Franchising

Focus Brands names Krause as CDO, taps Muir to lead sales

July 15, 2020

Focus Brands, the parent company of Carvel and Cinnabon, named veteran franchise development executive Brian Krause as chief development officer, succeeding Tim Muir, who was named the company's first chief sales officer.

Krause joined the company from Inspire Brands, where he served as chief development officer at Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches, where he oversaw franchising, real estate, development and other departments. He previously served as senior vice president, franchise development, at Wyndham Hotels and Resorts.

"Focus Brands is incredibly fortunate to have such tremendous talent to support our business," Jim Holthouser, chief executive officer at Focus Brands, said in a company release. "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."

He added that Muir's success and leadership made him the obvious choice to lead the newly created sales position at the company.

Focus Brands includes a total of more than 6,000 restaurant locations,including Moe's Southwest Grill, Auntie Annie's, Jamba, McAlister's Deli and Schlotsky's.