ATHENS, Ga., Oct. 27, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Jittery Joe's Franchising, LLC, a leading coffee roaster and cafe chain, announced today that Kim Collins, a veteran of the food service operations and franchising industry, has joined the company as Vice President of Operations.
Ms. Collins' 16 years in the restaurant and food service industry includes numerous management positions with Baja Fresh Mexican Grill, providing leadership at both the store and corporate levels during its franchise expansion and eventual purchase by Wendy's International.
Bob Googe, chief executive officer of Jittery Joe's, said, "We are excited to add to our growing company someone with Kim's background, knowledge and skills. She knows restaurant operations on both sides of the counter and will immediately add value to our growth plans."
As Vice President of Operations, Ms. Collins will be responsible for development and implementation of tiered in-store employee training, development of a complete franchise resource library, development of systems for quality control assurance and franchise compliance.
Her extensive experience includes creating and driving numerous training initiatives. While at Baja Fresh, she oversaw aspects of the employee and management training programs, including orientations, field seminars, and classroom sessions.
She also designed menu nutritional disclosure information for customers, as well as budgetary and performance analysis. In addition, her expertise extended into the information technology area, launching a company-wide intranet, managing restaurant point-of-sale (POS) systems, creating computer-based tutorials and training resources, and developing electronic manuals and document archives.
"It has been an incredible experience watching Jittery Joe's successful brand expand and reach thousands of new customers," said Ms. Collins. "I am looking forward to continuing that positive growth and increasing exposure to Jittery Joe's line of coffee products."
Ms. Collins, who resides in Atlanta, holds a Master of Arts in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix and a Bachelor of Arts from San Diego State University.
Founded in Athens, Ga. in 1994, Jittery Joe's micro roasts some of the world's finest coffee, expertly brewed and enjoyed in 10 cafe locations in Georgia and South Carolina, as well as Whole Foods Market stores in Greater Atlanta. The company also is nationally recognized for its professional cycling team -- "The Bean Team" -- which has enjoyed success since its inception in 2000.
For more information on Jittery Joe's and their superior coffee products, contact the company at 877.GET.JOES or on the web at www.jitteryjoes.com