Vancouver, Wash.-based Black Rock Coffee Bar announced the appointment of former Coffee & Bagel Brands chief operating officer, Mark Davis, as the emerging coffee concept’s new CEO. Davis will be replacing the brand’s cofounder and CEO Jeff Hernandez, who will continue as executive chairman on the brand.
As CEO, Davis will be charged with taking the Pacific Northwest coffee concept to the next level, by developing brand initiatives and business strategies to establish Black Rock as a coffee segment leader.
"We're beyond excited to welcome Mark to our team, and we believe he will take the success we've already achieved to the next level," Hernandez said in a statement. "I have no doubt that Mark is going to rocket Black Rock from an emerging leader to full-blown nationwide sensation status. He's the true personification of our brand ethos: grit, growth, gratitude and grace; and we can't wait to see how he catapults us to the country's top coffee spot."
Before joining Black Rock, Davis served as chief operating officer of Coffee & Bagel Brands for four years, where he oversaw operations of Einstein Bros., Bruegger's, Noah's and Manhattan Bagels, the former of which is now operated under Panera Brands. Before that, Davis served as CEO of Tokyo Joe’s for four years, during which time the brand more than doubled its national footprint under his leadership.
"Black Rock is a massively popular brand with all the ingredients for success," Davis said in a statement. "There is a tremendous opportunity to further accelerate the company's growth through the development and execution of consistent processes and systems that will shine a spotlight on the organization's key differentiators, increase same-store sales, drive staff retention and establish industry-leading revenue margin based on systemwide alignment and collaboration."
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