Realigns Leadership Structure, Recruits Senior Marketing, Human Resources Execs to Support Growth
Fast-growing Twin Peaks has restructured its senior leadership team and recruited two new executives as it focuses on streamlining communications, enhancing restaurant support and evolving its brand. The owner and franchiser of Twin Peaks sports lodges has assigned dedicated leadership for company and franchised operations, and hired experienced leaders to oversee marketing and human resources. All four positions report to Twin Peaks CEO Starlette Johnson, who joined the company last year.
As part of the realignment, the company now has Directors of Operations focused exclusively on company-owned restaurants and Franchise Business Consultants focused solely on franchise restaurant support and oversight. Executive changes include:
- Twin Peaks co-founder Scott Gordon has been named President, Franchise Operations, overseeing operations support for existing franchised restaurants as well as franchise development.
- Jim Saunders has been named Vice President, Company Operations.
- Beth Collins has joined the company as Chief Marketing Officer.
- Stephen Martin has joined the company as Vice President, Human Resources.
“I’m personally excited to have such a great team in place to lead Twin Peaks to the next level,” said CEO Starlette Johnson. “These changes allow us to raise the levels of support and accountability throughout our organization as we all focus on evolving and growing our brand.”
Before teaming with restaurateur Randy DeWitt to open the first Twin Peaks in 2005, Gordon served as President of Tia’s Tex Mex, and before then as Chief Operating Officer of the La Madeleine French Bakery & Café company. A finance graduate from the University of Texas El Paso, Gordon has previously served as Twin Peak’s CFO in addition to partnering with DeWitt on other high-volume restaurants in the greater Dallas area. Earlier in his career he served for several years as VP of Operations for the Don Pablo’s chain.
Saunders joined Twin Peaks in 2014 after spending four years in senior operations posts at On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina, where he was responsible for 63 company restaurants generating $162 million in sales. He previously spent two years at Northstar Restaurants where he oversaw 10 Jose Peppers and one Cactus Grill restaurant. Having earned a reputation as an excellent trainer and developer of management talent, Saunders rose from manager to Regional Director of Operations during a decade at Brinker International. A graduate of Truman State University, he began his career as a manager at TGI Friday’s.
Collins, who will oversee all marketing and brand development activities including consumer research, advertising, digital media and PR, had been working for the company as a consultant for the past few months. She previously served as Vice President of Marketing for the parent company of Lone Star Steakhouse and Texas Land & Cattle Co. During her tenure there she helped refresh both brands to broaden their appeal to younger demographics. Prior to that Collins was director of brand management for Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers. The Texas Tech University graduate began her career working inside advertising agencies including UPROAR!, TracyLocke and Brann Forbes.
Martin joins the company from Houston-based telecom company Prime Communications, L.P., a 436-unit retailer with 1,900 employees across 17 states. During his tenure as VP of Human Resources he helped the company revitalize all people practices and implement a leadership structure to facilitate rapid growth. Martin previously led human resources for a large Home Depot region, and prior to that, held several positions of increasing responsibility at Taco Bell and Yum Brands. A University of Georgia graduate and former U.S. Army Officer, Martin began his restaurant career as a Taco Bell restaurant manager.
Founded in 2005 in the Dallas suburb of Lewisville by restaurant veterans Randy DeWitt and Scott Gordon, Twin Peaks is the ultimate sports viewing lodge featuring made-from-scratch food, the coldest beer in the business, friendly servers and the latest in high-definition TVs. Twin Peaks was recently named “America’s Fastest Growing Restaurant Chain” by Bloomberg Businessweek. The national chain currently has 72 locations throughout 24 states. For more information, visit www.twinpeaksrestaurant.com.
