The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Announces Five New Members On Its Management Team
Additions bring deep expertise and experience working with
recognized and well respected brands
LOS ANGELES - October 25, 2006 - The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf , Los Angeles-based specialty coffee and tea retailer, announced today that it has made five additions to its management team. Steve Heeley joins as vice president of operations, Anthony Wall as controller, Paul Balzer as director of roasting and distribution, Klaus Tabar as director of real estate and Dean Leisman as regional director of Arizona.
"We are excited to have each of these valuable additions to our team. Their individual experience and expertise will continue our success as The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf deepens its presence in existing markets and expands into new ones," said Melvin Elias, chief operating officer and senior vice president.
New vice president of operations Steve Heeley brings 25 years of experience in quick service restaurants to The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf . He previously held the top operations position at the quick-casual Asian restaurant chain Pick Up Stix, and prior to that oversaw a successful rapid national expansion as senior vice president and chief operating officer at industry leader Baja Fresh Mexican Grill. Heeley will be responsible for the operations of all The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf domestic stores. Reporting directly to Elias, he will also be a part of the executive committee that plans and implements the chain's key initiatives and strategies.
Heeley's team will include the new regional director of Arizona Dean Leisman who comes to The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf from Krispy Kreme Doughnut where he was vice president of operations and development for the Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and northern Mexico regions. Using his knowledge of the southwest region, he will oversee the retail store operation and work closely with the general store managers in Arizona.
Controller Anthony Wall will oversee all accounting practices including financial reporting, accounts payable and payroll. Prior to joining The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf , Wall spent four years as controller of Nissan North America. He also previously worked in the finance department at Taco Bell Corporation.
As director of real estate, Klaus Tabar is responsible for all aspects of the company's real estate portfolio including new store strategy development and implementation, site selection and lease negotiation. He brings extensive experience in the real estate business to The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf , most recently working for Pointe Commercial Real Estate in Laguna Hills, California. Prior to that, Tabar spent 13 years at Krause's Furniture/Castro Convertibles, one of the largest retail furniture chains in the United States, with the last 6 years as senior vice president of real estate and construction.
Finally, the company's new director of roasting and distribution Paul Balzer is directly responsible for running the plant operations located in Camarillo, Calif. where the company roasts all its coffees and blends all its teas. Balzer comes to The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® from Pick Up Stix where he was the director of supply chain. In his 25-year tenure in manufacturing and distribution, he served as director of supply chain at quick service franchise company Allied Domicq Quick Service Restaurants where he worked on Baskin-Robbins, Dunkin' Donuts and Togo's.
About The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
Founded in 1963, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is the oldest and largest privately held chain of specialty coffee and tea stores in the United States. With a reputation for excellence, the company is a leader in product innovations, having developed the original Ice Blended®. The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf serves more than 100 million coffee and tea beverages annually worldwide. Providing the highest quality coffees and teas for more than forty years, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf currently has over 450 stores in California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, Brunei, Indonesia, UAE, Israel, Australia, China, Kuwait, Egypt, Qatar, and the Philippines and continues to expand both domestically and internationally. 266 of the stores are company owned; 212 are domestic. For more information, visit www.coffeebean.com.
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