Cold Stone Creamery Names Jim Flaum President and Chief Operating Officer; Flaum Will Lead the Quest to Cold Stone Becoming the No. 1 Best-Selling Ice Cream Brand in America.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Cold Stone Creamery announced today that Jim Flaum has rejoined the company, accepting the position of president and chief operating officer. Flaum served as executive vice president of Cold Stone before he departed in 2004 to launch his own multi-unit restaurant business. In this new role, he will lead the charge in achieving Cold Stone's Vision that, "The world will knows us as The Ultimate Ice Cream Experience(R) by making us the No. 1 best-selling ice cream brand in America by Dec. 31, 2009." Flaum will report to Doug Ducey, chairman and chief executive officer.

"Jim's experience and involvement working with one of the top franchising companies in the world will significantly enhance our continued growth," commented Ducey. "We see great opportunity with his return to re-energize our team by focusing on results for our franchisee partners, as well as the ice cream lovers of America."

Flaum brings with him a wealth of experience, both domestically and internationally. During his 30-year tenure with the McDonald's Corp., he served as senior vice president of the West Division, and was involved in the management of all aspects of the business. Flaum is a native of Toledo, Ohio and attended Ohio University.

Cold Stone Creamery opened its first store in Tempe, Ariz. in 1988, and its first store overseas located in Tokyo, Japan in 2005. The company continues to lead the industry through innovation, and was named the 11th "Fastest Growing Franchise" in the January 2006 issue of Entrepreneur magazine. Its proven formula for franchising and super-premium ice cream is a key contributor for its bite out of the $21 billion U.S. ice cream industry. With reported 2005 systemwide revenues exceeding $408 million, Cold Stone opened 338 new stores with another 293 slated to open in 2006.

About Cold Stone Creamery

Cold Stone Creamery delivers The Ultimate Ice Cream Experience(R) through a community of franchisees who are passionate about ice cream. The secret recipe for smooth and creamy ice cream is handcrafted fresh daily in each store, and then customized by adding a variety of mix-ins on a frozen granite stone. Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Cold Stone Creamery is an independently owned franchise system with more than 1,300 stores in the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, Japan and soon to be Korea (slated for July 2006). For more information about Cold Stone Creamery, visit the company's Web site at www.coldstonecreamery.com.