Dave Keil is Partner and President for Franworth; prior to this role, he led 4 franchise companies as CEO: Pure Barre, HoneyBaked Ham, Häagen-Dazs Shoppes and The Lash Lounge. Keil is also a board member and advisor to emerging franchise businesses, PE firms, churches, small business owners, and multi-unit franchisees. Keil founded the 501(c)3 company Franchise For Good and has partnered with 18 non-profit companies helping them scale and replicate.
Prior to Franworth, Dave was CEO of Pure Barre, the 600-unit barre fitness franchise, where he led the company through a turnaround within the boutique fitness sector. Keil also served as the inaugural Chairman and CEO for The Honey Baked Ham Company LLC, bringing the HoneyBaked brand and business together after 59 years of running as separate entities.
Additionally, Keil previously held a senior leadership position with Ecolab (NYSE: ECL), where he led the integration of their $8B Nalco merger. Keil’s previous Ecolab roles included general manager for Healthcare’s North American Sector, vice president of Corporate Development, and he led the global Program Management Office responsible for the company’s continuous improvement initiatives. Dave was president of The Häagen-Dazs Shoppe Company and director of Corporate Development for General Mills. His background includes ten years at Frito Lay in various operations, sales, and finance roles.
Keil was an adjunct professor at Hamline University’s School of Business, where he taught Mergers & Acquisitions courses. He was recognized by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal as one of the “Top 40 Under 40” leaders in the Twin Cities. Keil received a bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the University of Kansas.