Heidi Bendiksen Naples was born in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York. As a young child her parents left the city and moved to the countryside of New Jersey. She grew up spending her childhood and teen years in Lake Hopatcong, swimming in the summer and ice skating in the winter. In High School she lettered in Track and Field and participated in Theatre and Choir where she met her partner, Steve Naples. 

Heidi then attended Montclair State University and graduated with a BA in Psychology. After graduation, Heidi and Steve moved back to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn where they enjoyed the culture, the people and, of course, the food of NYC for six years. While living in Brooklyn, they married. After six years in Brooklyn, the moved to Upstate New York where they spent a brief time and had their first daughter, Jenee.  When Jenee was 4 months old, they made the move to Denver, Colorado as Steve had the opportunity to work for 9 News. 

​The family searched for 9 months for a home and found themselves repeatedly being drawn back to the Highlands neighborhood as it reminded them of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Although the Highlands looked nothing like it does today, the victorian brick homes and retail buildings brought them back to their roots. The thing they missed most was the diverse and delicious foods they remembered from Brooklyn. 

​After working tirelessly on their 1890 Victorian Home, the merchant district three blocks away called to them. Shortly after the birth of their second daughter, Juliana, Heidi and Steve began their adventure of opening Heidi's Bagels and Ice Cream in 1994. The shop was a huge success in the growing neighborhood.

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They expanded their concept to Heidi's Brooklyn Deli and in 1997, they doubled their space. By 2004, they had built and were operating 5 locations in the Denver Metro Area.

Like many family businesses, Jenee and Juliana grew up at the knees of Steve and Heidi running the business with office on their dining room table at home. This was when they realized they needed to find balance in their lives with family. So the decision to franchise their concept was made.

The first franchises were sold in 2005 primarily in Colorado and surprisingly in a few other states. Many of those original stores are still in operation today. 

Through the challenging economy of 2008 to present, the concept has been refined and redesigned with a look to the future to grow to be the premier sandwich deli in the United States.

One thing that will never change is the fresh baked bread made daily from scratch and the quality recipes and ingredients that were inspired by their years spent growing up on the east coast. ​

Although Heidi and Steve no longer live together, they remain good friends.

Heidi remains active in the business in an advisory capacity and has focused her attention toward the brands community involvement and mentoring small business owners. 

Naples Franchising Systems, Inc. was founded in 1994 by Steve and Heidi Naples, Jenee's parents.

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She has spent her entire life in and around the family brand, Heidi’s Brooklyn Deli with a combined 16 years of experience working in all facets of the FOH food service industry.

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In June of 2011, Jenee became the Director of Franchise and Vendor Relations for Naples Franchising Systems. She maintained and grew the relationshipswith all franchisees in the network across six states.

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During her time in this role, Jenee was the corporate trainer for seven store openings and was the lead project manager and trainer on three new builds, one at DIA, Terminal B in Denver, Colorado, one in South Portland, Maine and one in Brighton, Colorado. 

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From May of 2012 through March of 2017, Jenee oversaw the project of transitioning 10+ 'conventional' key products to 'clean' label products totaling approximately one million pounds of product annually. She worked closely with key franchisees and distribution and manufacturing partners to establish distribution channels, determine manageable pallet sizes and negotiate market stable pricing down to the consumer. 

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She handled the relationships with 40+ vendors and manufactures including monitoring the distribution channels across six states and negotiating pricing and programs.

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In February 2016, Jenee opened her own franchise location in Brighton, Colorado and now has almost eight years of experience as a franchisee herself. 

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In the fall of 2017 she was promoted to President and established the first C-store franchisee partnership for the brand. She spearheaded the project and the brand opened its first C-store location in November 2017 in Moorcroft, Wyoming. In the spring of 2021, Jenee spearheaded the project of opening the brand's second C-store location with with two additional locations slated for opening Winter 2023 and Summer 2024. 

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Jenee became the CEO in June 2018. 

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In July of 2022, Jenee and her sister and business partner Juliana established Heidi's Holdings with the focus of turning toward corporate expansion. 

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Today, they now have 8 corporate locations across two markets, Colorado and Maine. They will continue expanding with corporate growth. 

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In her downtime, Jenee loves to explore the Rocky Mountains with her wonderful husband Trevor and their three amazing children, Hanalyn,  Donovan and Sullivan. 

Juliana is the younger daughter of our Co-founders. She was 9 months old when the first Heidi's Brooklyn Deli opened and has been immersed in the family business her entire life. Before she could walk she would sit at the register greeting customers as Heidi would ring them up.

Once she turned 16, Juliana was on the front lines making sandwiches with the best of them. Then in 2011, at age 17,  Juliana took over the role of bookkeeper for the corporate company. She taught herself to use Quickbooks and has continued to develop her skills as a bookkeeper since then. 

In 2014 Juliana moved to London to pursue a degree in Digital Film Production, she then continued onto a post-graduate degree and in 2018 graduated from the University of Greenwich in London with her Master's in Film Production. In addition to her studies, Juliana kept up her responsibilities as Bookkeeper and Executive Administrator of the Leadership Team.  

Now that she has returned to Colorado, Juliana spearheads the brand marketing efforts. She wants to merge her passion for filmmaking with Heidi's Brooklyn Deli and has created her own production company to begin strategizing both local and national marketing campaigns. 

In her free time, Juliana enjoys traveling, writing scripts, reading, watching movies, playing piano, singing, and spending time with friends/family. 

Gigi moved to Colorado in early 2000 from her home state of Arizona. 

She has spent over 25 years in the foodservice industry in various leadership roles. 

Gigi joined the Heidi's Family as the Kitchen Manager of Heidi's Test Kitchen in Spring of 2021. She expanded in her role very quickly and transitioned to become the General Manager of the Flagship Corporate Location in Brighton, Colorado. This location flourished under her leadership. 

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Gigi was promoted to the role of Territory Manager in January 2023. She will lead the team of General Managers for the brands' corporate locations along the Front Range in Colorado. 

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Gigi is also a key member of the corporate operations team contributing to the ever-improving systems of the brand. 

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In her free time, Gigi enjoys outdoor adventures like four wheeling in the Rocky Mountains with her husband and doting on her darling pups. 

Born and raised in Colorado, Haley had the unique opportunity to travel frequently with her family. These experiences, which took her to various parts of the world, helped shape her understanding of hospitality and sparked her passion for connecting with people. Growing up in Colorado, she developed a deep appreciation for the beauty of the Rocky Mountains and the welcoming nature of local communities.

Her passion for customer service took root in high school, when she gained her first hands-on experience in the restaurant industry as a hostess. That early role sparked an interest in creating memorable guest experiences and eventually led her to the University of Westminster in the UK, where she earned a degree in Tourism and Event Management. Her time abroad gave her a broader perspective and strengthened her interest in working with people.

In 2023, Haley joined the Heidi’s Brooklyn Deli team and quickly stepped into a leadership role, helping launch and manage one of the company’s new deli locations in Wheat Ridge. Her ability to lead, problem-solve, and connect with both team members and customers quickly stood out. Today, she serves as the Office Administrator at the corporate office, where she supports business operations while also collaborating with in-store teams to ensure smooth daily operations across all locations.

In her free time, Haley enjoys a well-rounded and active lifestyle. She loves attending concerts, discovering new books, and spending time with friends and family. A passionate gamer and avid reader, she values opportunities to relax, learn, and stay creatively engaged in her downtime.