• by Teresa Buyikian , 9 hours ago

Blended beverage chain Smoothie King didn’t have to look far to find the company’s new president.

The Dallas-based company has named Gavin Felder in that role, effective immediately. Felder has served as the company’s chief financial officer since May of last year and will also remain as CFO.

The brand says the expansion of Felder's responsibilities “reflects the company's continued growth and momentum, as well as his pivotal role in helping shape its long-term strategy.”

"Gavin is a dynamic and visionary leader with a strong track record of driving results and building high-performing teams," said Wan Kim, owner and CEO of Smoothie King, in the announcement. "His impact over the past year has been significant, and this expanded role is a natural next step as we continue to build on our brand's success."

Prior to Smoothie King, Felder spent over 16 years at Yum Brands, most recently serving as the parent company’s chief strategy officer, where in addition to corporate strategy he also oversaw investor relations, merger and acquisitions, and store innovations .  Over the course of his tenure at Yum, he also served as CFO of KFC Global.

Felder’s appointment follows the chain’s recent announcement of the addition of Hydration beverages, which are designed to provide “natural” hydration with coconut water and more electrolytes than some sports drinks.

The new Hydration line is part of the brand’s new Clean Blends initiative, which focuses on smoothies with “more whole fruits and vegetables while removing artificial flavors, colors and preservatives and added sugars in many of its blends.”

Founded in 1973, the privately held Smoothie King has over 1,200 stores across the U.S. The chain also recently opened 13 new stores in eight states in Q1, along with signing 20 new store commitments in 15 markets.