Following the hiring of a new president and vice president of operations at the end of 2022, Belmar-based Playa Bowls now has a new chief executive officer. 

Dan Harmon succeeds co-founder Rob Giuliani, who will remain with the company as chief innovation officer, the acai bowl shop franchise announced April 11. 

“Harmon has an exceptional reputation for exceeding business objectives and franchisee relationships in the restaurant industry and will be a valuable asset as we continue to grow and develop our company,” Giuliani said in a statement. 

Harmon comes to the company from Smoothie King, where he was president and chief operations officer. According to his LinkedIn profile, he was with Smoothie King for almost six years. Before that, Harmon held leadership roles with companies such as Papa Murphy’s, Potbelly Sandwich Works, Blockbuster Canada and McDonald’s.  

“There is a tremendous opportunity to grow the brand and mission nationally, and I’m looking forward to working closely with our leadership team and franchisees to make that happen,” Harmon said about his new role. 

The other recent leadership announcements include Mark Belanger as president in November 2022, and Darlene Schoeneberg, who was appointed vice president of operations, in December 2022. 

Founded in 2014, Playa Bowls now has more than 175 locations in 20 states, with plans to expand further across the U.S. According to its website, it has nearly 70 shops in New Jersey. The shops offer a menu of more than 40 items including acai, pitaya, green and coconut bowls as well as oatmeal bowls, juices, smoothies and coffee.