The first Dunkin Donuts was opened in 1950 by founder Mr. Bill Rosenburg in Quincy, Massachusetts. Five years later, the very first franchise branch was approved. Sixty years later, under the leadership of "Dunkin Brands Inc.", there are now more than 10,000 stores, including more than 7,000 franchisees, all in 36 of the United States. There are more than 3,000 Dunkin stores in 32 countries outside the United States. Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc. is a leading global franchisor of quick-service restaurants serving hot and cold coffee and baked goods, as well as hard-serve ice cream. Dunkin Brands is headquartered in Canton, Massachusetts (company overview). CEOIn 2009, Mr. Nigel Travis was appointed Chief Executive Officer and more recently, in 2013, Chairman of the Board of Directors. Mr. Travis has held leadership positions at several large companies, including Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Burger King, President and Chief Operating Officer at Blockbuster. Prior to joining Dunkin Brands Inc., he was President and CEO of Papa Johns (company overview). In March 2014, the company announced the decision to extend its CEO's contract for two more years, from December 2016 to 2018. This is due in part to his high productivity within the organization. In his five short years as CEO of Dunkin Brands, Mr. Travis managed to produce a growth rate of 6.2%, add 3,000 new Dunkin Donuts and Baskin Robbins stores, and provide company shareholders a return of approximately $650 million. Looking forward, the business is well positioned for further growth, and Nigel and his team remain focused on improving franchisee profitability and creating shareholder value. » shares senior director Raul Alvar...... middle of paper ......p://ezproxy.net.ucf.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/ 1476741807?accountid=10003King, M. (March 5, 2014). Dunkin' Brands extends the contract of its president and CEO Nigel Travis. Dunkin brands. Accessed April 4, 2014, from http://www.dunkinbrands.com/Press-Releases/DUNKIN-BRANDS-EXTENDS-CONTRACT-FOR-CHAIRMAN-CEO-NIGEL-TRAVIS-483.aspxMason, E. (February 6, 2014). ). Dunkin Donuts Increases Profit, Increases Quarterly Dividend; more customer traffic, higher average ticket drives growth. Wall Street Journal (online). Retrieved from http://ezproxy.net.ucf.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1494734574?accountid=10003Company Snapshot. (nd). DunkinDonuts.com. Retrieved April 2, 2014 from http://www.dunkindonuts.com/content/dunkiDunkin Brands Inc. (2014). BASKIN-ROBBINS UNVEILS NEW DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVES FOR 2014. [press release] January 15, 2014.