Former Corner Bakery franchising executive Michael Nolan has been named executive vice president and chief development officer of Smashburger, the Denver-based chain said Monday.
Nolan, who replaces David Biederman in the role, will oversee the company’s development, franchise sales, and information technology departments, effective immediately, Smashburger officials said.
He served previously as executive vice president and chief development officer of Corner Bakery. Prior to that, Nolan held executive management positions at Bloomin’ Brands Inc. and Panera Bread.
Nolan has also served on Smashburger’s board of advisors for four years, the company said.
“Michael’s extensive experience in successfully growing national and international brands will be invaluable to Smashburger as we continue to grow our footprint across the country and internationally,” said Scott Crane, Smashburger’s president and CEO.
The fast-casual Smashburger has more than 350 locations around the world and is expecting to grow its unit count by about 20 to 25 percent in 2016, the company said. In 2015, Smashburger sold more than 187 franchise units, the largest annual number in the company’s franchise history.
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