Tropical Smoothie Cafe named several new executive officers on Monday, including a new chief financial officer and a new chief marketing officer, as the Atlanta-based chain plans to expand to 1,000 locations by 2020.
The smoothie chain said Rob Collins, formerly CMO of Carmike Cinemas, would take the chief marketing officer role. Collins had worked with Nickelodeon, Paramount, Universal Studios and Turner Entertainment Networks. Collins replaces interim CMO Jo Ann Herold.
Paul Marsden was named chief financial officer. Marsden had been the chief accounting officer of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Inc., which earlier this year was sold to Restaurant Brands International Inc. Marsden replaces former CFO Barry Schnur.
Marsden isn’t the only former Popeyes executive to make the jump to Tropical Smoothie Cafe.
Pete Ward, who had been with the chicken chain for more than 10 years, was named Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s general counsel. And Cheryl Fletcher, who worked for 17 years at Popeyes, was named vice president of franchise development strategy.
Meanwhile, Jaime Denney, the former vice president of retail for foodservice operator Aramark, was named senior vice president of operations.
Mike Rotondo, Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s CEO, said that the executives are “exceptional industry veterans” who will take the brand “to new heights.”
Tropical Smoothie Cafe is one of the fastest growing chains in the country. It has more than 600 locations across the country, and system sales last year were more than $314 million, according to NRN Top 200 data.
The chain’s system sales grew more than 20 percent each of the past two years. The company said same-store sales have grown 26 percent over the past three years.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe plans to continue growing. It has opened more than 50 locations in 2017, and plans to have 1,000 units nationwide by 2020. A typical Tropical Smoothie Cafe location has unit volumes of more than $846,000.
Contact Jonathan Maze at [email protected]
Follow him on Twitter: @jonathanmaze
