Air Force veteran focuses on business growth in the face of uncertainty
Marco’s multi-unit franchise owner Stephanie Moseley, center, faces challenges head-on to achieve continued growth.
Stephanie Moseley didn’t join Marco’s Pizza just to own one unit; she embodies the multi-unit owner through and through. She credits her Air Force background and career as a Senior Oncology Sales Consultant for her ability to remain steadfast and focused on growth and opportunity, even in the face of uncertainty.
Beginning in 1985, Moseley spent seven years as an Air Force intelligence analyst with top-secret clearance, running a division that oversaw the highest- and fastest-flying aircraft ever built. In this role, she learned how to apply critical and analytical thinking in decision-making. This has transitioned to entrepreneurship, allowing her to achieve growth and long-term success even as the global pandemic rages on.
With thriving Marco’s locations in Newport News and Suffolk, VA, the opening of another location in Yorktown, VA, and a second site in downtown Newport News during the height of COVID-19, Moseley is well on her way to owning 10 locations and growing her pizza empire.
“I want to grow my portfolio, providing my employees with growth opportunities to become assistant general managers, general managers, and area supervisors as we build a team of strong leaders,” Moseley says. “It gives me great pride to be able to help young people grow and fulfill their dreams. I’m helping them reach their goals as they help me reach mine.”
Stephanie Moseley in her Air Force days.
As a veteran, Moseley understands that the first rule to overcoming challenges and finding success is to have the right team in place — your business is only as good as the people you have surrounding you. She has a strong passion for building leaders, which aligns with Marco’s people-first cultural belief. This is why she invested time and energy into finding an exceptional general manager with a proven track record of operational excellence to set the foundation for continued growth and opportunity.
She found this in Jason Gorman — someone full of integrity who cared deeply about store performance, embraced and shared her vision for development, and had the confidence to help her actualize her growth goals. Gorman is now her Director of Operations, overseeing the GMs and operations of both new locations and future ones as well.
Expanding at a time when restaurants were closing all around her was a scary feat, but she leaned heavily into her resilient background — seeing opportunity amid the chaos.
“I didn’t know what to expect, but once we saw our sales climbing, I knew that we had the right business model at the right time, and I needed to seize on that,” Moseley says. “I knew that Marco’s would do well in both a good and bad economy, and I am honored to be able to safely provide a high-quality product to families as they navigate their new normal.”
Moseley never lost sight of her vision — she remained agile and determined, and she eliminated failure as an option.
“Sometimes our first reaction to uncertainty is fear — fear that failure is looming in our future. That’s natural, but don’t fear the problem itself. Instead, look at it as an opportunity to test your ability, grow your resiliency and even learn something new,” she says. “The unknown gives you curiosity to try something new and aim for the stars.”
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