Welcome to Love’s: Patrick McLean named chief marketing officer

Oklahoma City, May 5, 2025 – Love's Travel Stops, named Patrick McLean as the company’s first-ever chief marketing officer (CMO), effective immediately. He will be responsible for aligning Love’s marketing efforts with its core values and strategic priorities to drive customer acquisition and retention, while continuing to enhance the overall customer experience. He will report to Love’s president and lead nearly 300 team members in the Marketing and Customer Experience departments.

McLean succeeds Vice President of Marketing Dave Frankenfield who announced his intent to retire after 28 years of service. Frankenfield will remain with Love’s through the end of 2025 to assist with a smooth transition.

“We are thrilled to use our iconic travel stop greeting to say, ‘Welcome to Love’s, Patrick,’” said Shane Wharton, president of Love’s. “Patrick’s B2B and B2C experience in multiple industries, and with some of the largest and most successful retail brands in the world, stood out to us as we searched for a leader who could take our efforts to the next level and fit into our award-winning culture. We look forward to having such a respected senior marketing and digital executive as Patrick evolve our growing marketing organization that spans all channels and customer touchpoints.”

With more than 30 years of experience, McLean’s recent notable roles include serving as the Walgreens Company’s senior vice president and CMO in which he oversaw the launch of the "My Walgreens" customer engagement and loyalty platform. Prior, he was with TD Bank as their executive vice president, CMO, and head of corporate and public affairs. He led the bank’s brand strategy re-launch with the "Unexpectedly Human" campaign, built a direct-to-consumer marketing model and implemented a marketing technology ecosystem.

“I’m extremely honored and excited to be selected as Love’s first-ever chief marketing officer,” McLean said. “Strategic investments in marketing and customer experience will elevate this already strong brand and unlock further growth for the business.”

From a cultural standpoint, Pat has consistently demonstrated a transformative and people-centric leadership approach throughout his career, fostering high-performing, modern marketing organizations. He was recognized by Business Insider as one of the top 27 innovative CMOs in the world and named one of Campaign Magazine’s 50 “Trail-blazing CMOs.”

About Love’s

Love's has been fueling customers' journeys since 1964. Innovation and perseverance continue to lead the way for the family-owned and -operated business headquartered in Oklahoma City with nearly 40,000 team members in North America and Europe. The company's core business is travel stops and convenience stores with 658 locations in 42 states. Love's continues its commitment to offer products and services that provide value for professional drivers, fleets, four-wheel customers, RVers, alternative fuel and wholesale fuel customers. Giving back to communities Love's serves and maintaining an inclusive workplace are hallmarks of the company's award-winning culture. To find out more about Love's, follow us on social or apply for a job, click here.