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Karen Wickliffe brings extensive experience from both in-house and law firm settings, including over seven years with Tropical Smoothie Cafe. Wickliffe will oversee all legal functions and will partner with leadership and business stakeholders on strategic initiatives as the brand continues its rapid expansion.
Chris Sasser brings deep financial acumen and strategic leadership to guide the brand’s continued expansion. A key contributor to Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s financial success, Sasser has played an instrumental role in shaping the company’s fiscal strategy and performance.
Jonathan Biggs joins Tropical Smoothie Cafe from Baskin-Robbins, where he served as Brand Head, overseeing operations across the United States. With over a decade of experience in field and global operations, he has a proven track record of driving restaurant profitability through technology and operational innovations that improve the guest experience. A Georgia Tech graduate, his engineering mindset and operational expertise will be key as the brand enters its next phase of growth.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe CEO Max Wetzel brings decades of experience successfully growing global brands and highly franchised restaurant businesses.
Prior to Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Max served as CEO of CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc., parent company of Carl’s Jr.® and Hardee’s®, overseeing more than 3,700 restaurants across 40 countries and territories. He previously served as Chief Operating Officer of Papa John’s International, Inc., one of the largest franchisors of restaurants in the world. Throughout his career, his leadership has centered around creative innovation, collaborative culture, and improved customer experience.
With a proven track record for driving growth and innovation, Max also brings experience from the H. J. Heinz Company, where he held roles such as VP Global Walmart Business, Marketing Director – Emerging Markets and North America Consumer Products, and Brand Management. He began his career as a Consultant at Accenture.
Max earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) with a focus on Management from Bucknell University, as well as a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business.
Kristi Kingery oversees our supply chain and quality assurance programs. She is also responsible for the strategy development to optimize profitability for Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchisees. Kristi brings wide-ranging experience in both domestic and global foodservice supply chains. She has held prior leadership roles at ARCOP (Arby’s Supply Chain Cooperative) and Brinker International (Chili’s and Maggiano’s.) Prior to being named the Chief Supply Chain Officer in 2024, Kristi also served as the Vice President and Senior Vice President of Supply Chain at Tropical Smoothie Cafe.
Von Kutzleben most recently served as vice president of brand strategy, advertising and menu at Arby’s. Prior to that, she spent 22 years at BBDO Worldwide, where she was executive vice president and senior director for the global advertising powerhouse, leading campaign strategy and execution for many large national brands.
Richard Key serves as the Chief Operations Officer, responsible for overseeing the operations team and its support and training of the Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchise community. Richard has served in a franchise operations capacity for more than 20 years with brands such as TCBY, Carvel, and Moe’s Southwest Grill. Prior to joining Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Richard was the Vice President of Operations, West Division, for Papa Murphy’s International where he was responsible for field operations and marketing.
Cheryl Fletcher joined Tropical Smoothie Cafe in July of 2017. In her role as Chief Development Officer, Cheryl drives the brand’s franchise development sales, real estate and design and construction. Previously, Cheryl held a 17-year tenure with Popeyes, during which she served as Vice President of Franchise Development, Vice President of Development Strategic Planning, and Director of Investor Relations and Finance.
Paul Marsden oversees development and execution of financial strategies to support the company’s business plans. With extensive experience in the food service industry, Paul comes to Tropical Smoothie Cafe from Popeyes, where he served as the Chief Accounting Officer and spent nearly two decades working in the brand’s financial and accounting departments.
Pete Ward advises Tropical Smoothie Cafe on all legal and business matters, including franchising, real estate, labor and employment, litigation, intellectual property, licensing, and other commercial matters. Prior to joining Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Pete served as the Deputy General Counsel and Chief Compliance/Risk Officer at Popeyes for over 10 years and has extensive experience handling corporate transactions, both in-house and in private practice.
Michael Lapid joined Tropical Smoothie Cafe in October of 2019 to the role of Chief Information and Digital Officer. Michael brings 20 years of foundational IT skills and core functions of digital knowledge critical to shaping our journey to reach guests via innovative technologies. Previously with Papa John’s International as the Vice President, Global Digital Technology, Michael is a seasoned technology executive with vast engineering and operations expertise, leadership, and a deep understanding of digital technology and guest experiences. At the start of his career, Michael’s ambitious spirit led him to develop a point of sale system, Hot Sauce.
Mark Montini joined Tropical Smoothie Cafe as Chief Marketing Officer in October 2019. In this role, Mark leads brand, marketing, product, and digital innovations – core functions of delivering the remarkable guest experience that drives Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s success. Prior to Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Mark served as Chief Marketing Officer with Floor Coverings International where he was responsible for driving the brand’s digital transformation and leadership position in service-based franchising. Early in his career, Mark served the franchise industry as a supplier, delivering innovative technology-enabled marketing strategies to help emerging franchise concepts rapidly scale and grow revenue through local-level marketing and sales. Mark serves on the board of the Institute of Certified Franchise Executives.
