STRATEGIC PARTNERS
Chicken Salad Chick announced that Kevin Brown, who co-founded Chicken Salad Chick with Stacy Melton Brown, passed away Nov. 21 after a 2-year battle with cancer.
November 29, 2015
Chicken Salad Chick announced that Kevin Brown, who co-founded Chicken Salad Chick with Stacy Melton Brown, passed away Nov. 21 after a 2-year battle with cancer.
"Kevin Brown has played such an important role in the growth and history of Chicken Salad Chick," said CEO Scott Deviney. "He displayed strength and courage in the hardest of times and served as an unforgettable example of determination and will power. He will be greatly missed by all."
In 2008, the Chicken Salad Chick concept was a home-based business, which started in the kitchen of Stacy Brown. Kevin Brown was instrumental in turning Stacy's passion into a successful business, according to a company press release. He established, managed and enhanced the restaurant operations, while working tirelessly to create a more efficient kitchen. As Stacy perfected her recipes, Kevin optimized the business and pushed for the brand to become a franchise. Together, they grew from a small take-out restaurant in Alabama to a leading fast-casual restaurant chain that now has 43 restaurants across the Southeast, Deviney said.
While the Chicken Salad Chick family has lost someone who cannot be replaced, Kevin had the vision to lay the groundwork for what's to come by forming a partnership with Eagle Merchant Partners and stepping aside as CEO in May 2015. Despite the loss, Chicken Salad Chick will continue to grow as Kevin envisioned, Deviney said.
Kevin also launched the Chicken Salad Chick Foundation after his diagnosis in September 2014. The foundation provides funding to the American Cancer Society to help eliminate cancer as a major health problem, supports local cancer centers and provides food for hungry people through the support of local food banks and their various programs. Since its inception, the Foundation has raised over $250,000.
A native of Eufaula, Alabama, Kevin Brown was born on April 6, 1975. He attended The Lakeside School in Eufaula before attending the University of Alabama. He spent 15 years in the sales and sales management industry before co-founding Chicken Salad Chick with Stacy. Brown leaves behind a wife and four children.
In lieu of flowers, the Brown family asks that people instead contribute to the Chicken Salad Chick Foundation.
