BIGGBY® COFFEE Chief Development Officer, Lisa Oak, Named Top Influential Women in Franchising
Posted on March 24, 2022
BIGGBY® COFFEE's Lisa Oak was named in Franchise 500's Top Influential Women in Franchising.
Lisa told Franchise 500 about how she got into advertising. "It was actually quite accidental, but here's the story: between my second and third year of law school, I took a summer job in real estate. Little did I know at the time the role was to negotiate leases for the growing Subway sandwiches brand, because I had not yet heard of the Subway franchise. Then and there I learned how much I loved helping people create their versions of the "American Dream". That summer job evolved while I finished law school and was admitted to the Connecticut Bar Association. As the brand grew, so did my role and responsibilities, first in franchise development and later in acquisitions. During my tenure, we grew from 700 to over 44,000 sandwich shops in over 100 countries. By the time I left Subway (2015), franchising was in my blood. Therefore, when Bob Fish and Mike McFall (co-founders of BIGGBY COFFEE) offered me a position on their leadership team three years ago, I was excited for the opportunity to help grow their brand and achieve their audacious goal of improving workplace culture in America." Read more here.
About BIGGBY® COFFEE
BIGGBY® COFFEE, based in East Lansing, Michigan, was started with a single store on March 15, 1995. One year later, and on the cusp of opening a second location, Bob Fish and Michael McFall, on a handshake and $4,000, decided to franchise the concept. BIGGBY® COFFEE’s cultural values of Make Friends, Have Fun, B Yourself and Share Great Coffee help coffee lovers and the coffee-curious alike benefit from a less pretentious and fun approach to the standard gourmet cafe paradigm. Besides connoisseur-worthy drinks with names like Teddy Bear® and Caramel Marvel®, BIGGBY® baristas provide a unique experience focused on brightening their customers’ day and supporting them in building a life they love. The “Big ‘B’” on the orange background caught on, and today BIGGBY® COFFEE has more than 280 cafes across many states including Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Kentucky and Florida. In 2018 BIGGBY® launched an Area Representative Program and currently has 17 Area Representatives in 8 states.