Grabbagreen, an Arizona-based healthy food and juice concept announces Karen Nettleton has joined the fast-growing company as director of construction and logistics. Nettleton brings more than 14 years of experience in franchise restaurant operations including overseeing construction for more than 1,200 national franchise stores for world-class brands including Cold Stone Creamery, Kahala, and Fun Brands such as Pump It Up and Bounce U. Nettleton will oversee construction and logistics for Grabbagreen from lease signing to store opening which will consist of at least 16 locations in 2016 alone.
"As we grow and evolve, it was important to build our team with talented people such as Karen, who has extensive skills and knowledge in the construction industry and can manage the development of Grabbagreen restaurants from start to finish," says owner and CEO Keely Newman. "With 39 franchise agreements and more than 180 development agreements signed, we plan to keep her very busy. Our goal is to open 16 new stores in 2016, all which are currently in various stages of development across the country."
Starting out as a college instructor and head of the architectural department at Coastal Carolina, Nettleton opted to enter the design world working as an architect for five years. She found herself immersed in the food industry due to the tremendous amounts of opportunity available and never looked back. Her background in the restaurant industry includes working for world-class brands including the director of construction for Cold Stone Creamery and Kahala and the director of Site development for Fun Brands. Karen will report directly to Kim Cramton, senior vice president of franchise development and operations.
"Nettleton's construction management experience with rapidly growing franchise brands is very impressive and her abilities bring vast industry knowledge and experience to our team," Cramton says. "She will no doubt be a great asset to Grabbagreen as we continue our nationwide expansion."
Grabbagreen provides its customers with a fresh and healthy alternative to fast food, aiming to make nutrition delicious, quick, and convenient, and to provide every customer with an extraordinary health experience. Grabbagreen’s preservative-free, naturally gluten-free, no-GMO whole food menu offers a full selection of fresh juice, handcrafted smoothies, hot grains, cold greens, and fresh, added hormone– and antibiotic-free proteins provided by local farms. All signature menu items are prepared fresh, made to order and provide a delicious experience for customers and a variety of flavors to meet dietary needs.
