EAST LANSING, Mich., Aug. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Todd Miles was BIGGBY COFFEE personified—with a love of laughter and an easy approach to strangers, Todd quickly befriended everyone he met from across the barista counter at his BIGGBY COFFEE store. When Miles passed away unexpectedly several years ago, Michigan's favorite coffee retailer developed an award in his name to be given to the franchisee who most exemplifies his spirit and in turn, the "B Happy" brand.

BIGGBY COFFEE will honor this year's Todd Miles Award recipient as well as other outstanding performers, during this year's Annual Franchise Meeting, hosted at the Marriot Hotel in East Lansing, from Wednesday, August 25 – Thursday, August 26.  

The following six BIGGBY COFFEE baristas have been selected as Best Barista Award recipients, and are in the running for this year's Todd Miles Award:

• Alana Cole – Detroit, Mich.
• Kelsey Ames – Mt. Pleasant, Mich.
• Kelsey Mutter – Kalamazoo, Mich.
• Krista Rodgers – Lansing, Mich.
• Luis Jimenez-Castro – Grand Rapids, Mich.
• Nicole Heiserman – Toledo, Ohio

The 2010 Annual Meeting marks BIGGBY COFFEE's 15th year in business and will be its largest annual event to date. More than 200 franchise owners, barista staff and business vendors will be on hand for a series of workshops, keynote presentations and award presentations.  

In addition to the Todd Miles and Best Barista awards, the Big 'B' Cup Award recipient—given to the franchise operator that optimally blends energy, ambiance, customer engagement and customer satisfaction into his/her store—will be recognized.

Michigan State University women's basketball head coach, Suzy Merchant, will provide a keynote address the evening of August 25, and best-selling author Tony Rubleski will present on the following morning.

"This annual meeting is a big deal for us," said Bob Fish, founder and CEO of BIGGBY COFFEE.  "Of course, it's an opportunity to gather our franchise family together to share ideas, learn from each other…but maybe most important is the opportunity to just take a minute to celebrate all the great things we're doing together in our 15th year."

BIGGBY COFFEE's Annual Franchise Meeting is closed to the general public.  However, Fish and the rest of the "B Happy" team has invited everyone to The Post Bar in East Lansing at 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 25 for a toast to celebrate Michigan-made success.

About BIGGBY COFFEE®

East Lansing, Mich.-based BIGGBY COFFEE opened a single store in March of 1995 based on the founding principle that coffee-lovers and the coffee-curious alike would benefit from a less pretentious approach to the standard gourmet cafe paradigm. BIGGBY COFFEE introduced connoisseur-worthy drinks with pronounceable names like Teddy Bear and Caramel Marvel, and barista staff surprised guests with simple gestures like free kazoos and bouncy balls for no other reason than to brighten their day.  The "Big Orange 'B'" caught on, and today BIGGBY COFFEE has 109 cafes across six states including Alabama, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, South Carolina and Wisconsin.  For more information, visit www.biggby.com.

SOURCE BIGGBY COFFEE