In keeping with its commitment to become the global franchisor of choice, Church’s Chicken announced Thursday that it has restructured its development team in support of the company’s strategic objective of igniting growth. Church’s, which is known for its hand-battered chicken, honey-butter biscuits and savory, home-style sides, has already spent much of 2017 elevating its brand presence and strengthening its market share.
As part of the restructuring, Pete Servold, the new Executive Vice President of U.S. Operations, has taken on expanded responsibilities that include leading a newly established, dedicated domestic development team that will oversee construction, real estate, and new business. The new division adds more dimension and resources to overall domestic development initiatives, most namely those aimed at supporting growth and providing seamless service to franchisees and internal customers in the U.S. Servold embarked on his current role earlier this year, and previously held the Vice President of Operations role at Church’s from 2010 to 2014.
Additionally, Tony Moralejo now manages all aspects of the international business for the Church’s Chicken and Texas Chicken Brands overseas as Executive Vice President, International Business. He is now leading all international franchise development and operations, and supporting functions such as marketing, supply chain, research & development, quality assurance, and training. He is also overseeing efforts related to franchising, reimaging, construction, and real estate. Moralejo, who joined Church’s in 2013, previously served as Global Chief Development Officer.
“These changes are part of our overarching strategic initiatives and are 100 percent aligned with our brand vision to become the global franchisor of choice,” says Joseph Christina, chief executive officer at Church’s. “Having dedicated teams in both domestic and international markets will allow us to execute our vision with greater precision and speed throughout this time of steady and continued growth. I am confident that Pete and Tony are best positioned to lead us in our continued mission.”
The dedicated domestic development team, which will have additional oversight from a new Vice President of Domestic Franchise Development, will have a robust team at its disposal that includes a Director of Construction, Director of New Business, and Director of Real Estate. With these new Church’s key players in place, the brand is well positioned to finish out the second half of the year with strong performance against its goals for growth and expansion.
