Biscuitville Fresh Southern President and CEO Kathie Niven was named to Business North Carolina Magazine’s 2023 Power List as one of the state’s most influential business leaders.
The magazine selected candidates across various industries based on interviews with business community members and reader suggestions. Business North Carolina compiles the annual list of business leaders with an emphasis on those who have made a particularly noteworthy impact in the past year.
“What an honor it is to be included in the Business North Carolina Power List,” says Niven. “Biscuitville is growing, opening an average of 10 new restaurants a year in existing markets and new communities such as Greenville and Kings Mountain, NC. And we have the very best team members in the business. I am so proud to lead this organization at this exciting time.”
Niven specializes in designing and executing brand strategy and organizational design. She joined Biscuitville in 2011, and in 2014 led the company’s rebranding, which included the addition of FRESH SOUTHERN to its name, the introduction of new menu items, remodeling restaurants and a re-energized commitment to sourcing locally.
She was named Biscuitville’s President in 2018 and CEO in 2021. Since she has been in the CEO role, the brand has opened its new 78,000-square-foot warehouse, grown the average sales to nearly $2 million per restaurant, and now operates more than 70 restaurants in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
Niven received a B.A. degree in English with a minor in communications from Elon University. Her post-graduate studies and professional development include leadership, branding and strategy coursework at the Center for Creative Leadership, the Kenan Flagler Business School at UNC Chapel Hill and Design Thinking at Harvard University.
Business North Carolina is a Charlotte-based monthly publication with print and online editions, and daily newsletters.
