GLOBAL FRANCHISE GROUP® WELCOMES NEW CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER AND ANNOUNCES PROMOTIONS

Franchise and restaurant development veteran, Chris Cheek, named Chief Development Officer

ATLANTA – October 23, 2019 – Global Franchise Group® (GFG), the strategic brand management company and franchisor of Great American Cookies®, Hot Dog on a Stick®, Pretzelmaker®, Marble Slab Creamery®/MaggieMoo’s Ice Cream & Treatery® and Round Table Pizza®, continues to accelerate its evolution with the addition of new Chief Development Officer, Chris Cheek, a seasoned restaurant development executive with 20 years of experience in the QSR industry. GFG also announces the promotion of key leaders: Annica Conrad (Executive Vice President of Brand Marketing), Pam Maxwell (Vice President of Franchise Operations) and Lisa Cheatham (VP of Growth Marketing).

Chris Cheek is a franchise and restaurant development veteran with 20 years of experience in the industry. He comes to GFG after serving as CDO of Newk’s Eatery where he led development efforts as the restaurant grew from 65 franchise locations to 130 and from 10 to 24 company owned-operations. As CDO, he helped the brand achieve consistent year over year growth. He also has served as CDO of Toppers Pizza and was VP of Franchise Development for Freebirds World Burrito in Emeryville, CA and VP of Franchise Development for Le Duff America (Bruegger’s, La Madeleine, Brioche Doree, Timothy’s Coffee, Michael’s Bakery Café, and mmmuffins). As CDO of GFG he will lead franchise brand expansion, new store development, construction and international growth.

“As the footprint of Global Franchise Group grows and we look to acquire additional best-in-class brands, the experience and talent within our organization is at an all-time high,” said Chris Dull, President and CEO of Global Franchise Group. “GFG is proud of our team members and the level of support we offer our franchisees. Championing our brands and the people who build them is at the core of what we do.”

GFG also promoted the following team leaders:

• Annica Conrad to EVP of Brand Marketing. Conrad is the former EVP of Great American Cookies and Marble Slab Creamery and will now oversee strategic marketing efforts for all GFG brands.
• Pam Maxwell to Vice President of Franchise Operations. Maxwell is the former VP of Operations for Marble Slab Creamery and Great American Cookies. She will now have oversight of all GFG snack brands.
• Lisa Cheatham to VP of Growth Marketing. Cheatham is the former Senior Director of Marketing for Pretzelmaker and will now focus on e-commerce, merchandising and licensing for all brands – a major focus for the organization.

Global Franchise Group’s mission is to champion brands and the people who build them. It builds great brands that connect people with craveable products and memorable experiences. GFG currently supports more than 1,400 franchised and corporate stores across all brands located in 16 countries and has system wide sales close to $1 billion.

About Global Franchise Group, LLC – Visit Global Franchise
Global Franchise Group, LLC is a strategic brand management company with a mission of championing franchise brands and the people who build them. The company owns a portfolio of franchise brands that includes five primary quick service restaurant (QSR) franchise concepts: Great American Cookies®, Hot Dog on a Stick®, Marble Slab Creamery®, MaggieMoo’s Ice Cream & Treatery®, Pretzelmaker® and Round Table Pizza®. The brands are managed by GFG Management, LLC, a subsidiary of Global Franchise Group, LLC. Global Franchise Group, LLC is a portfolio company of Global Franchise Group, LLC is an affiliate of Lion Capital LLP and Serruya Private Equity, Inc.

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Annica Conrad

Annica Conrad
Chief Marketing Officer

Annica has more than 20 years of award-winning marketing experience and has been with GFG for 3 years. She joined the company from Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers where she was Vice President, Brand Development. In this role, Annica was responsible for the rebirth and growth in popularity of the 42-year-old eclectic brand through smart menu design and development, implementation of the Mellow Mushroom loyalty app and creation and rollout of its first online ordering system. Before her time with Mellow Mushroom, Annica was Vice President of Marketing for Mcalister’s Corporation and she spent the early part of her career at a prominent advertising agency in Mobile Alabama. She is graduate of Samford University in Birmingham where she earned her Bachelors in Marketing and MBA in Economics.

Sam Patterson
Chief Financial Officer

Patterson came to Global Franchise Group in April 2020 from FOCUS Brands where he served as Senior Vice President of Accounting. For the last eleven years, he was responsible for leading financials for Cinnabon, Carvel, Schlotzsky’s, Moe’s Southwest Grill, McAlister’s Deli, Auntie Anne’s and Jamba Juice. He directed the organization through the transfer and integration of all accounting back-office functions for Auntie Anne’s from Pennsylvania, McAlister’s Deli from Mississippi, and Jamba Juice from Texas to Atlanta and converted a brand-centric accounting structure into a shared services organization. Before his time with FOCUS, he was Senior Vice President & Corporate Controller for Movie Gallery/Hollywood Video (NASDAQ: MOVI & MVGR), Vice President and Corporate Controller for Republic National Cabinet Corporation, and Corporate Controller for Wolverine Tube, Inc. (NYSE: WLV). He is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Management Accountant, holds a master’s in business administration from Auburn University, and is a graduate of the University of Texas, Tyler.