Six people join the leadership and corporate support staff at Tin Drum Asiacafe, which also moves headquarters from Atlanta to Roswell, Georgia. Joe Ippolito, former vice president of operations at Arby’s, is VP of operations. Jen Forbes, formerly with Arby’s, is new director of training. Dawn Agueros is director of human resources. Amy McQuiston is manager of administration. Elisa Gumbel is marketing director. Jon Schinelli is operations support manager.
Brett Willis joins The Meat House as executive vice president of business development, and is charged with creating "new multi-unit area development relationships," the company says.
A new chief marketing officer, Alison Delaney, joins Huddle House, the 24-hour restaurant franchise. She holds a 30-year track record of implementing "needle-moving" marketing campaigns.
Talman Howard is promoted to president of Brightway Insurance from chief marketing officer there. Heather Wesch moves up to assistant vice president for marketing, from director of business development.
Andre David Halston is the new corporate chef at Quaker Steak & Lube. "The Lube has created a cult-like following for nearly four decades, and I am excited to jump in the front seat as we drive the brand into its next culinary chapter," says Halston.
Kathleen Gilmartin, president and CEO of Interim HealthCare, is elected to the International Franchise Association board of directors.
Children’s Lighthouse Learning Centers promotes two. Stephen Dixon is chief development officer and Michael Brown is vice president of finance.
Richard Basch is the new president at Synergy HomeCare, promoted from executive VP and cited by CEO Peter Tourian for his "proven track record of success" with franchise partners and business operations.
A new chief marketing officer, Dan Shube, is promoted at Labor Finders. He was director of marketing, and he is known for "targeted, yet often clever, award-winning marketing and public relations campaigns," the company says.
Oliver Bonke is chief commercial officer for the Americas for InterContinental Hotels Group. Bonke is responsible for leading brand management and sales and marketing.
A new chief operating officer, Steve White, joins PuroClean. He was COO at Allegra Network and president of Signs Now.
Richard Peterson will lead the education team as vice president at Kiddie Academy Domestic Franchising. His main task is to develop and update the system’s proprietary Life Essentials curriculum.
Mariel Miller is the new vice president of franchise performance at Athena North America, parent company of Athena Learning Centers.
New COO calls a temporary timeout at Tin Drum Asiacafe
The first duty for Ray Biondi, the new chief operating officer at Tin Drum Asiacafé, was to stop everything—that is, to stop franchising the young concept, buy back six of its 11 franchised stores, and instead add the systems and people to support the young brand.
Ray Biondi
By the beginning of 2014, he believes they’ll be ready to roll again, fortified by six new hires in addition to his own. (See related item opposite page.) He wants to fine-tune the corporate stores in the Atlanta area, and then bring in multi-unit franchisee prospects for a visit. "We want to be sure everything works," Biondi says.
Biondi goes to work for founder Steven Chan, the Atlanta entrepreneur who sold a minority stake in Tin Drum to Buckhead Investment Partners a year ago, and they decided to put the brakes on growth for now.
"I have a pretty good idea why new concepts and companies fail. So I have to try to eliminate those potholes," Biondi says.
"The reason I came on board is I really like the concept. I felt it was really viable," he adds. "I get excited about new concepts, but I also have seen the weakness" in a lot of them.
He believes the food is "great," at Tin Drum, which offers Asian fast-casual dishes, from Thai to Vietnamese to Japanese to Indian. He also likes the "trendy, upbeat" design and the strong return on investment. "I needed to come on board and bring the support and systems."
Biondi operated an executive coaching and business consulting firm, and before that was senior vice president for Arby’s overseeing 2,500 stores. He was also a partner at RTM, Arby’s largest franchisee, for nearly 10 years.
"I’ve worked for both small companies and large companies, and I’ve been on the franchisee side and the company side," he says. "It’s not that you have all the answers, but the experience helps you going forward."
In the fast-food business, he believes, especially the better-burger business, some concepts have price points that are too high to attract repeat customers. "So when your prices are so high, instead of getting that customer in eight times a month, you get them in once a month. That’s usually a formula that in the front end may be OK but it can catch up with you." He plans to avoid such pitfalls at Tin Drum.
Biondi says he enjoys working with Chan, whom he calls a "down-to-earth, very humble individual. He values what I bring to the table, and I value what he brings to the table," Biondi says.
—Beth Ewen
