Bakery-cafe chain Paris Baguette, with 83 locations in the U.S. and 4,000+ internationally, announced the appointment of Mark Mele as chief development officer on Thursday. Before joining the South Korea-based brand, Mele previously developed fitness centers and yogurt shops for Lightbridge Franchise Co.’s Retro Fitness and Let’s YO brands and has 30 years of experience in the field.
As chief development officer, Mele will oversee Paris Baguette’s growth development and design, as well as the company’s real estate and construction functions.
Before his career with Lightbridge Franchise Co., Mele was vice president of franchising for the Bensalem, Penn.-based Rita’s Italian Ice parent company, Rita’s Franchise Co., where he developed new franchise training, awards and operations systems for the company. He also led franchising efforts for Huntington Learning Centers and Kumon Math and Reading Centers.
“Mark is an accomplished franchise growth leader whose experience working across diverse franchise systems will be invaluable as we expand the Paris Baguette brand throughout the U.S. and map our future growth,” Darren Tipton, CEO of Paris Baguette America said in a statement.
Mele joins Tipton, who was appointed as CEO of Paris Baguette America in January.
The chain was founded in South Korea and is owned by Paris Croissant, a division of SPC Group based in Seoul, South Korea. The Paris Baguette America division is headquartered in Moonachie, N.J.
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