--- title: "Executive Hires in Franchising Through the End of October" url: https://burnaze.com/article/7269ac8e-94ad-49e0-9475-4715b6b3cfea source: "Franchising.com" original_url: https://www.franchising.com/articles/20261028_executive_hires_in_franchising_through_the_end_of_october.html author: "Kevin Behan" category: "Franchise Industry" industry: "Franchise Industry" topics: ["People"] published: 2026-10-28T07:00:00.000Z modified: 2026-10-31T13:42:17.104Z image: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1507679799987-c73779587ccf?w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop --- # Executive Hires in Franchising Through the End of October **TL;DR:** Franchising.com reports on the latest hires and promotions in franchising, including new appointments at Always Best Care, AtWork, and Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii. The roundup includes C-suite hires and promotions across various franchises. *By Kevin Behan, originally published in Franchising.com on 2026-10-28. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/articles/20261028_executive_hires_in_franchising_through_the_end_of_october.html).* ## Story Each month, we bring you a roundup of the latest hires and promotions throughout franchising. Here’s your October look at the most recent franchise C-suite hires. Visit our Franchise Personnel Changes News web page for ongoing hiring announcements. Always Best Care Appoints Jason Shontz as Chief Financial Officer AtWork Names Sarah Goehring Vice President of Franchise Development Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii Elevates COO Tom Wylie to President CKE Restaurants names Alisa Gmelich president of Hardee’s HomeWell Franchising Names Leslie Poteet Executive Vice President of Franchise Operations Pirtek USA Names Doug Smith Vice President of Franchise Development Red Lobster Hires Andy Pitts as Next CMO Rock N Roll Sushi Names Rick Gestring Next CEO The Glass Guru Announces Rob Lopez as Brand President Uni K Wax Names Christina Simeone Vice President of Operations - Get Started in Franchising - Franchise Rankings & Awards - Franchise Sales & Development - Featured Franchise Stories Franchising.com is produced by Franchise Update Media. Franchise Update Media has its finger on the pulse of franchising with unrivalled audience intelligence and market driven data. No media company understands the franchise landscape deeper than Franchise Update Media. 1201 New York Avenue NW, Suite 300A Washington, DC 20005 PH. (408) 402-5681 - Franchisee Financing & Lending - Site Selection & Real Estate - Supply Chain & Procurement - Annual Franchise Development Report - Multi-Unit Franchising Conference - Franchise Growth & Marketing Conference - Franchise Leadership & Development Conference - Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine - Franchise Update Magazine - Franchise Update Franchisor Report - Franchising Express Report - International Franchise Report - Multi-Unit Franchisee Report The franchise listed above are not related to or endorsed by Franchise Update or Franchise Update Media Group. We are not engaged in, supporting, or endorsing any specific franchise, business opportunity, company or individual. No statement in this site is to be construed as a recommendation. We encourage prospective franchise buyers to perform extensive due diligence when considering a franchise opportunity. ## Entities - Franchising.com (publication) - General (sector) - franchise development (topic) - Kevin Behan (person) - AtWork (company) - Franchise Update Media (publication) - Always Best Care (company) - Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii (company) - Tom Wylie (person) - executive hires (topic) - c suite appointments (topic) - Jason Shontz (person) --- Originally reported by Kevin Behan, Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/articles/20261028_executive_hires_in_franchising_through_the_end_of_october.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/7269ac8e-94ad-49e0-9475-4715b6b3cfea).