Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii Elevates COO Tom Wylie to President, Opens East Coast Distribution Center and Headquarters

Leadership changes

LEXINGTON, Ky., Sept. 22, 2026 // PRNewswire // -- Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii spent the first half of 2026 building the operational foundation to support its next phase of growth. In addition to maintaining strong sales across its existing stores, Bad Ass Coffee moved its headquarters from Denver, CO, to Lexington, KY, opened a new East Coast distribution center, and expanded to 48 locations on the strength of its existing multi-unit owners. Central to that buildout is Tom Wylie, who joined as Chief Operating Officer earlier in the year and has now been named President.

Wylie is a co-owner of AWA Investments, the multi-unit, multi-brand franchisee group that is the largest investor in Bad Ass Coffee's parent company, Royal Aloha Coffee Company. He brings with him more than 20 years of franchise operations experience, including prior leadership with Papa John's and Burn Boot Camp, and as COO he has overseen real estate, site selection, construction, and new store openings with a focus on strengthening unit-level economics for franchisees.

His move into the President role is part of a broader leadership buildout that also updated Iain Douglas's role to be Chief Strategy and Brand Officer. The brand also added Stacy Nichols as Controller, Arden McLaughlin as Director of Communications and Franchise Engagement, Dave Dodson as Head of Local Store Marketing & Activation, Rachael Buckley as National Brand Manager and Ed Yancey to lead Franchise Development.

"Everything we did in the first half of the year was about giving our owners a stronger business to build on," said Wylie. "As a franchisee myself, I know consistency in the supply chain and discipline in how we grow matter more than any single opening."

Infrastructure growth

Much of the first half of 2026 went into infrastructure. The company relocated its headquarters to Lexington, Kentucky. The move aligns with accommodating a growing footprint and supply chain needs. The move improves supply consistency in a region where Bad Ass Coffee has concentrated development efforts.

The brand is actively working to complete a full revamp of its back-office systems, giving franchisees clearer visibility into their own unit-level economics and better tools to manage store performance. A market strategy review was conducted to emphasize net new growth.

Sales and unit growth

Bad Ass Coffee has grown to 48 total locations with much of that growth coming from existing franchisees adding stores. The brand now has 10 multi-unit owners.

"The clearest signal of where this brand is headed is our existing owners choosing to open their second and third stores," said Wylie. "That kind of reinvestment comes from experienced operators who know the model, and it is the growth we are building the company around.

Looking ahead, Bad Ass Coffee projects 13 new store openings for the full year, bringing its total to 55 locations by the end of 2026. The momentum follows a run of recognition in the first half. The brand was named to the 2026 Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America and drew recognition from AdAge for its Give a Hoof cause campaign, which sold over 60 bags of its limited-edition Viejo's Blend in a single week.

As demand grows for premium, differentiated coffee concepts, Bad Ass Coffee is positioning its owners to capture it with a stronger operational core and an experienced, franchisee-first leadership team. For more information about Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii, details are available through public channels.