Ellis Aligns with the Coffee Franchisor’s Values
Scooter’s Coffee, a coffee franchisor, hired Kim Ellis as chief development officer (CDO). As CDO, Ellis will oversee the entire franchise system to accelerate the franchisor’s expansion across the U.S. She will help franchisees with market feasibility and planning, site selection, real estate, construction, architecture, and more.
“I’m looking forward to accelerating the pace of our strategic development while developing current and future leaders of the company,” she said. “It’s important to build strong relationships with our franchisees because they are the backbone and heart of our business. When our franchisees are thriving in their markets, the entire company flourishes. We will continue to uphold our promise of bringing amazing people, amazing drinks … amazingly fast to markets across the U.S.”
Ellis said she wasn’t looking to join a company – she wanted to join a family that had a strong values-driven culture. “Scooter’s takes our values of integrity, love, humility and courage then uses them as a filter for how we make decisions.” Staying focused on these values and supporting franchisees will contribute to Scooter’s growth, Ellis added.
A Franchise Veteran’s Journey
She has more than 30 years of experience in the retail and restaurant industry. “It’s been an amazing journey to rapidly grow multiple brands through the good times, recessions, pandemics and more. I personally couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”
Her first exposure to franchising was with Blockbuster, and the largest franchise group she worked with was Regis Corp., composed of many hair salon brands. “When I was there, Regis had 47 uniquely different brands servicing the community and trade areas. In many cases, there could easily be multiple brands at one intersection.”
Prior to joining Scooter’s Coffee, Ellis worked to grow various drive-through, restaurant and retail brands including Panda Restaurant Group, Piada Italian Street Food and GameStop.
Franchising and Passion
For entrepreneurs with the franchising bug, Ellis believes it’s important to choose a concept that aligns with their passion. “If you don’t, the business you open will seem like too much work. For example, if I applied to be the chief marketing officer, I’d be able to fulfill the job duties, but it wouldn’t be my passion or in my area of expertise.”