Duck Donuts on Tuesday named Eric Lavinder the company’s first chief development officer as part of a handful of new hires for the Mechanicsburg, Pa.-based donut chain.
Lavinder comes to Duck Donuts from Woworks, the operator of Saladworks, Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh, Frutta Bowls and The Simple Greek, where he led development.
At Duck he will oversee the company’s business development strategy through franchise sales and licensing, real estate and construction.
In addition, Duck Donuts also hired for two other newly created positions. Alyssa Martin is the company’s new creative director after a career working with various food brands including Hershey Creamery and Auntie Anne’s.
Brigid Bink is the new digital marketing director, joining the company from Honeygrow Restaurant Group and having worked with Bloomin’ Brands, Iron Hill Brewery, Sodexo and Campbell’s Soup.
In November, the company added Chad White, a longtime industry executive, as VP of operations.
“As we prepare for explosive growth and look to set ourselves up for a successful year, Duck Donuts has been focused on having the right strategy, structure and people in place,” CEO Betsy Hamm said in a statement.
Duck Donuts said it expects to open 40 new shops this year. It currently has 106 in the U.S. and internationally.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.