowl and raw juice chains, has appointed Carlo Verdugo as director of operations and business development. An industry veteran with nearly two decades of franchise experience, Verdugo has served in various leadership roles for national chains including Jack in the Box and nearly a decade with Jamba, where he served as the senior director of global growth. As Juice It Up!’s director of operations and business development, Verdugo will lead a variety of initiatives supporting Juice …
Cheshire, Conn. — Park Assist® has been awarded the Parking Guidance System (PGS) contract at Whole Foods Market’s headquarters and flagship store in Austin, Texas. The multinational supermarket chain, founded in 1980, quickly rose in popularity thanks to its focus on quality, sustainability, and natural and organic foods. The parking installation is set to go live by the end of 2020. Whole Foods’ headquarters and flagship store see an extremely high traffic volume, causing parking shortages within the underground garage. Employee parking is often overfilled, and team members are left …