Hydrobuilder Holdings Appoints Carl Hauch as Chief Operating Officer

PALM BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hydrobuilder Holdings LLC (“Hydrobuilder Holdings” or “the Company”), a leading omnichannel platform serving the hydroponics, Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) and specialty agriculture industry, today announced the appointment of Carl Hauch as Chief Operating Officer (COO).

Carl has been recognized throughout his career for outstanding financial, people and customer results. Most recently, he served as COO of Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc., Burger King’s largest franchisee, which operates over 1,000 restaurants. Before Carrols, he was the President and CEO of the Wendy’s division of NPC International, the largest Wendy’s franchisee. During his tenure at NPC, Carl led that organization to their most successful year in 2020 prior to its sale. Before joining NPC, he served as Co-CEO of Barnes & Noble, Inc. Prior to Barnes & Noble, Carl served as Senior Vice President of National Operations and Customer Experience at Advance Auto Parts, a multi-billion-dollar auto parts retailer serving both retail and commercial customers.

He began his career working in management positions within the restaurant industry before spending 14 years at Starbucks. There, Carl worked in a variety of operational positions, including store manager, District Manager, Director of Operations and Regional Vice President. He then ran national operations in Australia and became CEO/Managing Director of Starbucks Switzerland and Austria, where Carl led a complete turnaround of the business in the span of 24 months.

“Carl is a terrific addition to Hydrobuilder and we are thrilled that he will be overseeing our growing base of operations. He not only has a depth of experience managing large-scale retail operations but also possesses a proven reputation for growing businesses and managing costs. I believe his skills will be especially valuable as we seek expansion opportunities in this fragmented industry and am therefore delighted to be welcoming Carl to our leadership team,” said Markus Hockenson, Chief Executive Officer.

Carl graduated from Rutgers College and also attended Rutgers Graduate School of Management. He resides in Denver with his wife and three children.

About Hydrobuilder Holdings LLC

Hydrobuilder Holdings is the second largest omnichannel platform in the hydroponics, CEA and specialty agriculture industry in the United States, serving the entire spectrum of customers from hobbyists to large commercial growers through its online, retail and warehouse direct channels. The Company was formed in October 2020 and has since acquired five companies that are each market leaders across different sales channels and geographies: GreenCoast, the nation’s second largest hydroponics retailer; Hydrobuilder.com, a leading online retailer of hydroponics and horticultural supplies; Elevated Equipment Supply, a full-service equipment and supplies provider; Way to Grow, a Colorado-based retailer of aeroponic, hydroponic and greenhouse products; and Home Grown Ventures, a Washington-based manufacturer and distributer of a proprietary blend of water-soluble nutrients used for commercial agriculture. For more information, please visit https://www.hbhold.com/