Community Coffee Company, the largest family-owned retail coffee brand in America announced today that K. Randall “Randy” Russ, the company’s Vice President of Operations, has been elected President and Chief Executive Officer. Russ succeeds H. Norman Saurage III, who will remain as Chairman of the Board.
During his seven-year tenure with Community Coffee, Russ, 43, has seen the company grow from just over 200 employees to its current staff of over 1,000.
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“I’m very humbled and honored to be chosen to serve our customers and employees in this new role,” Russ said. “Community Coffee is a legendary company that has maintained a reputation for consistency in quality and customer service unmatched in our industry and we will continue that tradition.”
Russ has served the company in a variety of roles including Director of Human Resources, Director of Operations and most recently, Vice President of Operations. Prior to joining Community Coffee, Russ was a senior consultant with SSA Consultants, practicing in the areas of strategic planning and leadership development.
In the late 1980s, he was assistant professor of marketing at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
“One of the reasons we selected Randy was because of his diverse career background combined with an incredible depth of knowledge about the coffee industry, our company and its culture,” said Saurage. “He is someone who has the respect and trust of our employees as well as those in the industry.”
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By GlobalDataRuss has communicated that his vision for Community Coffee is to be the best coffee company in America. In support of this vision, his immediate focus will be on:
- Expanding distribution and marketing of the CC’s Coffee House brand in retail grocery stores via the company’s patented, vacuum-sealed whole bean gourmet coffee dispenser.
- Developing new products that meet the changing needs and lifestyles of consumers.
- Expanding trade relationships that benefit and enrich the lives of coffee farmers, building on an initiative that Russ started with the community of Toledo-LaBateca, Colombia.
- Continuing the successful development of CC’s Coffee House locations.
- Maintaining a strong and growing Community Coffee Company.
- Continuing the company’s long-standing commitment to the communities it serves, through programs like Community® Cash For Schools.
- Enhancing employee development to prepare people for growth opportunities within the company.
- Sharing the quality, tradition and consistency of the company’s trademark “red bag,” Community® coffee branded products with a growing family of consumers.
Russ will also oversee the company’s move to a new home office next to their sales and distribution center in Baton Rouge in August.
Community Coffee Company L.L.C., is the largest family-owned retail coffee brand in America, founded in Baton Rouge, LA. by Henry Norman “Cap” Saurage in 1919. Community Coffee Company also owns and operates 37 CC’s Coffee House locations in Louisiana and Texas. CC’s Coffee House opened its first location in New Orleans in 1995 and is the premier coffeehouse of the south serving gourmet coffees, specialty drinks and delectable pastries.
