Duck Donuts has announced the appointment of several hires, including industry-veteran Eric Lavinder as its first-ever chief development officer.

In Lavinder’s newly created role, he will oversee the company’s business development strategy through franchise sales and licensing, real estate and construction teams which will be key to growing the Duck Donuts brand throughout the country. He joins Duck Donuts with more than 20 years of experience with fast-casual franchises, most recently serving as chief development officer for WOWorks, the holding company to brands such as Saladworks, Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh, Frutta Bowls and The Simple Greek.

In addition, Duck Donuts recently hired for two newly created positions. Alyssa Martin joins as the company’s new creative director and Brigid Bink as its digital marketing director. Martin has spent her graphic design career working for various food brands including Hershey Creamery, Hershey Entertainment and Resorts and Auntie Anne’s. Bink joins Duck Donuts from Honeygrow Restaurant Group and has also worked in marketing positions for Bloomin’ Brands, Iron Hill Brewery, Sodexo and Campbell Soup.

In November 2021, Duck Donuts welcomed Chad White to its team as the new vice president of operations. White is responsible for menu development, process improvement and identifying opportunities to grow revenue while reducing costs. He joined the company with over 25 years of food and beverage operations and leadership experience for brands such as Chili’s, Cheddars and Tacos4Life.

“As we prepare for explosive growth and look to set ourselves up for a successful year, Duck Donuts has been focused on having the right strategy, structure and people in place,” says Betsy Hamm, Duck Donuts chief executive officer. “With the appointment of Eric, Chad, Alyssa and Brigid, we are excited to bring in such high caliber talent who will each significantly impact the brand as we continue to grow.”

Duck Donuts plans to open 40 new domestic and eight international donut shops in 2022. The company currently operates one international and 106 US franchise locations across 22 states.