Marco's 500 Strong

 

From Memorial Day, through Flag Day, June 14,Marco’s Pizza, is celebrating 500 Strong, by honoring veterans and military families nationwide. During the three week period Marco’s stores will be accepting $1 donations to benefit USA Cares Jobs Assistance Program, a national nonprofit that provides financial and advocacy assistance to post-9/11 U.S. military families. The veteran unemployment rate is around double the general population, and donations will directly benefit veterans seeking employment.
The 500^th location is set to hold its grand opening celebration on Flag Day, June 14 at Hoggard High across from the new store located at 2305 S. College Road in Wilmington, NC. The milestone location is owned by area representative and military veteran, Joe Walker. Walker spent four years in active duty serving as an Infantry Platoon Leader in Iraq. After leaving the military in 2008, Walker saw franchise ownership as an appealing option given the similarities between the military and franchising. This milestone location adds to Walker’s resume of owning and operating 11 locations with plans to open an additional three Marco’s Pizza stores this year.
“This is really an exciting time in our brand’s history, expanding across the country, entering new markets and opening our 500^th location, with plans to open a total of 200 new stores this year,” said Bryon Stephens, Marco’s Pizza President and COO. “We share this milestone and our successes with our dedicated franchise partners and their hardworking teams, and of course with our loyal customers.”
With hundreds of veteran employees and franchisees in the system, Marco’s Pizza sees veterans as a great fit both as employees and franchise owners. Many of the attributes gained from military service such as leadership, attention to detail, working as a team, and following a structured plan directly translate to operating a successful franchise business. For this reason, and in celebration of the milestone 500^th opening, Marco’s Pizza is determined to help 500 veterans find employment.
As members of the International Franchise Association’s (IFA) VetFran program, Marco’s Pizza is dedicated to help provide ownership and job opportunities to returning veterans. In conjunction with the White House and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, VetFran helped more than 151,000 veterans, military spouses and wounded warriors enter the franchise industry by the end of 2013, with nearly 5,200 as franchise owners.
Marco’s Pizza’s recipe for growth has been a combination of a robust authentic product, a strong community image, and a mission to delight customers. As the only national franchise chain founded by a native Italian, Marco’s Pizza has carved out a niche in the industry as experts in authentic Italian pizza, known for its fresh never-frozen dough made daily on site, a proprietary cheese blend that is fresh never frozen and a secret pizza sauce recipe. With 500 locations strong and more than 1,500 new franchise deals signed in 2013, the company is on track to quadruple its store count in the coming 5-7 years.