Famous Brands Appoints Neal Courtney Chief Executive Officer

BROOMFIELD, Colo., July 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Famous Brands International, the parent company of TCBY Yogurt and Mrs. Fields Cookies, today announced that it has appointed Neal Courtney to the position of Chief Executive Officer. Neal has been serving as the company's Interim Chief Executive Officer since February.  Prior to being named Interim Chief Executive Officer, Neal had been the company's Chief Operating Officer.  

"Since taking over as Interim CEO, Neal has continued to be instrumental in creating a strong and stable foundation to support Famous Brands' growth and success," said James J. Zenni, Chairman of Famous Brands International. "We are confident that Neal is the right person to help lead Famous Brands into the future and capitalize on the tremendous opportunities that the company has across all of its channels. We are extremely pleased to have someone with Neal's caliber, experience and dedication leading the continued evolution of Famous Brands into one of the most successful and well recognized brands in the industry."

Prior to his role as Interim Chief Executive Office, Mr. Courtney served as Chief Operating Officer for Famous Brands International since May 2012. He has been on the Famous Brands team for more than 8 years and has held roles in finance, sales, and general management. "I am honored to be selected as the leader of the Famous Brands organization," said Mr. Courtney. "We have made great strides during my time here and we have many exciting opportunities for achievement and avenues to continue growing our business. I am looking forward to working with the rest of the talented management team at Famous Brands to continue building on our momentum to expand our brands around the world."

Prior to joining Mrs. Fields, Mr. Courtney held various senior positions in finance and strategy at Frito-Lay and Kmart Corporation. He has experience as a Multi-Unit Franchisee and Master Franchisee for a national US franchise entity. Mr. Courtney brings more than 15 years of leadership experience in Retail, Consumer Packaged Goods, E-commerce, and Franchising. He was a 2-time NCAA Academic All-American golfer at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. Mr. Courtney has a MBA in Finance from the Marriott School of Management at BYU and has studied abroad at the University of Limerick, Ireland. 

About Famous Brands
Mrs. Fields Cookies:
Based in Broomfield, CO, Mrs. Fields Famous Brands, LLC dba Famous Brands International is the parent company to Mrs. Fields. Debbi Fields opened her first store in Palo Alto, California in 1977 and the Mrs. Fields name quickly became associated with warm, freshly baked cookies right out of the oven. Today, Mrs. Fields products are available at over 300 retail locations in the United States, nearly 100 locations internationally and online through http://www.mrsfields.com or by calling 1.800.COOKIES.
For more information on Mrs. Fields please visit http://www.mrsfields.com.

About TCBY

Based in Broomfield, CO, TCBY, The Country's Best Yogurt, has been a frozen yogurt innovator from the day its first shop opened in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1981. With more than 650 locations in the United States and internationally, TCBY has long been a healthier alternative for consumers looking for a treat or snack. To learn more check out www.TCBY.com.

Contacts

Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher
Jonathan Keehner, Taylor Ingraham: 212-355-4449

Michael Brennan
Mackinac Partners: 248-258-6900

SOURCE Famous Brands International