The Honey Baked Ham Company® is coming to Columbia.
Glazed Animals LLC is the franchise operation group behind the deal. They currently operate one open HoneyBaked location in Cleveland, TN and have another location slated to open this September in Clarksville, TN.
According to a press release, Glazed Animals LLC signed an initial deal with HoneyBaked in October of 2023 to take over ownership of the Cleveland store and develop the soon-to-open Clarksville store. Their latest deal for a HoneyBaked location in Columbia will be their third store with the brand.
Glazed Animals LLC is made up of Kenneth Taylor Jr, Jason Mills, David Millington, Montanna Arterson and John Cameron Day. Long-time friends and family, the five entrepreneurs all hail from backgrounds in the engineering industry. Taylor, Mills and Day have all been engineering managers in the aerospace defense industry. Millington worked in auditing in the same industry.
The members of Glazed Animals LLC have been frequent customers of HoneyBaked for over 28 years. Their love of the concept inspired them to franchise.
“We feel that there is a strong demand for HoneyBaked in Middle Tennessee, particularly in the Nashville metro area,” said Taylor. “Columbia and Spring Hill are some of the fastest-growing areas in the state. We wanted to make sure we could serve a collective of customers that would otherwise have to drive 45 minutes to over an hour to get some Honey Baked Ham!”
The Honey Baked Ham Company® is known for its premium hams, ready-to-serve turkeys, sides, handcrafted sliders and biscuits, desserts, and complete meals that can be served for lunch or dinner. Per the latest press release, the family-owned company has over 400 locations nationwide.
Jim Hannan, Senior VP of Operations at HoneyBaked, offered some thoughts on the Columbia expansion in a statement included in the press release.
“Ken and his team have been wonderful additions to the HoneyBaked brand and we value their ongoing commitment to embody our mission of achieving nationwide growth,” Hannan said. “Knowing the success they’ve already achieved at their existing locations, I do not doubt that they will carry that same mentality to this new store. I’m excited to see the relationships they foster within this new community.”
Taylor expects the Columbia location will open in the next two years. Currently, Glazed Animals LLC are still exploring lease options.
“We are looking forward to locking down a location and hitting the ground running,” said Taylor. “We can’t wait to connect with the greater Columbia, TN community.”
