Liberty co-owner McGorry was a boss at Coke in Philadelphia before the company sold the franchise last fall; Mulligan was based in Atlanta and worked for Coca-Cola International. The parent company purchased the regional business from 76ers superstar Julius Erving and his New York partner, Bruce Llewellyn, in 2006. The company has reversed its consolidation with distributors and bottlers in recent years and sought regional franchisors to take over. The New York-Philadelphia region was the last big U.S. Coke franchise to find new owners.