ATLANTA, Sept. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Focus
Brands®, parent company of iconic brands Auntie Anne's®, Carvel®,
Cinnabon®, Jamba®, Moe's Southwest Grill®, McAlister's Deli® and
Schlotzsky's®, today announced the promotions of top executives for
its Restaurant and Specialty brands.
Effective immediately, the company has made the following
appointments:
- Mike Freeman, chief brand
officer, McAlister's Deli
- Danielle Porto Parra, senior
vice president of marketing, Restaurant Category
- Nicolle DuBose, vice president
of marketing, Schlotzsky's
- Karyn Sarago, senior vice
president of marketing, Specialty Category
"As a leading QSR company, we are focused on the growth and
career development of our associates," said Jim Holthouser, CEO of Focus Brands. "We are
fortunate to have tremendous talent driving brand relevance and
best-in-class brand management, and we are always thrilled to see
these strong and influential leaders continue to grow and lead our
brands and categories with creative marketing strategies and
unmatched brand management and culinary innovation."
Mike Freeman has been
named chief brand officer of McAlister's Deli. He has been working
with the brand for 13 years and most recently served as vice
president of operations. Mike started as an assistant general
manager at the McAlister's Deli in Bossier City, La. He has worked in various
operations and training leadership roles. Mike has 25 years of
experience in the food service industry ensuring dynamic brand
development and consistent growth. He is known for advancing his
team members and leveraging company restaurants to create strong
community relationships. He has also held leadership positions in
casual and fine dining concepts. Mike studied at Penn State University and is a graduate of the
Culinary Institute of America.
The company also made two significant moves to bolster
strategic marketing at both the restaurant and specialty
categories. Karyn Sarago has
been promoted to senior vice president of marketing for the
Specialty Category and Danielle Porto
Parra will be her counterpart as senior vice president
of marketing for the Restaurant Category. For more than three
years, Karyn served as vice president of marketing for Cinnabon and
has more than 18 years of experience in the food and hotel
space. Danielle recently served as vice president of marketing
for McAlister's Deli and brings 20 years of experience as a chief
marketing and digital officer in the retail and hospitality
industries. Together, Karyn and Danielle will work with key leaders
within the organization to enhance digital engagement, strategic
initiatives, creative development and services across the Focus
Brands categories and portfolio of brands.
Nicolle DuBose has been
appointed to vice president of marketing for Schlotzsky's. She has
built her career at Focus Brands for the past 12 years starting
with Moe's Southwest Grill followed by the International Division
predominantly supporting Cinnabon International. Most recently, she
was the vice president of marketing for Carvel. She brings strong
business acumen of the company's iconic brands and global business
while also creating breakthrough marketing strategies and brand
relevancy.
About Focus Brands
Atlanta-based Focus Brands is a leading
developer of global multi-channel foodservice brands. Focus Brands,
through its affiliate brands, is the franchisor and operator of
more than 6,000 restaurants, cafes, ice cream shoppes, and bakeries
in the United States,
the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and over 50
foreign countries under the brand names Auntie Anne's®, Carvel®,
Cinnabon®, Jamba®, Moe's Southwest Grill®, McAlister's Deli®, and
Schlotzsky's®, as well as Seattle's Best Coffee® on
certain military bases and in certain international markets. Please
visit www.focusbrands.com to learn more.
Contact:
Angie
Champsaur
Director of Corporate Communications, Focus Brands
achampsaur@focusbrands.com
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SOURCE Focus Brands