ATLANTA, Nov. 6, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Church's Chicken(tm), a division of AFC Enterprises, Inc. (Ticker: AFCE), today announced that Melinda Ennis-Roughton has been named Chief Marketing Officer.
Ms. Ennis-Roughton has more than 20 years of experience in strategic marketing, advertising and promotion with an emphasis in the QSR industry, including McDonald's, Arby's, Mrs. Winner's Chicken and Biscuits, and Popeyes(r) Chicken & Biscuits. Most recently, Ms. Ennis-Roughton had her own marketing consulting business, MelWorks Inc., with leading clients such as Emory Healthcare, the largest university-based healthcare system in the southeast. She replaces Ann Stone who left the company earlier this year.
In her new role, Ms. Ennis-Roughton will be responsible for all facets of Church's domestic and international marketing development, including advertising, new product development, sales promotion and public relations.
"Melinda has the wealth of expertise that Church's needs as we revitalize our marketing efforts across the board. She is a welcome addition to our dynamic new management team," said Church's Chicken president, Hala Moddelmog.
Prior to establishing her own firm, Ms. Ennis-Roughton served as the senior vice president, account services of Atlanta's Fletcher Martin Ewing. She held a similar position at Fitzgerald and Company, which is a part of the McCann Erikson/Interpublic Group. She ran the quick service restaurant accounts for each agency as well as Promina Healthcare while at Fitzgerald. Prior to her advertising agency work, she held positions of increasing responsibility with Arby's national restaurant chain, culminating with her appointment as senior vice president, promotion and product marketing. At Arby's, Ms. Ennis-Roughton had responsibility for development of all products and promotions for the 3,000 restaurant chain, established and ran an in-house sales promotion agency, and oversaw the Arby's Foundation benefiting the Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America.
Ms. Ennis-Roughton currently serves on the campaign committee for The Genesis Shelter, a homeless shelter for newborns and their mothers, and as a volunteer at the Central Presbyterian Homeless Men's Shelter. She is also a member of several political and civic organizations. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Memphis with honors in Journalism and Speech.
About Church's Chicken
Church's Chicken, one of the world's largest quick-service chicken restaurant concepts, focuses on high quality food served at a value price. Menu specialties include Southern-style chicken and side items such as corn on the cob, fried okra, mashed potatoes and gravy, and signature Honey-Butter Biscuits. Church's Chicken has more than 1,500 locations worldwide, driving system-wide sales of approximately $900 million in 2001. Visit Church's Chicken on the World Wide Web at www.churchs.com.
About AFC Enterprises
AFC Enterprises, Inc. is the franchisor and operator of 4,033 restaurants, bakeries and cafes as of October 5, 2003, in the United States, Puerto Rico and 35 foreign countries under the brand names Popeyes(r) Chicken & Biscuits, Church's Chicken(tm), Cinnabon(r) and the franchisor of Seattle's Best Coffee(r) in Hawaii, on military bases and internationally. AFC's primary objective is to be the world's Franchisor of Choice(r) by offering investment opportunities in highly recognizable brands and exceptional franchisee support systems and services. AFC Enterprises had system-wide sales of approximately $2.7 billion in 2002 and can be found on the World Wide Web at www.afce.com.