Following an injection of capital investment funds, Southern California’s specialty coffee and tea retailer taps Bill Robards to oversee store development and expansion and appoints Cori Connell to VP of Legal Services
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, the oldest and largest privately‐held specialty premium coffee and tea retailer in the United States, announces Bill Robards has joined the company as Vice President of Store Development. In this role, Robards will be responsible for delivering upon the brand’s extensive growth and expansion plans for The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf locations in the U.S.
“It’s an exciting time at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and I’m thrilled to start a new chapter with this impressive brand and look forward to contributing to its aggressive growth and success,” says Robards.
Robards brings 30 years of strategic leadership in real estate, construction, and asset and facilities management. Prior to The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Robards held the positions of Senior Vice President of Development for JP Morgan Chase & Co. and previously worked with Starbucks as Divisional Vice President of Assets/Facilities and Divisional Vice President for the Western Division which grew over 1,200 new stores. He also spent several years with McDonalds Corporation in the real estate division.
In addition, The Coffee Bean has appointed Cori Connell to Vice President of Legal Services and General Counsel. Connell joined the company in 2005 and most recently held the position of General Counsel and Senior Director of Intellectual Property. In October 2013, Connell was awarded a Corporate Counsel ‘Rising Star Award’ from the Los Angeles Business Journal, recognizing her as one of the youngest and brightest ‘attorneys on the rise’.
“We have entered into a new age of expansion and development at The Coffee Bean. I am so pleased to welcome Bill and Cori to our senior leadership team. They both bring impressive talent and expertise and epitomize the people-focused culture so important to our company. With them at the table, we are even better poised to achieve our goals for this year and embrace all the possibilities that lie ahead,” says President and CEO, John Dawson.
In September 2013, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf announced that Advent International, CDIB Capital, and Mirae Asset Private Equity joined together to acquire a significant equity position in the company. John Dawson was appointed CEO and President of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf as of January 1, 2014. His background includes leadership positions at Dunkin’ Brands—where he held various positions over the past eight years, most recently serving as the global development officer of Dunkin’ Donuts—as well as vice president of worldwide restaurant development at McDonald’s Corporation.
About The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
Born and brewed in Southern California since 1963, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is the oldest and largest privately-held specialty coffee and tea retailer in the United States. Embodying a passion for connecting loyal customers to one another with carefully handcrafted products, the company is known for sourcing and providing the finest ingredients and flavors from around the world. For 50 years, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf has demonstrated a passion for product innovation epitomized by The Original Ice Blended beverage. The company has grown to be an international icon and currently has more than 900 stores in nearly 30 countries. Please visit CoffeeBean.com for more information.
