Michael Coles
Michael Coles believes that in life and in business, "there is no exhaling," because you must constantly challenge your beliefs and yourself. The goal, he says, is to discover your ultimate challenge and be ready to meet it with courage and tenacity. This is more than Coles' philosophy; it has been his path to becoming an accomplished business leader, socially responsible philanthropist, children's education advocate, and dedicated family man.
Coles' journey began in 1977, when he and a partner each invested $4,000 to start the company that would become The Great American Cookie Company. While forging the cookie company's initial success, Coles was in a near-fatal motorcycle accident that he says changed his life. Told by doctors that he would never walk normally again, Coles designed his own rehabilitation regimen.
By 1984 he held two World Records in Transcontinental Bicycling, and had revamped the cookie company along the way — building it to national success and becoming the largest franchised cookie company in the industry. When Coles sold The Great American Cookie Company in 1998, the company had hundreds of stores nationwide and sales of more than $100 million annually.
In 2003, Coles was named CEO of Caribou Coffee Company, a 14-year-old company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Caribou Coffee is the second largest company-owned, gourmet coffeehouse operator in the United States, with 432 coffeehouses in 17 states and the District of Columbia. Coles has extended the Caribou Coffee experience to more than simply selling coffee. He sees the company's coffeehouses as a warm, comforting social environment and community meeting place.
Coles and his wife, Donna, support a wide range of community initiatives including children's education and literacy, women's issues, diversity, and protecting the environment.
This year, Coles and Donna co-authored a book called The Land of Caring Bou, which exemplifies the core values of Caribou Coffee. Coles could have written a typical how-to book to help people succeed in business. Instead, Coles has written a heartwarming tale for children, embedded with the character skills of self-reliance, leadership, and acceptance of individual talents. All net proceeds from the book will be donated to two non-profit children's organizations: United Way ‘s Success by Six, a national school-readiness program, and CLUES, an organization committed to providing Minnesota's Hispanic community with support services.
Coles has received numerous honors for his community work, including the National Women's Political Caucus' Good Guy of the Year Award; the Beta Gamma Sigma Medallion for Entrepreneurship, awarded to individuals who combine innovative business achievement with service to humanity; the 1995 Georgia Philanthropists of the Year (awarded to Coles and his wife, Donna, by the Georgia chapter of the National Society of Fund Raising Executives).
In recognition of Michael's success, leadership and benevolence, Kennesaw State University, under the authority granted by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, has declared that the institution's School of Business be named and known in perpetuity as the Michael J. Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University.
Coles has been actively involved in many organizations that protect the environment, including Upper Chattahoochee River Keepers, Living Brightwater Trust and Greater Yellowstone Coalition. Caribou Coffee is further dedicated to supporting agriculturally and socially responsible programs in coffee-producing countries, helping to build schools, clinics, reforestation projects, and more.
Coles is a regent for the 6th congressional district, appointed to the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia in 2001. He is a member of the executive committee and past chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Kennesaw State University Foundation; was chairman of the Democratic Party of Georgia, a former United States Senate candidate, and participates on the boards of numerous non-profit organizations.
