Karen Nettleton
Director of Construction

Karen S. Nettleton, Director of Construction for Kahala, a privately held corporation and one of North America’s fastest growing franchising companies. Dedicated to developing great brands in the quick-service restaurant category, Kahala brands include, among others, Cold Stone Creamery, Blimpie, Great Steak and Potato, Samurai Sam’s and NrGize Lifestyle Café.

As a leader for design development and construction at Kahala, Ms. Nettleton specializes in co-brand opportunities and non-traditional locations. In 2007, Kahala acquired Cold Stone Creamery where Ms. Nettleton had been the Senior Project Manager for Non-Traditional Design since 2002.  Prior to Cold Stone Creamery, Ms. Nettleton worked as a designer for leading architects in Phoenix, AZ, and earlier in her career she was the Architectural Technology Department Head at Coastal Carolina Community College in Jacksonville, NC. And notably, after graduating from college, Ms. Nettleton served honorably in the Unites States Marine Corps in the field of construction engineering; once a Marine, always a Marine.