Company News

Love’s Hires First Chief Marketing Officer

Patrick McLean succeeds Vice President of Marketing Dave Frankenfield, who is retiring after 28 years
Love’s Travel Stops named Patrick McLean as the company’s first chief marketing officer.
Love’s Travel Stops named Patrick McLean as the company’s first chief marketing officer

Love’s Travel Stops named Patrick McLean as the company’s first chief marketing officer. He will report to Love’s president and lead nearly 300 team members in the marketing and customer experience departments.

  • Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores is No. 16 on CSP’s 2024 Top 202 ranking of U.S. convenience-store chains by store count.

McLean succeeds Vice President of Marketing Dave Frankenfield, who announced his intent to retire after 28 years of service. Frankenfield will remain with Love’s through the end of 2025 to assist with a smooth transition.

McLean will be responsible for aligning Love’s marketing efforts with its values and priorities to drive customer acquisition and retention, while continuing to enhance the overall customer experience.

“We are thrilled to use our iconic travel stop greeting to say, ‘Welcome to Love’s, Patrick,’” said Shane Wharton, president of Love’s. “Patrick’s B2B and B2C experience in multiple industries, and with some of the largest and most successful retail brands in the world, stood out to us as we searched for a leader who could take our efforts to the next level and fit into our award-winning culture. We look forward to having such a respected senior marketing and digital executive as Patrick evolve our growing marketing organization that spans all channels and customer touchpoints.” 

With more than 30 years of experience, McLean’s recent notable roles include serving as the Walgreens’ senior vice president and chief marketing officer in which he oversaw the launch of the My Walgreens customer engagement and loyalty platform. Prior, he was with TD Bank as executive vice president, chief marketing officer and head of corporate and public affairs. He led the bank’s brand strategy re-launch with the Unexpectedly Human campaign, built a direct-to-consumer marketing model and implemented a marketing technology ecosystem. 

“I’m extremely honored and excited to be selected as Love’s first-ever chief marketing officer,” McLean said. “Strategic investments in marketing and customer experience will elevate this already strong brand and unlock further growth for the business.”

Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores was founded in 1964 and has 655 travel stops and convenience stores in 42 states. It provides services and products for professional drivers, fleets, four-wheel customers, RV drivers and more. 

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