DENVER — Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. has announced the promotion of two executives to officer positions. Effective March 1, Rex Jones becomes chief development officer, and beginning May 1, Bob Blessing will become restaurant support officer.
Jones joined Chipotle in 1998 as executive director of real estate. In 2005, he was promoted to executive director of development, taking on broader responsibilities, including real estate, design, construction and facilities. Jones and his team have overseen the build out of Chipotle's network of restaurants from fewer than 20 to about 700. In his new role, Jones will continue to oversee all of Chipotle's real estate, design, construction and facilities functions.
Blessing came to Chipotle in 1999 as a regional director and opened the company's first restaurant in the Northeast region in Bethesda, Md. He led the development of Chipotle throughout the Northeast, establishing Chipotle's presence in metropolitan areas such as Washington, D.C., Baltimore, New York and Boston. In 2002, he took on an expanded regional role, assuming responsibility for Chipotle's operations in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky, as well as the Northeastern markets. In his new role, Blessing will oversee Chipotle's team of regional directors, as well as its marketing, purchasing and culinary functions.
New regional structure
Related to these promotions, Chipotle also has announced plans to divide its structure for operating regions from the current three regions (Pacific, Rocky Mountain/Southeast and Northeast/Central) into five regions (Pacific, Rocky Mountain, South, Central and Northeast).
Phil Petrilli, an operations director for Chipotle in the Washington, D.C., area, will be promoted to regional director of the Northeast region; Michelle Small, an operations director in the Pacific region, will be promoted to regional director in the Central region; and Bobby Shaw, an operations director in the Southeast, takes on the role of regional director for the South region.
