Shipley Do-Nuts, franchisor of the doughnut, kolache and coffee concept, has named Flynn Dekker as its new CEO, the company announced Tuesday.
Houston-based Shipley said Dekker succeeds Clifton Rutledge, who will return to the company’s board. Dekker most recently served as CEO of Dallas-based Bonchon, a franchisor of Korean chicken restaurants with more than 420 locations in nine countries. He was named to that position in 2019.
Before joining Bonchon, Dekker served as chief marketing officer at Wingstop Inc.
“Flynn is an exceptionally strong leader and brings an impressive background across numerous executive roles, and his experience and talent will help to continue driving significant growth in the business through new-unit expansion, same-store sales growth and enhanced operations,” said Robert Strauss, senior managing director at Peak Rock Capital and member of the Shipley board, in a statement.
“We are also grateful for Clifton’s leadership over the past two years as he drove transformational growth at Shipley,” Strauss said. “We look forward to his continued contributions on the board as Flynn takes the lead as CEO.”
Dekker said he felt privileged to lead the brand.
“Shipley has a strong foundation established over the last 87 years and a tremendous group of employees and franchisee partners,” Dekker said. “I look forward to working with the team to further accelerate Shipley’s growth trajectory by continuing to expand our footprint and invest in our franchisees’ success with exceptional ingredients, equipment, technology and service.”
Rutledge said he was honored to serve as Shipley’s CEO.
“I am confident that Flynn is the ideal person to build upon the momentum we’ve developed over the past several years,” Rutledge said. “I look forward to continuing to support the company’s strategic and transformational growth initiatives as I return to my role on the board.”
Shipley Do-Nuts, founded in 1936, franchises more than 330 restaurants in 12 states.
Contact Ron Ruggless at [email protected]
Follow him on Twitter: @RonRuggless
