Coffee News® Family

Bill was raised on a potato farm in Bridgewater, ME. He and his wife, Sue-Ann, have a son and a daughter. His hobbies and interests include antique cars, golf, tennis, tree farming, and numismatics.

Bill holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing with a minor in finance and an MBA in Business Administration from the University of Maine. Bill graduated from the School of Banking at Williams College, where he was the recipient of the Norman T. Shepard Award as the top graduate of his class.

He also graduated from the Stonier School of Banking at Rutgers University. Bill is a graduate of the National Security Management Course from the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. He completed a 28-year tour at the Maine Air National Guard in Bangor, ME.

Bill is the President of Coffee News® USA, Inc., as well as the owner and President of Manitoba, Inc., the world franchisor for the weekly restaurant publication Coffee News®. He is the majority owner of Coffee News® Printing, LLC. Coffee News®, now recognized as the world’s largest franchise publication and the largest restaurant publication with over 700 franchises in 8 countries and has a weekly worldwide readership of nearly 10 million.

Bill is a member of the International Franchise Association (IFA) and the New England Franchise Association. He is a Strategic Alliance partner with Business Network International (BNI), an international business-to-business networking organization. (BNI.com)

Contact Bill today!

As Senior Vice President of Franchise Development for Coffee News®, John manages the franchise selection and approval process, assists in training and development of franchisees, and reporting of critical data related to franchise growth.

John holds a bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism and minor in Speech Communications from Keene State, certification in Broadcasting from the New England School of Communications and studied music and business at the University of Maine. He has spent several years in the Direct Response industry and has a background in radio and television broadcasting.

John resides in Portland, Maine and is an active musician and aficionado of classic cars.

Contact John today!

Garrett Guernsey is the Chief Financial Officer of Coffee News® and minority owner of Coffee News® Printing, LLC. His company motto is “It is not what you make, it is what you keep.”
Work with Coffee News® began when Garrett was employed by Edwards, Faust & Smith, CPAs, as a staff accountant in 1996. In January 2004, he opened Guernsey Accounting Services and quickly found himself in demand by many of the same clients that he had built strong trusting relationships with. Coffee News® was the first such client that was engaged and, in less than one week, it was very clear that the most important skill that he had honed was building strong business relationships. Clients sought his services because he would not only provide great service but also help educate them and increase their level of understanding of their business.

Garrett is a graduate of the University of Maine, with an Associate Degree in Business Management and is a graduate of Husson University, with a BS Degree in Public Accounting.

Garrett lives in Bangor, ME with his wife Katie and his two daughters, Emma and Abby. He is an avid sports fan. Garrett and Katie are very active in their local Parent-to-Parent group that was developed by parents of children with special needs and the International Rett Syndrome Association.

Garrett can answer questions about Coffee News, Coffee News Printing and business management in general!

Melissa is the go-to girl! She works with new and tenure publishers on a day-to-day basis. She also keeps the Office afloat! She has a strong background in customer relationships and service, as well as management and marketing.

Melissa has a BS in Marketing and a Masters in Business Administration from Thomas College. Melissa worked for a financial institution for 5 years and then found her way to a jewelry company as the E-Commerce Manager for 10 years, prior to coming to Coffee News® in 2015.

Melissa spends most of her time with her son Lucas, two bonus kids, Haley and Dylan, and her newest edition, her grandson, Braxton. Sightseeing and finding hidden treasures in Maine are typical Sundays. When she can, she loves to travel and has been to Spain, Mexico, Aruba, Bahamas, Dominican Republic, and many of the states in the U.S.A.

She found Coffee News by chance! From pearls to paper – who knew!

Melissa loves to chat, shoot her a message anytime!

Leslie Daum followed in her mother’s footsteps by publishing her first Coffee News® edition in Selkirk, MB in May 2004. After going to her first Coffee News® Conference, the excitement of being a Coffee News® publisher took effect immediately. Having nowhere for Jean to see that brown piece of paper when she moved to East Selkirk, she soon enjoyed the Coffee News® in her local restaurants. 15 years later, Leslie now publishes 2 editions in the Interlake Region while working part-time at the Canadian Head Office as Director of Publisher Relations.

Send Leslie any questions you may have!

After selling businesses for almost a decade, Rudy took on the Coffee News Whangarei edition just after the first Covid lockdown in New Zealand. Previously he was involved in the sale of some editions in Auckland as a business broker and always thought that the Coffee News Master Franchise would be a great opportunity if it were ever available to take over.

About 6 months after running an edition a transfer of the rights was negotiated with Helen Fisher and Rudy is now running New Zealand since March 2022.

Rudy has a strong background in door-to-door sales, business sales & business development and he is dedicated to ensuring his franchisees reach the full potential of their publications through hands-on training and find practical solutions to challenges that may come with the territory.