Consumer >> CEO Interviews >> January 27, 2015

Interview with the Founder and CEO: Giggles N’ Hugs, Inc. (GIGL)

Joey Parsi
Joey Parsi is a Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Giggles N’ Hugs, Inc. Prior to founding the company in 2007, Mr. Parsi had a long and successful career as an investment manager and entrepreneur. Between 1991 and 1994, Mr. Parsi served as an investment adviser for Lehman Brothers. From 1994 to 1996, Mr. Parsi served as Senior Vice President at Sutro and Company, where he managed and oversaw millions of dollars for individual and institutional investors, specializing in IPOs and technology equities. Between 1996 and 1998, Mr. Parsi worked at Prudential Securities, where he oversaw client assets in a number of investments, including fixed income assets, equities and mutual funds. In 1998, Mr. Parsi opened Barron Chase and was able to expand the company to more than 30 employees. In total, Mr. Parsi and his team raised millions of dollars in funding for many companies, many of which are now publicly traded on the Nasdaq markets. In 2001, he liquidated the business and joined TD Waterhouse, his last position before Giggles N’ Hugs, where he personally managed more than $350 million in assets for clients and oversaw more than $1 billion in assets in his region. Mr. Parsi is married with three children and resides in Los Angeles.  Profile
 TWST: How did Giggles N’ Hugs start?

Mr. Parsi: The company was started in 2008. Of course, I started planning and putting together the business plan and what have you in