appointed president and CEO George Condos; that summer it was bought for $337 million by the private investment firm Sun Capital Partners, Inc. In December 2008, Ned R. Lidvall was appointed president and CEO. On August 5, 2009, the first Friendly's Express opened in Mansfield, Massachusetts, with three in 2010: April 28 at Coolidge Corner in Brookline, July 7 in Wareham, and September 28 in Methuen. On February 10, 2012, Harsha V. Agadi stepped down as chief executive officer. Agadi invested his own money in the company and remains on the board of directors. On April 12, 2012, Friendly's announced that John M. Maguire had been named chief executive officer of the company. On November 25, 2014, it was announced that all 14 of the Friendly's locations in Ohio would be closed. On June 20, 2016, Dean Foods announced the acquisition of Friendly's Ice Cream for $155 million. This did not change the ownership of the restaurants, as Sun Capital Partners continues to run the currently existing locations. In early 2018, Friendly's opened a new "prototype" restaurant at the Apex Center in Marlborough, Massachusetts, to test delivery, catering, online ordering and a revised menu. Friendly's abruptly closed most of their locations in upstate New York on April 7, 2019. Several locations in New England were also among the closures. Co-founder Curtis Blake died on May 24, 2019, at the age of 102. On August 19, 2019, Friendly's closed its North Providence location, its last in Rhode Island. In early October 2019, the last remaining restaurant in Virginia closed. It was located in Chester, Virginia. Co-founder S. Prestley Blake died on February 11, 2021, at the age of 106. Bankruptcy A casualty of a tough economic environment, rising commodity costs, and changing customer tastes, Friendly's announced it had filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and closed 63 stores in October 2011. The company had secured more than $71 million in debtor-in-possession financing to keep it afloat during bankruptcy proceedings. Later that month, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, a federal agency responsible for protecting workers' pension benefits, accused Sun Capital of illegally moving assets to keep control of the company. A few days later both parties were able to reach a settlement. On November 1, 2011, the US Bankruptcy Court gave Friendly's permission to sell the company at an auction on December 22, 2011. On December 21, Friendly Ice Cream Corp cancelled