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Meet The Team

The Brains Behind Our Spa Franchise

Hand & Stone opened its first spa in 2004 and started franchising in 2006 and in 2010 in Canada. Since then, we have grown to over 500 locations throughout Canada and the United States. All of this success wouldn’t be possible without our dedicated and passionate management team and staff, which have over 250 years of combined franchising experience. Our spa and skin care franchise has won awards and become the leader in our industry. Get to know a bit about our executive team, what drives them, and their favourite part of the franchise process, and then take the first step toward being a proud Hand & Stone owner.

Our Executive Team

  • Headshot of John Teza

    John Teza

    Chief Executive Officer

    John Teza, CFE joined Hand & Stone as President and Chief Development Officer in 2020 and most recently promoted to CEO. John is an experienced franchising executive and has served in various C-level roles with several national brands across his twenty-year plus career. John has been a Hand & Stone member for ten years and recognizes the role the brand plays in his health and wellness routine. John looks forward to leading the next wave of Hand and Stone’s growth and to helping scale the benefits of the brand through robust franchise development. John’s passion for franchising stems from the belief that the franchise model is the single biggest and most accessible wealth creation vehicle in the US economy.

    Favourite Franchisee Phase: “To me, there is nothing better than the day a new spa opens. The opening represents the combined realization of a franchise owner’s bold action and faith in themselves, the consumer’s trust that the brand’s promise will be fulfilled anew, and the company’s ability to guide an owner through a well-designed and efficient opening process.”

    Favourite Spa Service: Deep Tissue Massage with CBD Oil

  • Headshot of Anita Wells

    Anita Wells

    SVP, Division GM – Canada

    Anita has two decades of franchising experience. Since 2008, she has been the head of marketing for all of Canada until February 2021 when she became the SVP, Division GM. Anita is responsible for the Canadian operations and overseeing the national strategic marketing direction. Looking forward, she is excited to support budding entrepreneurs who are investing in themselves and the Hand & Stone franchise brand as they pursue the dream of small business ownership.

    Favourite Franchisee Phase: "Because I was involved in marketing for so many years, my heart is still in that endeavor. I would have to say the Grand Opening."

    Favourite Spa Service: ClarityRx Facials and the ClarityRx product line

  • Headshot of Jennifer Cooper

    Jennifer Cooper

    Director of Operations

    Jennifer joined the Hand & Stone brand in 2023. She is responsible for franchisee support, performance improvement and working collaboratively with the franchisees to implement strategies to drive growth and success. Jennifer has a strong background in franchise relations with 20+ years in the food & beverage industry.

    Favourite Franchisee Phase: "First year of operations"

    Favourite Spa Service: Exceptional Facial

  • Headshot of Elizabeth Gibbs

    Elizabeth Gibbs

    Director of Recruiting & Training - Canada

    Elizabeth is a health and wellness industry veteran with almost 40 years of experience. During those four decades, she has been a fitness instructor, yoga teacher, and registered massage therapist. In 2017, she joined Hand & Stone Canada as the Director of Recruiting & Training. Elizabeth has grown both personally and professionally through the mentorship she received from Gigi Harding, retired President of Hand & Stone Canada and Anita Wells. Elizabeth especially appreciates the opportunity to meet many new people involved in the massage therapy industry throughout Canada. She feels very fortunate to work with such a professional and inspiring Corporate team and looks forward to helping to support Hand & Stone’s continued growth and success.

    Favourite Franchisee Phase: “Franchisee Training.”

    Favourite Spa Service: Himalayan Salt Stone Massage

  • Headshot of Adesh Persaud

    Adesh Persaud

    Marketing Account Manager

    Prior to Hand & Stone, Adesh spent 20+ years working with telecom companies focusing on Sales Management & Marketing. With Hand & Stone Adesh oversees the advertising and execution on a local and national level, using a multi-discipline approach.

    Favourite Franchisee Phase: "Grand Opening"

    Favourite Spa Service: Deep Tissue Massage

  • Headshot of Jennifer Durham

    Jennifer Durham

    Chief Development Officer

    Joining Hand & Stone in late 2022, Jennifer served previously as the Chief Development Officer for Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants, a lifestyle brand with over 55 outlets and the country’s largest wine club with over 600,000 members. Before Cooper’s Hawk, Jennifer served as the Chief Development Officer for Checker’s & Rally’s Restaurants, where she grew restaurants across the country introduced a new modular prototype which reduced spend by 25% and improved ROI to over 30%. Jennifer also supports and collaborates with the Real Estate, Design and Construction teams to optimize Hand & Stone’s new spa growth.

    Favourite Franchisee Phase: “I love that bravery that comes with taking the leap to inquire about franchising with Hand & Stone. Spa clients, friends of other spa owners or those looking to make a legacy for their families creates an opportunity to share the compelling growth potential and the returns that come from spa ownership. There simply is no franchise opportunity better than Hand & Stone!”

    Favourite Spa Service: DiamondGlow® facial – it’s like a time travel machine!

  • Headshot of Cindy Meiskin

    Cindy Meiskin

    Chief Experience Officer

    Cindy is a health and wellness industry veteran with 20 years of experience. Before Hand & Stone, she was self-employed as a personal trainer and worked at a large New Jersey-based gym. Cindy joined the company in 2012 as Director of Training and has had multiple promotions prior to her current role.

    Favourite Franchisee Phase: “Meet the Team Day says it all.”

    Favourite Spa Service: Himalayan Salt Massage with CBD Oil

  • Headshot of Scott Brennan

    Scott Brennan

    Chief Financial Officer

    Scott’s entire career has been focused on finance functions for Private Equity ownerships. Prior to Hand & Stone, Scott focused on the aftermarket automotive industry at American Driveline Systems, Inc. and Diamond Triumph Auto Glass. Since joining the company in 2013 as the CFO, Scott has enjoyed seeing the brand grow its membership base and increase its number of locations across North America.

    Favourite Franchisee Phase: “When a franchisee purchases their second unit after operating their first for a short period of time. This proves that the unit economic model is solid, and they have decided to double down to support the growth of our brand and their own financial well-being.”

    Favourite Spa Service: Himalayan Salt Stone Massage

  • Headshot of Siddharth Desai

    Siddharth Desai

    Chief Digital & Technology Officer

    Prior to joining Hand & Stone in 2023, Desai served as the Senior Vice President of Technology Tropical Smoothie Café. Having spent several years in technology leadership positions at SunTrust Bank and Accenture, he brings diverse experiences that will allow him to advance the customer, employee, and franchisee experiences for Hand & Stone’s spas to operate more efficiently, ultimately leading to improved profitability. In his role, Desai is responsible for leading the brand’s operational and consumer-facing digital technology advancements, aligning with Hand & Stone’s strategic business goals, future franchise expansion and overall brand growth.

    Favourite Franchisee Phase: "Building meaningful relationships with our franchisees and getting to know them on a personal level. These relationships allow us to establish trust that fosters open communication and allows us to work towards a common goal. Franchisees become friends, and who doesn’t want to work with their friends all day?"

    Favourite Spa Service: Hot Stone Massage

  • Headshot of Brock Clayton

    Brock Clayton

    Chief Information Officer

    With over 15 years of industry experience, Brock has been with the company since 2008. Hand & Stone has not only allowed Brock’s to continue to advance in the technology field but has also given him the opportunity to be a business owner himself. He owns an Arizona Hand & Stone location.

    Favourite Franchisee Phase: “Conventions. It is a great time to get to know the owners and share success stories. We also get to unveil new products and services.”

    Favourite Spa Service: Himalayan Salt Massage

  • Headshot of Lisa Rossmann

    Lisa Rossmann

    Chief Brand Officer

    After beginning her business career in the mortgage industry, Lisa realized her passion for skin care and decided to pursue the interest as a career change. After becoming a licensed skin care professional and gaining experience for a few years in the spa industry, Hand & Stone provided the perfect opportunity to leverage both her business and spa experience together. In 2012, Lisa began her career at Hand & Stone as one of the first Regional Operations Managers. Since then, she has been promoted several times, with her current role as now serving as Chief Brand Officer. In this role, Lisa oversees brand positioning, service & product protocol, massage student program, and the brand’s Franchisee Innovation Committee.

    Favourite Franchisee Phase: “I love the Grand Opening week because you see all the hard work put in during pre-opening pay off for the spa owner. It is always a big celebration to introduce this business to the community- everyone loves a massage or a facial! I also love our annual conventions because the energy is super high, and the best practices exchanged amongst franchisees are so rewarding to facilitate.”

    Favourite Spa Service: DiamondGlow® with Red LED Phototherapy and NuFACE Lift, otherwise known as The Triple Threat Facial

  • Headshot of Clayton Hamilton

    Clayton Hamilton

    Vice President of Franchise Development

    For the last eight years, Clayton has been the President & CEO of Massage Experts in Canada. After H&S Canada acquired the company in 2021, he transitioned into the role of VP of franchise development for both brands. Before his health and wellness career, Clayton was in the Canadian Air Force for 20 years in addition to being a multi-unit franchise owner. Using his many years of experience in franchising, he is looking forward to continuing to help entrepreneurs get into business and control their own destiny.

    Favourite Franchisee Phase: “The Franchisee’s Grand Opening.”

    Favourite Spa Service: Deep Tissue Massage

  • Headshot of Jack Bachinsky

    Jack Bachinsky

    Chief Marketing Officer

    Jack’s background includes 30 years in the franchising industry, 15 years in the health and wellness industry, and seven years with Hand & Stone. He believes this is a marketer’s nirvana – the brand positioning aligns perfectly to consumer sentiment, a great corporate team at every level that all share the same passion for the brand, and awesome franchisees who not only bring forward awesome concepts but execute on the plans we develop to perfection.

    Favourite Franchisee Phase: “Working with franchisees through every step of the way and seeing them succeed.”

    Favourite Spa Service: Swedish Massage

  • Headshot of Kris Smith

    Kris Smith

    Senior Vice President of Real Estate

    Kris entered the franchise world in 1991 and never left. As a thirty-year veteran in the franchising industry, Kris joined the team in 2011 as Director of Real Estate and was promoted to his current position in 2022.

    Favourite Franchisee Phase: “Without a doubt working with new franchisees through the development of opening their first Hand & Stone spa. Every project is unique, and it is a pleasure to be a part of that journey with them.”

    Favourite Spa Service: Hot Stone Massage

  • Headshot of Jeanine Linehan

    Jeanine Linehan

    General Counsel

    Jeanine Linehan joined the Hand & Stone team in late 2022. She previously served as the Chief of Violent Crime at the United States Attorney’s office in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, where she led a 21-person team and managed a docket of over 300 cases. Throughout Jeanine’s prior legal experiences, she collaborated both nationally and internationally with local, state, and federal investigative organizations. As General Counsel, Jeanine advises on all legal initiatives, including corporate governance, franchise development and administration, compliance risk management and litigation.

    Favourite Franchisee Phase: “I enjoy using my legal expertise in many areas to assist the franchisees at every stage and to ensure that Hand & Stone remains the industry trendsetter on health and safety measures. I try to do my part to continue to seek ways to make the clients’, the service providers’, and the franchisees’ experience rewarding.”

    Favourite Spa Service: Deep Tissue Massage

  • Headshot of Meghan Lally

    Meghan Lally

    SVP Franchise Operations

    Beginning her journey with Hand & Stone as a Spa Associate in our flagship store in 2007 Meghan, now SVP Franchise Operations where she leads a team of 17 passionate professionals that are dedicated to supporting our franchisees. She is humbled to work alongside such talented business owners and team members. Meghan is also pursuing her MBA to further her career at Hand & Stone.

    Favourite Franchisee Phase: “Our Friends & Family launch week event, when franchisees’ friends and family are invited in for services as a practice run post-training. This is when it all comes together, the staff that was just trained can practice booking appointments, performing services, and selling memberships and ‘the dream’ is officially a reality. Every doubt in your mind dissipates and you prove to yourself what you are capable of. This day is full of so many wins and the franchisee and their team believe in the process and their ability to be successful.”

    Favourite Spa Service: DiamondGlow® Facial