Cousins Maine Lobster Announces Key Leadership Changes to Accelerate Growth

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May 15, 2024, 12:43 ET

Focused on accelerating US growth, Cousins Maine Lobster announces appointment of Shaun Higgins as President, Marion Thomas as SVP, Marketing, and Lindsay Herberger as Director, Franchise Development.

PORTLAND, Maine, May 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Cousins Maine Lobster Co-Founders, Jim Tselikis and Sabin Lomac, announced today a series of leadership changes in support of their continued plans for expansion, anchored by the appointment of Shaun Higgins as President. Over the past fifteen months, CML has opened 22 new units and has more than 20 new unit openings planned for 2024. The brand continues to drive profitable, sustainable growth and has expanded its footprint across 26 states, with more than 65 units in operation. Notorious for their legion of ever roaming black food trucks, they continue to leverage their mobility to evaluate new markets and are actively recruiting new franchisees to fuel growth through the Midwest and beyond.

Cousins Maine Lobster's new key leadership changes include Shaun Higgins as President, Marion Thomas as Senior Vice President of Marketing, and Lindsay Herberger as Director of Franchise Development.

Shaun Higgins, President - Shaun joined Cousins Maine Lobster in 2014 as the Head of Franchise Development, charged with establishing the brands' capabilities to launch the franchise business. For more than ten years Shaun has taken on increasing responsibilities, driving various aspects of new unit development, franchise development, franchise operations, finance, and supply chain. His leadership has been integral to the brand, with his efforts enabling CML to drive the realization of many successful, long-term franchisees who have driven expansion of new units across new markets. Lomac shared, "Shaun has been an integral part of our CML family and leadership team from the signing of our very first franchisee. He has selflessly led the brand through years of sustained growth and demonstrates the passion and tenacity that will lead us through our continued expansion. We are appreciative of his partnership, and we are so excited for him as he takes on this expanded role."

Marion Thomas, Senior Vice President of Marketing - Marion, a seasoned marketing and business executive with over twenty years of experience, joined CML in April 2024. Tasked with spearheading the company's marketing strategy, her focus lies in enhancing the customer experience and amplifying brand messages to fuel growth. With a history of driving transformation in diverse settings, including startups and industry disruptors like Wayfair, ZipCar and VistaPrint, Marion's mission is to drive measurable growth for new and existing units, anchored in customer success. Her leadership aims to capitalize on CML's momentum fueled by its high off-premise customer engagement and multi-faceted digital channels, ensuring a cohesive and impactful marketing approach that drives incremental reach with the brand's expanding customer base.

Lindsay Herberger, Director of Franchise Development - As the brand has solidified growth plans, they've also been working to build further development capability, driving the hiring of Lindsay Herberger as Director, Franchise Development. Lindsay joins Cousins Maine Lobster with more than eight years of franchising acumen from The Wendy's Company. Lindsay's vast restaurant experiences have traversed Operations, Training, Franchising and Development. During her tenure, she played an integral role in driving and enabling net new unit growth through the recruitment of new franchisees in the US and abroad. In her new role, Lindsay will spearhead efforts to launch new franchise recruitment and onboarding programs that will further support CML's vast expansion plans.

The appointment of Shaun Higgins was announced internally in the back half of 2023, following the hiring of CML's Head of Development, Angela Coppler. The executive team, also including CML Chief of Operations, Mike Carmody, and Head of Branding & Digital, Jameson Lyons, have been leading the charge to prepare the organization for an influx of new franchisees and increased new units.

For more information, contact:
Danielle Donovan, 360PR+
[email protected]
603-560-4303

About Cousins Maine Lobster:
Cousins Maine Lobster is a leader in fast casual seafood, partnering with local entrepreneurs to bring the highest quality Maine lobster rolls to neighborhoods everywhere by way of their infamous food trucks, brick & mortar restaurants, and a shore-to-door gourmet online shop that delivers the highest quality live Maine lobsters directly to your home. In 2012, Cousins Maine Lobster was co-founded by cousins Sabin Lomac and Jim Tselikis with the desire to bring their local Maine family traditions to the West Coast masses. They later appeared on Shark Tank where they partnered with real estate mogul and shark, Barbara Corcoran. Since then, Cousins Maine Lobster has franchised to expand their footprint across the U.S. and has become one of the top Shark Tank investments of all time. For more information, visit: www.cousinsmainelobster.com and follow on Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube @cousinsmainlobster and Twitter @cousinsmainlob. For information on new franchising opportunities, visit: www.cousinsmainelobster.com/franchise.

DISCLAIMER: This information is not an offer to sell a franchise. An offer can only be made through the delivery of a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) registered with applicable state authorities.

SOURCE Cousins Maine Lobster