Shipley Do-Nuts has named Flynn Dekker as its new CEO. Dekker succeeds Clifton Rutledge, who will return to the company’s board of directors.
Dekker most recently served as CEO of Bonchon, a global franchisor of Korean chicken restaurants with more than 420 locations spanning nine countries. Before joining Bonchon, Dekker served as chief marketing officer of Wingstop Restaurants, where he led all strategic advertising, franchisee communication, branding, media and marketing efforts. Dekker has 30-plus years of executive leadership experience in the restaurant and retail industry and a strong track record of executing significant growth.
“Flynn is an exceptionally strong leader and brings an impressive background across numerous executive roles, and his experience and talent will help to continue driving significant growth in the business through new unit expansion, same-store sales growth and enhanced operations,” says Robert Strauss, senior managing director at Peak Rock Capital and member of the Shipley board of directors. “We are also grateful for Clifton’s leadership over the past two years as he drove transformational growth at Shipley. We look forward to his continued contributions on the board as Flynn takes the lead as CEO.”
Since 2021, Shipley has added over 200 units to the development pipeline and executed multiple strategic initiatives to accelerate growth, including launching online ordering, rolling out new branding and establishing a new systemwide coffee program.
“I feel privileged to lead such an iconic company and support our continued expansion. Shipley has a strong foundation established over the last 87 years and a tremendous group of employees and franchisee partners,” adds Dekker. “I look forward to working with the team to further accelerate Shipley’s growth trajectory by continuing to expand our footprint and invest in our franchisees’ success with exceptional ingredients, equipment, technology and service.”
“It has been my honor to serve as Shipley’s CEO. We’ve accomplished so much as a brand, and I am confident that Flynn is the ideal person to build upon the momentum we’ve developed over the past several years,” says Rutledge. “I look forward to continuing to support the company’s strategic and transformational growth initiatives as I return to my role on the board.”
