Shipley Do-Nuts, makers of gourmet, made-fresh-daily do-nuts for more than 85 years, has signed a deal with Lexington, Virginia-based lawyer and businessman Jody Mask to open three Shipley locations in Virginia, a new state for the brand.

Mask, a Texas native who once served as dean of admissions for Southern Virginia University, grew up in Gilmer, Texas, and as a kid, visited Shipley with his dad each Saturday. After moving to the Lexington area with his family in 2020, he decided to bring his favorite do-nut tradition to his new home state.

“Once you’ve had Shipley Do-Nuts, you’ll throw rocks at other donut brands,” Mask says with a laugh. “Not only is Shipley the best do-nut around, the company’s executive leadership team is top-notch. I’m the maiden voyage for the brand in Virginia, and they are providing me with support on a whole different level of professionalism.”

Mask is currently scouting potential sites in the Virginia Tech area as well as Roanoke, Salem, Lynchburg, Harrisonburg and Williamsburg/Stanton. He expects to open the first location within the next year to 18 months.

Shipley, which first started selling hot, fresh do-nuts in Houston in 1936, has experienced record-setting growth over the past year and is continuing to expand into new markets. Shipley will open its first Maryland location by year’s end and its first Atlanta-area and Orlando-area shops in Q1 2023.

“The Eastern Seaboard is a big focus of our expansion plan to double the size of our company over the next five years,” said Shipley Do-Nuts CEO Clifton Rutledge. “We’re growing the brand authentically with franchisees like Jody, who grew up with Shipley and want to share the brand with their communities, and multi-unit, multi-brand franchisees who discover the brand while looking to expand and diversify their portfolios.”