Experience

Mel Findley is a retail strategist and growth advisor with nearly 30 years of experience helping specialty, lifestyle, and growth brands expand thoughtfully across North America. She partners with founders and leadership teams to translate brand vision into scalable retail strategies, aligning market selection, real estate, and customer experience to support long term growth. Her experience spans both founder led concepts and global retailers, giving her a unique perspective on the opportunities and challenges brands face at every stage of expansion.

Throughout her career, Mel has led national expansion programs and development initiatives across the United States, guiding brands through every phase of the retail lifecycle from market strategy and site selection to lease negotiations, design coordination, construction, and store openings. She has been in-house and advised brands ranging from Fortune 10 retailers to emerging growth companies, including Home Depot, Kohl’s, Costco Wholesale, REI, Philz Coffee, Astrid & Miyu, YETI, Rad Power Bikes, and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.

Mel founded Avason Real Estate in 2019 to provide executive level retail strategy and growth advisory for brands navigating expansion. In 2025, she joined Segovia Partners as Managing Director, where she leads retail advisory and national expansion initiatives. By leveraging a national network of best in market partners, she helps brands identify the right opportunities, enter new markets with confidence, and build retail platforms positioned for sustainable growth.

Education | Family

Mel graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is married to her husband, Josh, with whom she shares a son and daughter. In her personal time, she enjoys traveling internationally—particularly to France—with her family, oftentimes eyeing brands worth bringing to the U.S.