Today Yogurtland, the national self-serve frozen yogurt pioneer, announces changes to its executive leadership. Founder Phillip Chang will become Chairman of the company and Huntley Castner, currently COO, will become CEO. The move enables Chang to expand and deepen his focus on Christian mission activities including bringing clean water and education to poor communities in South America and Southeast Asia.
Phillip Chang founded Yogurtland in 2006 introducing the self-serve model to the frozen yogurt segment. The self-serve model along with developing its own proprietary flavors has turned Yogurtland into the industry’s top brand.
Chang, who recently turned 50, has been active in Christian mission efforts over the past several years. “I’ve come to the realization and decision that it is time to transition my life’s work toward serving and helping others across the world,” said Phillip Chang. “Of course, I will still be involved in setting strategy, vision, and culture of Yogurtland too.”
“Huntley has demonstrated the strong leadership that Yogurtland needs to take the brand into the future. I’m pleased to announce his promotion to Chief Executive Officer. With Huntley and our capable leadership team, Yogurtland will continue to lead the industry,” said Chang.
Castner joined Yogurtland in 2011 as Chief Operating Officer and has helped guide the company through significant growth and expansion. Prior to Yogurtland, he served on the senior leadership team at Panda Restaurant Group (Panda Express) as Vice President of Strategy & Finance. He also has valuable experience working at consulting firms serving the restaurant and food manufacturing industries.”
Yogurtland’s Growth Path
Over the past three years, Yogurtland has grown more than 160% to 263 locations. In recognition of this growth, Yogurtland was recently named to the prestigious Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing private companies in the U.S., and is the only frozen yogurt brand on the list. Yogurtland opened 77 new locations this year, including expansion into New York, Chicago and Boston and international growth with new stores in Australia and Venezuela. The company has roughly 100 locations in its development pipeline.
As the front-runner in the recent frozen yogurt industry surge, Yogurtland is one of the nation’s first and largest self-serve frozen yogurt brands. The company has transformed the industry by reshaping a popular trend into a growing business by redefining dessert and delivering the ultimate culinary experience. Industry-watchers Franchise Chatter validates Yogurtland’s leadership position by naming the company the No. 1 frozen yogurt franchise for investors.
Separating Yogurtland from competitors is the company’s team of flavorologists who develop the proprietary recipes for the brand’s more than 100 different and customized flavors. Whether traditional or exotic, each flavor uses real ingredients sourced from their original locations. By controlling the entire frozen yogurt making process, Yogurtland has raised the standards for flavors and quality to new heights and much to the delight of millions of fans.
Presently there are 263 locations across the U.S., Australia, Guam, Mexico, and Venezuela with roughly 75 additional locations planned to open over the next 12 months. For franchising information, visit http://www.yogurt-land.com.
