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 that Brian Krause has joined the executive leadership team as Chief Development Officer, and Tim Muir, has been appointed as the company’s first Chief Sales Officer.
Krause, a franchise development veteran in both the QSR and hotel industries, will be responsible for driving strategic, high-quality growth for the domestic FOCUS portfolio and leading cross-functional collaboration across internal departments, franchisees, and brands to create a best-in-class development program.
With Krause’s appointment to Chief Development Officer, Muir will fill the newly created Chief Sales Officer role, focusing his seasoned leadership specifically on franchise sales and revenue growth. Joining FOCUS Brands in 2017 as the company’s first-ever Chief Development Officer, Muir’s successful tenure at FOCUS Brands has delivered an increase in deals year-over-year.
“FOCUS Brands is incredibly fortunate to have such tremendous talent to support our businesses,” said Jim Holthouser, Chief Executive Officer, FOCUS Brands. “I’m confident Brian’s strengths in franchise sales, strategy, policy making, and collaboration will be invaluable in driving our brands forward to further accelerate our growth. Tim’s success and leadership made him the obvious choice to trailblaze this new, critical function for us and I look forward to seeing the results of his high-performing sales team.”
Krause joins FOCUS Brands from Inspire Brands, where he most recently served as Chief Development Officer of Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches, responsible for overseeing the Franchising, Real Estate, Development Planning, and Design and Construction departments for the Brand. Prior to Jimmy John’s he served as Senior Vice President, Franchise Development for Wyndham Hotels and Resorts. Krause holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology with a concentration in Communications from the University of Connecticut.
