Pasadena, Calif. — Wetzel’s Pretzels has appointed Vincent Montanelli to the company’s top leadership position. Montanelli joined Wetzel’s nearly 20 years ago as the senior vice president of operations and most recently held the post of COO. He will maintain the COO title with the promotion, taking on the highest leadership responsibilities for the organization. Promoted following MTY Food Group’s recent acquisition of Wetzel’s, Montanelli aims to build on the brand’s momentum, driving store growth through its multitude of flexible store formats. At the doorstep of the much anticipated 400th …
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Houston — Shipley Do-Nuts, a fast-growing franchisor of a leading do-nut, kolache and coffee concept, has named Flynn Dekker as its new CEO. Dekker succeeds Clifton Rutledge, who will return to the company’s board of directors. Dekker most recently served as CEO of Bonchon, a global franchisor of Korean chicken restaurants with more than 420 locations spanning nine countries. Before joining Bonchon, Dekker served as chief marketing officer of Wingstop Restaurants. Dekker has 30-plus years of executive leadership experience in the restaurant and retail industry. “Flynn is an exceptionally strong …
Atlanta — US LBM, a leading distributor of specialty building materials in the United States, has hired Andrew Campbell to join its executive leadership team as executive vice president and chief information officer. Campbell brings 30 years of experience to US LBM, and as CIO is responsible for all aspects of US LBM’s technology platform and systems, including internal and external facing applications, cyber security, and data management and analysis. Campbell succeeds Joe Spagnoletti as US LBM’s CIO, who retired from the company earlier this year. Campbell will report directly …
Hudson, Ohio — JOANN Inc., the nation’s category leader in sewing and fabrics with one of the largest arts and crafts offerings, has announced the retirement of Wade Miquelon as president and chief executive officer effective, May 8, 2023. Chris DiTullio, executive vice president and chief customer officer, and Scott Sekella, executive vice president and chief financial officer, have been appointed to lead the interim office of the chief executive officer, and the board has commenced a search to identify a permanent replacement. “On behalf of the board, I’d like …
Atlanta, Ga. — To invest in the future of Your Pie and offer greater support to its franchise owners, the nation’s original fast-casual pizza brand has appointed several new hires to its corporate team. Most notably, Your Pie has added Justin Patterson as vice president of operations. A Your Pie franchise owner for more than 7 years, Patterson brings a wealth of industry experience and expertise to the brand’s leadership team. Patterson will be responsible for leading both franchise and company restaurants to grow sales, customer counts, margins and continue …
Nashville, Tenn. — Captain D’s has hired Steve Bailey as director of franchise development. Bailey has more than 20 years of experience in franchise sales and development with multiple restaurant service brands, most recently with Fazoli’s. Focusing on territories east of the Mississippi River, he will support Captain D’s ongoing expansion throughout the country alongside longtime senior director of franchise development Steve Bielewicz, who is responsible for growing the company’s presence in the western region. “Captain D’s focus on flexible prototypes and cost-effective conversion opportunities is fueling increased interest from …
New York City — Foot Locker, Inc., a leading footwear and apparel retailer, has appointed Blanca Gonzalez as senior vice president and general manager of its WSS banner, effective May 15, 2023. WSS is best known for its neighborhood-based store presence and deep connection within Latino communities. Gonzalez joins Foot Locker from Nike Inc., where she served as vice president of North America product merchandising and brings more than 19 years of experience across various Nike leadership roles in marketing, merchandising and sales. Gonzalez will report directly to Frank Bracken, …
Chesapeake, Va. — Dollar Tree, Inc. has named a key executive leadership addition, with Mike Kindy joining the organization as chief supply chain officer. He has more than 34 years of management experience in retail logistics and operating distribution centers. “Improving our overall operating efficiency is contingent on a strong, resilient supply chain,” says Rick Dreiling, chairman and CEO of Dollar Tree, Inc. “I’m pleased to have the opportunity to work with high-caliber leaders like Mike and the rest of our expert leadership team to drive improved supply chain performance, …
Dallas — Wingstop, the global chicken chain with nearly 2,000 restaurants worldwide, has appointed Raj Kapoor as senior vice president, president of international. Kapoor will be responsible for driving Wingstop’s growth and development strategy for markets outside of the U.S. and oversee the performance of the brand’s existing international markets. Kapoor joins Wingstop from 7-Eleven, where he spent 28 years in a variety of leadership roles including vice president of international; senior vice president and chief information officer; and, most recently, senior vice president of fresh food, beverage and restaurants. …
Englewood, Colo. — Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc., a full-service restaurant chain, under its North Star growth plan, has made a series of key appointments toward the completion of its executive leadership team. This includes the appointment of Kevin Mayer to chief marketing officer and Mark Simpson as interim chief people officer, effective May 1. In addition, Jason Rusk has been promoted to chief business development officer. “With these crucial leadership positions in place, we are well-positioned to deliver on our goal to establish Red Robin as a most loved …