Company leader embodies spirit of mentorship and leadership that has established our brand as one of the fastest-growing pizza franchises in the U.S
Marco’s Pizza® franchise takes great pride in our strong community of mentors. Recently, we honored longtime franchisee Mike Jaynes, Vice President Sales & Product Integrity, whose nearly three decades with our company have resulted in many developments that have solidified our success.
Mike is the second recipient of the annual Legacy Award, which was presented at our conference in San Antonio, Texas. The three-day event centered around the theme “It’s Good To Be Us” and celebrated our many recent industry accolades, as well as company leaders such as Mike, all of which are propelling our brand toward the goal of 1,000 restaurant locations by the end of 2017.
“Mike is a stellar example of the quality of team members who are the backbone of our brand and the dedication and hard work that have made us what we are today. His leadership through the years has served as an inspiration for many,” says President Bryon Stephens.
Mike joined our company 28 years ago, making pizzas part-time while he was enrolled part-time in school. Our founder, Pat Giammarco, took Mike under his wing and in typical Marco’s fashion, paved the way for Mike to become one of our most successful multi-unit franchisees. Under the leadership of Jack Butorac, Mike went on to become a Vice President for Marco’s Franchising where he developed marketing strategies that have become a signature to our success. He also developed products, such as our popular Pepperoni Magnifico. The market Mike opened to this day is one of the consistently highest performing DMAs in the country, averaging more than $800,000 a year per store across its 38 stores.
Mike refers to himself humbly as “just a pizza guy,” but he is a role model for many, a leader and an example of living our company’s cultural beliefs. During the awards presentation, several of Mike’s contributions as a franchisee and Area Representative to our company were noted, including his “Dream Big” apprenticeship program for general managers pursuing the path to ownership.
We recently sat down with Mike to ask him a few questions about what makes Marco’s a knockout brand destined for growth.
There are a lot of pizza franchise brands on the market. Just what is it about Marco’s Pizza that makes our brand so special?
During my decades with Marco’s, I’ve heard a consistent refrain from customers coast to coast – Marco’s makes a better pizza. Our ingredients are fresh, our toppings are high quality, and our portions are generous. As our slogan says, “A little Italy in every bite,” and that includes the authentic Italian generosity and love that goes into each pizza.
What does Marco’s mean to you?
I am a lucky man to have found Marco’s so early in my career. From employees, to other franchisees, to the corporate office staff, I have been blessed with a Marco’s family and wonderful friends I would not trade for anything. Marco’s has provided an opportunity for me to build wealth for my family, to make an important difference in employees’ and customers’ lives, and provides a focus for my creativity and building my business.
What do you find most inspiring about the Marco’s family of franchisees? I’m continuously inspired by the passion of other franchisees, and by their creativity and approach to building their businesses. We learn from each other by sharing best practices at every opportunity, and therefore, things never get stale.
If you had one piece of advice to offer a new Marco’s franchisee, what would it be?
The success of your business starts within your four walls. There is NOTHING more important than establishing your foundation by Executing Excellence in the store. All else flows from there. Executing the Marco’s business model within your four walls allows you to focus where your talents can do the most good and have the biggest impact on making your business stand out.
Build your success on ours
Marco’s Pizza, one of the nation’s fastest-growing pizza franchise chains, prides itself in making the best delivery pizza money can buy. Marco’s Pizza is handmade in the Italian tradition, using fresh, never-frozen cheeses, making the dough in stores daily and using only premium meats and vegetables. Founded in Toledo in 1978, Marco’s is the only Top 20 pizza chain founded by a native Italian. Marco’s has enjoyed significant growth in recent years and is on pace to have 1,000 restaurants open by the end of 2017.
Learn more about Marco’s Pizza
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