BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Convenience store fried chicken program provider Chester's International LLC has added Ian Byrd as director of franchise development and Kathryn Kudulis as brand manager to help lead its marketing and business development team in an expansion plan to grow to 500 franchises by 2010, a plan Chester's calls Project 500.
Ian Byrd joins Chester's with more than six years of experience in developing franchise programs to help grow the company's presence. As part of his initiative, Byrd will target operators of convenience stores, gas stations [image-nocss] and travel plazas looking for opportunities to build revenue and increase store traffic through a branded foodservice offering. Byrd is also responsible for identifying favorable sites by examining visibility, the surrounding community, pump sales and traffic factors.
Kathryn Kudulis has been brought on to manage brand standards and marketing for Chester's after five years experience in marketing communications. Kudulis is responsible for supporting Chester's 85 franchises across the country through local store marketing, point-of-purchase and collateral development, public relations advertising and assisting with store design and d acor. Kudulis will ensure there is a uniform look between all Chester's locations and that the brand image is consistently represented throughout all aspects of the company.
We have an eye on a comprehensive growth plan built around our core business and expertise in convenience store foodservice, said Ted Giles, CEO of Chester's International, Birmingham, Ala. This new marketing and franchise development team is well suited to meet our aggressive goal of adding 500 franchises by 2010.
Chester's International has more than 1,700 Chester Fried licensed and Chester's franchised locations. It offers flexible size and store layout options, training and support; it uses fresh chicken that is specially marinated and double-breaded using a proprietary family recipe and offers bone-in, tenders and potato wedges as well as sandwiches, wraps, salads, breakfast and sides.
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