Dippin' Dots Names Mark Liebel as Vice President of Business Development and New Ventures

PADUCAH, Ky, Oct. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Dippin' Dots LLC, maker of the iconic flash frozen beads of ice cream and other frozen treats, today announced that Mark Liebel has been appointed vice president of business development and new ventures, a newly created position designed to increase the availability of the innovative ice cream to its legion of fans nationwide.

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"Mark is a seasoned executive with exceptional depth of experience, not only in franchising and quick service but also in frozen dessert," said Scott Fischer, Dippin' Dots president.  "His knowledge and industry experience, combined with the strength of the Dippin' Dots brand, will help us uncover new market opportunities that will benefit our consumers, our current franchise owners and our bottom line."

In his new capacity, Liebel will be charged with identifying and developing promising distribution channels that complement the existing Dippin' Dots distribution model, which focuses on franchises and entertainment venues.  The company is looking to strategically add new partnership agreements that will build out its existing franchise network as well as non-franchised distribution channels such as food concession companies where Dippin' Dots can leverage its relationships to open doors that could not be opened otherwise. 

"Dippin' Dots is a household name with a devoted following, yet for some consumers the product can be hard to come by," Liebel explains.  "My job is to utilize our existing distribution base to seek out new partners that can be viable points of presence for Dippin' Dots." 

Liebel brings to the company more than 30 years of franchising experience, both as franchisee and franchisor.  He spent more than ten years as a Wendy's® franchisee and, at the age of 27, became Wendy's youngest officer and vice president.  More recently, Liebel served as director of operations for Tasti D-Lite, a frozen dessert concept based in New York City.   Liebel was also responsible for business operations for I Can't Believe It's Yogurt, Inc. and managed the largest Pizza Hut franchise in the United States.

Dippin' Dots has taken steps to strengthen its executive team as a prelude to aggressively pursuing new market opportunities.   The company's board of managers recently created four new vice president positions, one of which is filled by Liebel.  Liebel will work closely with existing vice president of marketing and sales, Michael Barrette, together exploring avenues of growth.  In addition, the Dippin' Dots franchising division is actively seeking to add a high level, experienced professional to its team.

"Dippin' Dots has unlimited opportunity for growth," said founder and chief executive officer Curt Jones.  "We have put in place a highly skilled management team that will propel the company forward and achieve high goals for expansion and improved distribution."

"It's exciting to be a part of the ongoing growth of a unique brand that is known and loved by kids and parents alike," Liebel added.

Dippin' Dots are tiny, flash frozen beads of ice cream, yogurt, sherbet and flavored ice.  Invented in 1988 by microbiologist and entrepreneur Curt Jones, Dippin' Dots offers more than thirty different flavors, plus seasonal flavors. The company's administrative and production headquarters are located in Paducah, Kentucky. Dippin' Dots are sold in more than 130 retail locations and thousands of entertainment venues and special events nationwide. The company's International division oversees licensees in 11 countries. Locations and company information are available at www.dippindots.com.

SOURCE Dippin’ Dots LLC