The Board of Directors of ZIPS Dry Cleaners announced Monday it appointed Bob Barry as president/CEO of the chain of dry cleaning locations.
He succeeds Drew Ritger, who held the role for the past 3 1/2 years and has accepted a position with a midwestern chain of gourmet coffee restaurants.
Barry has been a member of the ZIPS board of directors for the past eight years and he will retain that position. He has also served on the boards of the American Heart Association and the Restaurant Association of Maryland.
He spent 12 years as president/CEO of The Greene Turtle Sports Bar & Grille, growing that chain from a handful of locations to nearly 50 full-service franchised and company-owned restaurants. Prior to The Greene Turtle, he spent nine years as president/CEO of Ms. Desserts/The Great Cookie Ltd., a retail, mobile and e-commerce baked goods business, and worked for Marriott Corp. and W.R. Grace & Co.
More recently, he has been an investor in and adviser for several companies, including: Truvelop, a talent transformation company specializing in team member evaluation and development; Lost Ark Distilling Co., a Columbia-based artisanal distillery; and Columbia Treatment Center, a rehab facility supporting individuals confronted by substance use and mental health issues.
Barry will concentrate on guiding ZIPS successfully out of the pandemic and expanding the brand’s footprint by increasing unit profitability, innovating and rolling out new programs to broaden the concept’s menu of services (including both consumer and commercial business), developing fill-in strategies for existing markets and determining penetration strategies for new markets.
With nearly 70 open locations in 10 states and the District of Columbia, the chain plans to open another 150 units in the next three years. The company handles more than 24 million garments a year, comprised of both consumer and commercial business.
