The Miami Lakes Cold Stone Creamery franchise is just one chapter of the many accomplishments in Ruth Spiegel’s life. Spiegel, owner of the Miami Lakes Cold Stone and other locations in Coral Springs, Plantation, Pompano and Coconut Creek, was named one of South Florida Business Journal’s (SFBJ) 2014 Influential Business Women of the Year.
Spiegel, born in Germany to Holocaust survivors, finds it easiest to categorize her life in “chapters,” Cold Stone being her latest endeavor.
For the first chapter of her life, Spiegel lived in Israel and grew up in Toronto until she bumped into an out-of-place New Yorker in Canada and married him. Forty-seven years later Spiegel and her husband, Fred, are living comfortably and happily in sunny Florida, enjoying the waves on their boat, after spending decades in New York City where Spiegel worked as a college professor for 17 years.
Spiegel has always been committed to education, a passion that shines through even today with the many activities and educational funding her Cold Stone franchises do with local schools. She earned her bachelor’s in Psychology from Hunter College after transferring from York University in Canada. She received her M.B.A with a concentration in management, a useful tool for later running various businesses, from Long Island University and an A.B.D. in organization and policy studies from Baruch College.
She became a consultant for the Center of Management Analysis at William Patterson College and Long Island University and following, a faculty member for the Department of Management at Long Island University's School of Business.
Though always involved in academia, Spiegel’s area of interests have always been broad. At her husband’s urging, Spiegel became a certified scuba diver, diving in locations such as Papua, New Guinea. Later, after her son suggested she look into franchising the popular ice creamery by his neighborhood in California, Spiegel, her husband, her son and her son’s wife partnered to bring the flavors of Cold Stone to South Florida.
“The boat is gone and now we are up to our eyeballs in ice cream,” said a chuckling Spiegel. “We’ve immersed ourselves in the South Florida community and it has become our home. We love our stores, and Miami Lakes has been wonderful to us.”
After diving headfirst into education, then business management and marketing, literally diving to the depths of the Papua, New Guinea coast, owning various businesses with her husband and franchising Cold Stone in South Florida, one need not try hard to explain why Spiegel would be one of SFBJ’s Influential Business Women of the Year. However, it is a title Spiegel insists was not earned alone, attributing her successes to her hardworking family members and her effective management team which allows her to devote time to public relations and branding.
She is also quick to note that with success comes the responsibility to be an active and giving member of the community.
“We don’t operate in a vacuum,” Spiegel said. “We started affiliating ourselves with non-profit organizations and schools. You become acquainted with people in the community. There is always a need, and my challenge is to always strike a balance.”
The company has supported the Make-A-Wish Foundation, A Prom to Remember, Light the Night, established reading programs, hosted in-store fundraisers, and led a large initiative for leukemia research as well as worked with many other organizations. Spiegel is also a member of Junior Achievement's Circle of Wise Women.
“Ice cream is not a difficult sell. I speak the universal language of smiles,” said Spiegel. “Give someone something so fabulous, they can't help but be happy.”
Cold Stone Creamery, located at 6723 Main Street in Miami Lakes, is open Sunday through Thursday from 12 to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 12 p.m. to 1 a.m.