Marilyn Monroe™ Spas Appoints Former Walmart Executive, Past President of Disney Vacation Club as Chief Executive Officer
ORLANDO, Fla. (PRWEB) September 14, 2015 -- Marilyn Monroe™ Spas Board Chairman Al Weiss announced today that James M. (Jim) Lewis has been named Chief Executive Officer of the national, Florida-based company.
Lewis’ impressive background includes high-ranking positions at multiple global brands, including Walmart, The Walt Disney Company and PepsiCo. Lewis replaces Niki T. Kearn (formerly Niki Bryan), the company’s founder and previous CEO, who will remain on Marilyn Monroe™ Spas’ Board of Directors and will work closely with Lewis to ensure a smooth transition.
Launched in late 2012, Marilyn Monroe™ Spas currently has ten locations across the U.S., serving more than 70,000 customers among its three unique concepts: Marilyn Monroe™ Glamour Rooms, Marilyn Monroe™ Nail Lounges and Marilyn Monroe™ Spas. The company is registered to sell franchises in all 50 states and recently received a $20 million investment in its latest round of capital infusion.
Both Kearn and Weiss are confident that Lewis is the right executive to lead the company as it expands into franchising domestically and internationally and launches a national beauty school business to provide superior education to those aspiring to have successful careers in the beauty industry.
“Being fortunate enough to work with Jim at Disney for 15 years and knowing first-hand how effective he is as a business leader, I couldn’t be more proud to have him leading our team and paving the way for success,” Weiss said.
Lewis most recently served as the Regional Vice President and General Manager of Walmart Corporation, where he led Walmart’s Central Florida operations and was responsible for 100 stores, more than 35,000 associates and $9 billion in revenue for one of the fastest growing regions of the company. Before his venture at Walmart, Lewis spent 15 years with The Walt Disney Company.
At Disney, Lewis fast tracked through positions in finance, business development, public affairs and operations. Serving as President of Disney Vacation Clubs (DVC), Disney’s vacation ownership business, for eight years, Lewis helped to expand 11 themed DVC resorts and managed more than 475,000 individual members from more than 100 countries. The revenue and operating income of the business more than doubled during Lewis’ tenure as President of DVC. As one of the fastest growing and most profitable operating businesses within the Disney Parks and Resorts segment, DVC was No. 1 in owner satisfaction, volume growth and profitability in the vacation ownership industry.
Lewis’ Disney career, which began in 1996, also featured roles as Director of Planning and Financing for Walt Disney Attractions, Vice President of Finance, Vice President of Business Development and Senior Vice President of Business Development and Public Affairs. Prior to joining The Walt Disney Company, Lewis spent eight years at PepsiCo, progressing through a variety of executive level positions, including Controller, Director of Investor Relations and Vice President and General Manager of Frito-Lay.
“I have been fortunate to work for three outstanding, global brands in my career,” said Lewis. “Over the years, I have worked with, and for, some extremely talented people, including Al Weiss. When Al approached me about the opportunity to be the CEO of this growing company, I was interested in being part of creating a global brand from the ground up. I’m honored and excited to make the transition from working in large corporations to leading this dynamic entrepreneurial start up.”
Marilyn Monroe™ Spas also welcomes two leaders from JCR Holdings, the group that recently invested $20 million in the company, to the board, Fabricio Bossle and Joao Guilherme. Bossle and Guiherme, along with Weiss, Kearn and Lewis make up the newly formed Board of Directors team.
About Marilyn Monroe™ Spas
Marilyn Monroe™ Spas is a national company that transforms traditional spa and salon concepts under the iconic Marilyn Monroe brand. The brand provides superior standards of service, cleanliness, organic and vegan products, customer environment and value to its ever-growing clientele. Marilyn Monroe™ Spas consistently fulfills its clients’ desire to get polished and stay polished in fun, social and glamorous environments. There are currently ten Marilyn Monroe™ Spas locations open throughout Florida, New York, California and Hawaii. For more information, please visit MarilynMonroeSpas.com.
Multiple franchise opportunities are available for single-units as well as multi-units, area developer domestically and master franchise internationally. Interested franchisees can contact Bob DelVecchio at 407.340.3663 or bob.delvecchio(at)marilynmonroespas(dot)com for more information.
About Authentic Brands Group
Authentic Brands Group, is a brand development, licensing, and entertainment company. In conjunction with Leonard Green & Partners, ABG’s mandate to acquire, manage, and build long-term value in consumer, celebrity, and media brands. Headquartered in New York City, ABG's mission is to further enhance brand equity through partnering with best-in-class licensees and retail partnerships. ABG’s global portfolio of world-renowned brands includes Marilyn Monroe®, Mini Marilyn®, Muhammad Ali®, Michael Jackson®, Elvis Presley®, Juicy Couture®, Jones New York®, Judith Leiber®, Adrienne Vittadini®, Frederick’s of Hollywood®, Taryn Rose®, Hickey Freeman®, Hart Schaffner Marx®, Palm Beach®, Misook®, Prince®, Spyder®, Airwalk®, Tretorn®, Above The Rim®, Vision Street Wear®, Hind®, Ektelon®, Viking®, Bobby Jones®, Tapout®, and Sportcraft®. http://www.abg-nyc.com
Melissa DiGianfilippo, Serendipit Consulting, http://www.serendipitconsulting.com, +1 480-250-4315, [email protected]
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