MEET OUR SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM
Eric Danver
Owner & CEO
Eric Danver is the principal Owner, CEO, and President of FGG Spa, LLC, a franchise of Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa. FGG is the largest franchisee in the Hand & Stone system, owning and operating 60 locations across 8 states: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Florida. With sales revenues over $80M, the company goal is to achieve 100 locations in the next three to five years.
Mr. Danver was previously an owner for PJPA, LLC that operated 53 Papa John's restaurants. He served as Operating Partner of PJNJ from its inception in 1995 until the sale of its stores to Papa John's in 1999. As Operating Partner of PJNJ, Eric was responsible for opening and managing the operations of 20 Papa John's stores in southern New Jersey in a four-year period, including eight in one year. Following the sale of PJNJ, Mr. Danver was an interest holder and advisor to PJPA and Director of Operations for Papa John's International in New Jersey until PJPA acquired its Delaware stores in 2006, whereupon Mr. Danver joined PJPA. Eric became President and COO of PJPA upon the acquisition of 27 Philadelphia region stores from Papa John's International. At its height, PJPA had 53 stores located in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey with over 1,000 employees. PJPA subsequently sold all of its stores in 2021.
Kris is the Chief Operating Officer of FGG Spa, LLC, and works closely with the Senior Leadership team to ensure the organization's operational excellence standards are exceeded. As COO, Kris plays a pivotal role in driving operational excellence across the organization. Collaborating closely with the Senior Leadership team, Kris is dedicated to developing and implementing strategies that exceed the company's high standards for performance, efficiency, and customer satisfaction. His leadership ensures that FGG Spa, LLC remains at the forefront of operational innovation while fostering a culture of continuous improvement and success.
Prior to joining the FGG team, Kris served for 13 years on the Executive Management team at Hand & Stone Franchise Corporation as Senior Vice President of Franchise Development. During his tenure, he played a critical role in driving growth and expansion across the organization.
A seasoned franchise veteran, Kris has extensive experience on both the franchisor and franchisee side of the industry. He previously operated as a multi-unit franchisee with Domino's and Pizza Hut, where he honed his operational and leadership skills. Additionally, Kris has held key leadership roles, including VP of Brand Services at Saladworks Corporation, where he oversaw brand strategy and operational support, and a development role at Dunkin' Brands, contributing to the growth of one of the world's most iconic franchise systems.
With his deep expertise in franchise operations, development, and brand management, Kris brings a wealth of knowledge and proven leadership to the FGG organization.
COO
Kris Smith
Melissa Stevens
CFO
Melissa has been with FGG since its inception and in responsible for all accounting and payroll related activities. She heads the accounting department from the FGG corporate office in Tampa, Florida. Melissa has over 20 years of finance and accounting experience. Prior to working for FGG, Melissa was the Controller for PJPA, a franchisee of Papa John's, where she oversaw all accounting activities including preparing financial statements, processing accounts payable, and processing payroll for over 300 employees.
Melissa holds a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting and an MBA from Shepherd University.
Zdenka Olic
Vice President of Operations, South
Zdenka oversees all aspects of operations in our southern spa locations in Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Florida. She is responsible for building upon the foundation of operational excellence to deliver world class client experiences, overall client satisfaction, stellar team engagement, all while continuing to grow the business and the brand.
Zdenka is a spa industry insider with more than 23 years as an accomplished leader with proven results. Prior to joining FGG Spa, LLC, Zdenka spent 15 years at The Red Door by Elizabeth Arden, where she led all aspects of operational excellence across more than 26 locations nationwide with a total annual sales volume of $70M.
Dawn Piljek
Director of Esthetics
Dawn is a CIDESCO graduate from Champneys International with decades of industry experience, from cruise ships and medspas, to destination hotels. Before joining FGG, Dawn was a Regional Operations Manager for Hand & Stone corporate. As Director of Esthetics, Dawn works closely with the Esthetics Leads, Spa Managers, and Regional Directors in the field to grow our Esthetics program to 50% of our overall business. Dawn works to provide tools, resources, support, and growth to drive the Esthetics performance in each spa location. She coordinates regional training, nurtures our vendor relationships, and provides hands-on training to Estheticians in the field.
Katie oversees all aspects of operations and our Regional Leadership team in our northern spa locations in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland. She works closely with the COO in supporting all aspects of the business including daily operations, acquisitions, new spa openings, and development.
Katie has been a part of FGG Spa since 2013. She began her spa career as a Sales Associate on the frontlines, worked every position in management and has climbed the ranks to Vice President of Operations.
Vice President of Operations, North
Katie Danver
Jake brings more than 18 years in spa and salon management and formal education in Education and Project Management to the role of VP of Training & Education. Over their career, Jake has held roles and responsibilities in spa direction, operations management, guest experience, and marketing. As VP of Training & Education, Jake leads the charge to create and implement consistent training programs across all departments, coordinates sales and guest experience training, and helps design development paths for the continued growth of the spa leaders at FGG. They coordinates training schedules and agendas for new spa leaders, ensures accessibility and consistency of training resources in the field. Jake oversees the Director of Esthetics, Director of Recruiting, as well as the FGG Spa, LLC Training General Manager program.
Vice President of Training & Education
Jake Perdue
Nova started with FGG in 2017 as a Spa Manager and quickly elevated into a Regional Operations role. As FGG continued to grow, the role of Director of Recruiting was created, and Nova was the natural choice for the role. As Director of Recruiting, Nova works with our Regional Directors and General Managers to source candidates, and assists with our interview and onboarding processes. Nova also provides support in nurturing our relationships with local Massage and Esthetics schools. Nova handles new hire onboarding and processing. She also manages the social media accounts and email marketing for all FGG spas.
Director of Recruiting
Nova Amos
Darielle Shaloo
Director of Payroll, Benefits, and Claims
Darielle manages our payroll process and benefits administration. Darielle manages our insurance administration including eligibility notifications and processing applications. She handles all employee reference and verification requests. She coordinates and handles all communication regarding employee and client incidents and incident reporting.
Ashley Danver
Accountant
Ashley joined FGG Spa, LLC in 2023. She has over 10 years of accounting experience with a background in tax, healthcare, and private equity. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting with Honors from Rowan University. When not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons.
Wendy has a background in commercial interior architecture and design, and is also a former owner of two Hand & Stone locations in South Florida that were acquired by FGG Spa, LLC in 2022.
Wendy is responsible for compliance with state and local licensing requirements for the spas, and also works to support the expansion of new-build spa locations. Wendy provides support to members of the FGG leadership team in areas of administration and operations, wherever needed.
Administrator
Wendy Mendes