OMAHA, Neb., March 23, 2026 – Scooter’s Coffee, one of the nation’s largest drive-thru specialty coffee franchise systems, honored several of its top franchisees and their teams at a companywide conference held last week in Omaha, Neb.

from left: Joe Thornton, Scooter’s Coffee CEO; Jeremy Music, Franchise Owner, High Porch Coffee, LLC; Rob Bowers, Director of Operations, High Porch Coffee, LLC; Stephanie Edgington-Pace, District Manager, High Porch Coffee, LLC; Kris Pickens, Franchise Owner, High Porch Coffee, LLC; Kristina Hutson, District Manager, High Porch Coffee, LLC; Laurie Martinez, District Manager, High Porch Coffee, LLC; Don Eckles, Scooter’s Coffee Co-Founder

Multi-Unit Franchisee of the Year
High Porch Coffee, LLC, owned and operated by Jeremy Music and Kris Pickens, was awarded Multi-Unit Franchisee of the Year, the top honor awarded to Scooter’s Coffee franchisees who own and operate six or more locations. High Porch Coffee is the third largest franchisee in the Scooter’s Coffee network, owning and operating 25 locations, the majority of which are in Eastern Iowa in addition to other locations in Missouri and Illinois.

Music and Pickens received the recognition thanks to their unwavering belief in the brand, excellence in execution and customer service, connection to the communities they serve, and a leadership mindset grounded in accountability. On average, their 25 stores saw double-digit sales increases with drive-thru speed times that consistently outperform company benchmarks.

Other franchisees have turned to High Porch Coffee for coaching and guidance to follow their example and reach the same level of excellence. Each store manager on their team is certified by the Scooter’s Coffee Support Center to train new store managers. When other franchisees are struggling to scale their operations, they’ve turned to High Porch for advice and hands-on operational assistance.

from left: Joe Thornton, Scooter’s Coffee CEO; Michael Martinez, Kerrville, TX Store Manager; Andrew Davis, Kerrville, TX Franchise Owner; Shaughnessy Davis, Kerrville, TX Franchise Owner; Don Eckles, Scooter’s Coffee Co-Founder

Small Unit Franchisee of the Year & Store Manager of the Year
Shaughnessy and Andrew Davis, the local owners of Scooter’s Coffee in Kerrville, Texas were recognized as the Small Unit Franchisee of the Year, the highest honor awarded to Scooter’s Coffee franchise owners with five or less stores. Store Manager Michael Martinez was honored as the Store Manager of the Year, marking a rare moment where two significant recognitions were given to the same store.

Under their leadership, the Kerrville Scooter’s Coffee location has been among the top performing locations in the entire state of Texas for two years running, and consistently scores highly in key business, operational, and customer service metrics. They also provide training for new store managers at other Scooter’s Coffee locations.

Most importantly, the Davis’s and Martinez have a heart for their community. After devastating floods that took more than 100 lives in 2025, Martinez was out in the community only hours after the crisis began to hand out bottled water, food, and other items on behalf of the store. Through these types of donations, this Scooter’s Coffee franchise provided aid to the community for more than two weeks straight.

from left: Joe Thornton, Scooter’s Coffee CEO; Hope Jones, Franchise Owner, Becklane Java; Jeffrey Becker, Franchise Owner, Becklane Java; Don Eckles, Scooter’s Coffee Co-Founder

Franchisee Rookie of the Year
Becklane Java LLC, co-owned by Hope Jones, Jeffrey Becker, BethAnne Lane, and Sean Lane, was honored as Franchisee Rookie of the Year following their first two store openings in 2025. This is the highest honor awarded to Scooter’s Coffee franchisees for success in their first year of business after opening a store. Both of their Scooter’s Coffee locations have brought firsts for Scooter’s Coffee: The first location in the Rockford, Ill. area and the first Scooter’s Coffee location to operate inside of a grocery store.

Their first location opened in Rockford, Ill. in May 2025 and was an immediate hit with the community. The Rockford store exceeded the companywide annual average unit volume (AUV) in less than nine months and continues to excel at customer service and satisfaction.

Their second location is the only Scooter’s Coffee in the country where guests can grab their groceries along with their Caramelicious®. This unique location opened in Nov. 2025 located inside a Meijer grocery store in Machesney Park, Ill. In its first four months of operation, this store-within-a-store location is setting the benchmark for similar locations without a drive-thru lane that may open in the future.

from left: Joe Thornton, Scooter’s Coffee CEO; Tim Finley, District Manager, Higdon Coffee, LLC; Don Eckles, Scooter’s Coffee Co-Founder

District Manager of the Year
Tim Finley was recognized as District Manager of the Year. Finley is district manager for Higdon Coffee, LLC, which owns and operates five Scooter’s Coffee locations in the broader Huntsville area. Finley was nominated for his continued operational excellence, driving significant year-over-year sales increases, and engaging with the community through monthly Days of Giving and by building relationships with the communities they serve.

“Tim is the kind of leader that every owner hopes for. He treats the business like it’s his own, develops great people, and drives operational excellence,” said Michael Higdon, franchise owner.

Higdon first opened a Scooter’s Coffee location in Boaz, Ala. in mid-2022, and has since expanded to open additional locations in Guntersville, Arab, Attalla, and Albertville. He credits Finley’s leadership and management of day-to-day operations as critical to continued expansion across the Huntsville area. Other nearby franchisees often look to Finley for guidance and advice to drive success in their own locations outside of the Huntsville area.

These recognitions were part of an awards ceremony held at the 2026 Scooter’s Coffee Conference in Omaha, Neb. The conference brought approximately 1,500 franchise owners, store managers, store leaders, corporate staff, vendors and other attendees together to celebrate the company’s successful 2025 and align on delivering an amazing experience for our guests. The Scooter’s Coffee network now includes more than 900 stores across 32 states nationwide.