Fort Worth, Texas — HTeaO, the nation’s leading iced tea franchise, has appointed two key executive leadership appointments: Jerry McClain as vice president of store development and Brian Aga as senior vice president of operations. These additions follow the recent appointment of a new chief financial officer, Chris Phillips.
With more than 40 new store openings projected for 2026 and sustained double-digit growth, HTeaO continues to invest in leadership that supports franchise partners and protects the consistency of the brand experience.
“As HTeaO continues to grow, building the right leadership team isn’t optional — it’s critical,” says Justin Howe, co-founder and CEO of HTeaO. “With Chris stepping in as CFO, and now Jerry and Brian joining the team, we’re strengthening the foundation of this business. That means sharpening our focus on operational excellence and being intentional about value engineering smarter, more efficient footprints that drive best-in-class unit-level economics for our franchise partners.”
Previously, McClain played a significant role at Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, where he was part of the team that helped grow the brand from 104 units to nearly 700 nationwide, including a year in which his development team delivered 102 new restaurants.
Most recently, Aga spent over 9 years with Denny’s in progressive leadership roles, including vice president of operations. Prior to Denny’s, Aga held executive leadership roles at Taco Bueno Restaurants, where he directed operational strategy for 70 units across Oklahoma and Texas and later led facilities and growth initiatives supporting 155 restaurant locations.
HTeaO is the leading iced tea franchise in the United States. In January 2023, HTeaO entered into a minority partnership with two Dallas-based private equity firms, Crux Capital and Trive Capital. In July 2025, HTeaO hit a significant milestone of 150 locations. For more information, visit https://HTeaO.com/franchise/ and www.hteao.com.
SOURCE: HTeaO