From Behind the Desk to Behind the Counter:
Corporate Employees Find Business Ownership Opportunity with Little Caesars® Pizza
DETROIT – More than 50 Little Caesars Pizza corporate employees, ranging from field
colleagues to executives, have transitioned to careers as Little Caesars franchise business
owners after seeing first-hand the opportunities that come with owning a Little Caesars Pizza
franchise. Additionally, these former employees are growing their businesses, with nearly 50
percent opening three or more stores.
“Little Caesars is growing in prime markets across the country and our corporate
employees understand that joining our franchise family, especially in today’s economy, is a
rewarding opportunity,” said David Scrivano, president, Little Caesar Enterprises, Inc. “Many of
our former corporate employees have followed their entrepreneurial dreams and are doing very
well as Little Caesars franchisees.”
For example, former Little Caesars corporate employees Mike Scruggs, Vicki Dunn
Marshall and Kerri Wallace have all transitioned to new careers as Little Caesars business
owners.
Mike Scruggs is satisfying his entrepreneurial appetite as the owner of five Little Caesars
restaurants in Colorado Springs, Colo. Following 26 years of dedicated service as a
Little Caesars corporate employee, the former senior vice president of global operations for Little
Caesars made a career change in 2004 to pursue the American dream of owning his own
business.
“Entrepreneurs like me who are looking to grow a business in these difficult economic
times can feel good about becoming a franchise business owner with Little Caesars. They have a
proven system that works,” said Scruggs. “Little Caesars has been in business for 50 years and
has established itself as the value leader by providing families across the country with high-quality
products and unmatched convenience for a great price. I’m looking forward to continuing my
growth with Little Caesars and plan to open five to seven additional locations in the Colorado
Springs area over the next three years.”
Vicki Dunn Marshall was 16 years old when she began her career with Little Caesars as a
crew member at a Detroit area Little Caesars restaurant. After working at the Little Caesars
corporate office in the company’s franchise development department, she transitioned into Little
Caesars franchise ownership at the age of 24.
“My experience as a Little Caesars corporate employee gave me an inside perspective on
the company’s simple business model and easy-to-follow operating system,” said Dunn Marshall.
“The opportunity to own my own business with a strong, recognized brand appealed to me. With
the exceptional training and support Little Caesars offers its franchisees, I have been able to grow
my Little Caesars business to include 18 locations across Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia.”
Before becoming a Little Caesars franchisee in 2006, Kerri Wallace worked in the
corporate office’s franchise services department, where she had one-on-one daily interaction with
franchisees. This gave her an understanding of the day-to-day details of the business and the
potential for strong business growth.
When the opportunity to venture into franchise ownership with Little Caesars presented
itself, Wallace jumped at the chance to become her own boss.
“With more than 18 years’ experience with Little Caesars, transitioning to a career as a
Little Caesars franchisee was a natural progression for me. I wanted to go into business for
myself, become more independent, and take more control of my financial future,” said Wallace.
“Little Caesars is growing at a time when many other companies are not. I currently own and
operate two Little Caesars restaurants in Elkhart, Indiana and I plan to open three additional
locations in the Elkhart area over the next five years.”
Little Caesars is a globally recognized brand that supports franchisees with the tools of a
proven system, including ongoing training, architectural and construction services to help with
design, the ongoing research and development of new products, and effective marketing
programs and support.
Little Caesars was recently listed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) as one of
the best loan performers among franchises with more than 60 SBA-guaranteed loans.* Little
Caesars also works with preferred lenders who understand the business, which becomes
increasingly important as it gets more difficult for entrepreneurs to secure financing in today’s
economy.
About Little Caesars
Little Caesars Pizza founders Michael and Marian Ilitch opened their first restaurant in
Garden City, Michigan in 1959. Little Caesars built more stores in the U.S. in 2008 than any
other pizza chain and today is the largest carry-out chain internationally with restaurants on
five continents. Little Caesars is growing in prime markets across the country, and is offering
strong franchisee candidates an opportunity for independence with a proven system. In
addition, Little Caesars offers strong brand awareness with one of the most recognized and
appealing characters in the country, Little Caesar.
In addition to Little Caesars Pizza, Ilitch companies in the food, sports and
entertainment industries include: the Detroit Red Wings, Olympia Entertainment, Olympia
Development, Blue Line Foodservice Distribution, Champion Foods, Ilitch Holdings, Inc.,
Uptown Entertainment, Little Caesars Pizza Kit Fundraising Program, and a variety of venues
within these entities. Michael Ilitch owns the Detroit Tigers. Marian Ilitch owns MotorCity
Casino Hotel.
For more information about Little Caesars and available franchise opportunities, visit
www.LittleCaesars.com
* Source: Coleman Report, an annual compilation of performance data on thousands of SBA-guaranteed
franchise loans.
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