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These CMOs and VPs are turning multichannel complexity into a competitive edge, equipping local owners with the tools to dominate their communities and drive sustainable systemwide success.
Franchise marketing has never been more complex or more critical. In a world where customer journeys jump from TikTok to text message to AI-generated search results in a matter of seconds, the brands that win are the ones turning chaos into clarity.
The leaders featured in this year’s Top Franchise Marketing Leaders to Know series are doing exactly that. Whether they’re building always-on demand engines in home care, simplifying complex digital disciplines for home services operators, or turning cult-favorite restaurant brands into scalable national contenders, these marketers measure success in phone calls, booked jobs and profitable tickets.
Across industries, a few themes stand out. First, this group is relentlessly franchisee-first. Many built their careers sitting across the table from local owners — in education, senior care, hospitality, quick service and more — learning that the best marketing only works if it respects the realities of running a small business.
Second, they’re reclaiming local marketing as a strategic advantage, not an afterthought. Time and again, these leaders point to grassroots empowerment, community partnerships and one-to-one connection as the most underutilized levers in franchising.
Third, they’re taking a clear-eyed view of technology, especially AI. Nearly every leader on this list acknowledges that AI will reshape how campaigns are built, optimized and measured, from predictive modeling and lifecycle automation to AI agents that support franchisee training and lead routing. But they’re equally adamant that marketing remains fundamentally human work.
Finally, this cohort reflects just how broad and dynamic franchise marketing has become. You’ll find CMOs leading global care networks and fast-growing fitness brands, VPs and SVPs driving growth for home services platforms and restaurant concepts, and founders and growth officers building emerging systems from the ground up.
Without further ado, meet the franchise marketing leaders shaping what comes next. Follow along as we roll out in-depth profiles on each of them throughout the coming weeks and pick up a few playbook upgrades for your own brand along the way.
Name: Nicole Salla
Role: Chief Marketing Officer
Brand: Kiddie Academy
Salla leads marketing for one of the most trusted names in early childhood education, balancing national brand-building with the intensely local nature of childcare decisions. Her focus is on helping franchisees become the go-to choice for families in their communities through smart digital strategy, reputation management and community engagement that feels authentic, not scripted.
Name: Natalie Hurley
Role: Vice President of Marketing
Brand: Layne’s Chicken Fingers
Hurley brings a fast-casual mindset to a nostalgic chicken brand that’s rapidly expanding beyond its Texas roots. She’s helping franchisees show up big in their markets with playful, scrappy and data-informed campaigns that fit Layne’s “Soon to be Famous™” attitude. From grand openings to calendar-driving LTOs, her work keeps the brand relevant with both college-town loyalists and new guests discovering Layne’s for the first time.
Name: Dawn Drazdys
Role: Chief Marketing Officer
Brand: Right at Home
In home care, trust is everything — and Drazdys builds it thoughtfully at both the brand and local level. She connects national storytelling about independence and dignity with hyper-local content that highlights caregivers, clients and community partners in each territory. Her approach supports franchisees not just in finding clients, but in attracting the right caregivers and referral sources that drive sustainable growth.
Name: Jennifer LoBianco
Role: Chief Marketing Officer
Brand: Best Life Brands
LoBianco oversees marketing for a family of care-focused franchise brands, tying together diverse consumer journeys under a single purpose-driven umbrella. She’s adept at building shared systems — CRM, creative, content and campaigns — while still honoring each brand’s unique audience and value proposition.
Name: Peter Wiley
Role: Co-Founder and Director of Marketing & IT
Brand: Hot Head Burritos
Wiley sits at the intersection of technology and operations for Hot Head Burritos, blending his co-founder’s perspective with a modern marketing toolkit. From loyalty and digital ordering to local store marketing and in-store experience, he ensures every initiative is grounded in what actually drives transactions for franchisees. His dual role in marketing and IT keeps the brand’s tech stack aligned with its growth strategy.
Name: Amanda Evans
Role: Senior Vice President of Marketing
Brand: Stellar Service Brands
Evans brings the rare lens of having been both a franchisee and a franchisor, and that empathy shows up in everything her team delivers. At Stellar Service Brands, she leads marketing for a portfolio of home-service concepts, focusing relentlessly on lead volume, quality and cost per job. Her work helps owners understand their P&Ls, invest confidently in marketing and balance digital visibility with neighborhood-level relationship building.
Name: Kelsey McManemin
Role: Senior Vice President of Marketing
Brand: HTeaO
McManemin's efforts are pivotal in transforming HTeaO from a beloved regional chain into a major national beverage contender. Drawing on her extensive experience with leading restaurant brands, her marketing initiatives — from limited-time flavor releases to community-focused campaigns and a customer loyalty program — are strategically designed to boost current foot traffic and cultivate lasting brand devotion.
Name: Angela Baker
Role: Director of Marketing
Brand: Griswold
Baker leads marketing for one of the most established home care brands in the country, helping reposition Griswold for the next generation of clients and caregivers. She focuses on clear messaging, search visibility and content that demystifies in-home care for families who are often making decisions under stress. Her support gives franchisees practical, plug-and-play tools they can localize quickly.
Name: Chad Waetzig
Role: Chief Marketing Officer
Brand: Crunch Fitness
Waetzig oversees a high-energy fitness brand that bridges serious training and approachable fun — and his marketing strategy reflects that duality. He uses data, partnerships and storytelling to keep Crunch culturally relevant, while building campaigns that franchisees can execute at club level without heavy lift. His work keeps traffic flowing, memberships growing and the Crunch personality unmistakable wherever the logo appears.
Name: Kim Lewis
Role: Chief Marketing Officer
Brand: Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop
Lewis leads marketing for a sandwich brand that’s built a passionate fan base around craveable, made-in-house recipes. Her focus is on driving awareness in new markets, defending share in established ones and making sure Capriotti’s shows up consistently across digital, delivery and in-store channels. For franchise owners, that means a steady pipeline of campaigns tied directly to traffic and ticket growth.
Name: Colin Berry
Role: Vice President of Brand Development
Brand: Children’s Lighthouse
Berry combines restaurant-brand grit with early-education purpose in his role at Children’s Lighthouse. He’s focused on strengthening the brand’s position with parents while giving franchisees the technology, creative and local guidance they need to compete in crowded childcare markets. His work connects curriculum, culture and communication into a single, compelling story families can understand.
Name: Vineeta Bhandari
Role: Founder, CEO and CMO
Brand: Building Kidz Worldwide
As the founder and marketing leader of Building Kidz, Bhandari brings a deeply personal origin story and a clear vision to a growing performing-arts-based preschool brand. She champions a differentiated message built around creativity, confidence and whole-child development, giving franchisees a powerful narrative that resonates with mission-driven parents. Her approach marries heart with rigor, turning purpose into a competitive advantage.
Name: Ashley Mitchell
Role: Vice President of Marketing
Brand: East Coast Wings + Grill
Mitchell guides marketing for a full-service restaurant brand where sports, wings and community come together. She helps franchisees navigate everything from menu promotions and game-day traffic to local fundraising. By tying creative directly to unit economics, she keeps East Coast Wings + Grill relevant with guests and profitable for operators.
Name: Farrell Timlake
Role: Franchise Marketing Director
Brand: White Rabbit Cannabis
Timlake operates in one of the most heavily regulated marketing environments in franchising — and turns those constraints into creative opportunities. At White Rabbit Cannabis, he helps franchisees grow within strict compliance frameworks, focusing on education, experience and community rather than gimmicks. His work shows how thoughtful, localized marketing can build trust in an emerging category.
Name: Felicia Reeves
Role: Chief Marketing Officer
Brand: Empower Brands
Reeves leads marketing for a multi-brand platform of home and commercial service franchises, where her job is as much about alignment as it is about awareness. She creates frameworks that can flex across very different industries while keeping Empower’s franchisee-first promise front and center. For owners, that means enterprise-level resources with a clear through-line: helping them grow stronger, more resilient businesses.
Name: Jenna Law
Role: Senior Director of Marketing & Communications
Brand: Keke’s Breakfast Cafe
Leading the marketing efforts for one of Florida's favorite breakfast spots, Law approaches every initiative with a focus on the guest experience and a genuine appreciation for franchise collaborations. Despite being new to the franchising world when she came to Keke's, she quickly grasped the personal commitment required to support franchise owners directly. This understanding led her to develop programs that skillfully blend brand standards with local flexibility across more than 60 franchised locations and 22 company-operated cafes.
Name: Caroline McAleese Riley
Role: Chief Marketing Officer
Brand: Aroma Joe’s Franchising, LLC
Riley is the driving force behind the marketing efforts of a rapidly expanding coffee brand, one that honors its New England heritage while setting its sights on national prominence. Her focus is intensely local: she's dedicated to uncovering the true sources of customer loyalty at the store level and using those organic insights to craft campaigns. These campaigns are deployed across the entire system but manage to retain a genuine, hometown feel. This strategy gives franchisees a competitive edge in a saturated market, allowing them to stand out while perfectly preserving the brand's signature warm and lively personality.
Name: Katelyn Fagan
Role: Marketing Director
Brand: Bricks & Minifigs (BAM) Franchising
Fagan oversees marketing for a niche retail concept built around pre-loved LEGO® products and experiences. She helps franchisees tap into local fan communities, events and partnerships while maintaining a consistent brand standard across markets. Her work shows how smart, values-led marketing can turn hobbyists into loyal customers and advocates.
Name: Kevin Dugan
Role: Vice President of Marketing
Brand: Pet Wants
Dugan leads marketing for a fresh, small-batch pet food franchise system, where education and trust are central to the value proposition. He supports franchise owners with clear messaging, strong digital presence and grassroots tactics that build genuine relationships with pet parents. His focus on storytelling and consistency helps Pet Wants stand out as more than just another pet retail concept.
Name: Laura Vodvarka
Role: Chief Marketing Officer
Brand: HorsePower Brands
Vodvarka leads marketing for a fast-growing platform of essential home-service brands. Her remit spans demand generation, brand strategy and franchise development, all anchored in measurable ROI for owners. She’s particularly adept at building systems that support multiple brands at once while letting each maintain its own identity and positioning.
Name: Tom Matzen
Role: Co-Founder
Brand: Links Golf Cafe
Matzen brings decades of entrepreneurial and franchising experience to Links Golf Café, a concept that pairs golf simulators with café hospitality. His marketing vision focuses on community, memberships and events — helping franchisees build recurring revenue and repeat traffic. By framing each location as a neighborhood “third place” for golfers and guests, he gives owners a compelling story to tell.
Name: Greg Pahl
Role: Senior Marketing Manager
Brand: TWO MEN AND A JUNK TRUCK
Pahl operates in a category where brand recognition and local reputation are everything. He helps franchise owners at TWO MEN AND A JUNK TRUCK cut through the noise with clear, benefit-driven messaging and performance-focused digital campaigns. His work balances the scrappy, on-the-ground realities of junk removal with the consistency expected from a national brand.
Name: Kelly Mance
Role: Vice President of Marketing
Brand: Premium Service Brands
Mance directs marketing for a multi-brand residential services platform, establishing a shared strategy across various home-focused concepts. Her core mission is building a unified demand engine — spanning SEO, paid media, reputation management and referral programs — that franchise owners can utilize regardless of their specific brand. She champions an approach defined by clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and practical, implementable playbooks.
Name: Katie Schoessel
Role: Vice President of Marketing
Brand: Fresh Coat Painters
Schoessel manages marketing for a painting company where earning customer trust is essential. She provides franchisees with effective local marketing materials and content that highlights their expertise and high standards. She ensures marketing efforts directly support lead generation and job bookings, keeping strategy closely linked to the practical demands of operating a service business.
Name: Kyle Kosco
Role: Vice President of Marketing
Brand: Caring Transitions
Kosco leads marketing for a brand that helps families navigate some of life’s most emotional transitions — rightsizing, relocation and estate sales. He focuses on messaging that balances empathy with clarity, helping franchisees explain complex services in a way that feels accessible and supportive. His work spans consumer demand, CTBids® auctions and franchise development, all under a consistent, caring brand voice.
Want to learn more about how 1851 helps franchisors grow their franchises with confidence? Visit www.1851growthclub.com and see what we can do for you.
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