WARWICK – Craig Erlich, who most recently led the Friendly’s restaurant chain, has been named CEO of Launch Entertainment.
Erlich will take over for Rob Arnold, who is stepping down from the position after he and his wife, Erin, founded Launch Entertainment in 2012, the company announced on Monday. Arnold, however, will remain with Launch as part owner.
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“We are very excited to have Craig leading the Launch team given his impressive track record of growth and relentless focus on franchisee success,” said Arnold. “With dozens of locations under development and a pipeline full of sophisticated franchisees, Launch is poised for tremendous growth.”
Erlich served as CEO of Friendly’s from 2020 to 2023. Prior to that he was the CEO of Brix Holdings from 2013 to 2021. He was a region manager for CVS Pharmacy from 2004 to 2011, a district manager of Jo-Ann stores from 2000-2004 and senior district manager for KB Toys from 1988-2000.
“I’m honored to have the opportunity to continue evolving this leading family entertainment concept,” Erlich said. “While the brand has successfully expanded its footprint amid an aggressive franchise growth plan, there is still significant new location whitespace, and I plan to continue fanning the development flames throughout the next few years and beyond. I am also looking forward to working closely with the strong team at Launch as well as the current and future franchisees.”
Launch has 28 parks across 14 states, including one in Rhode Island at 920 Bald Hill Road in Warwick, after launching its first franchise in 2013.
