By Rick Hynum
Gerardo Flores loves to talk commercial real estate. Other members of his family? Not so much. With one exception: his son Jerry.
As chief development officer for the fast-growing Marco’s Pizza chain, real estate was, for a long time, dinnertime discourse, road-trip chitchat, an all-around favorite topic of conversation, period. It followed him home so often that his wife and daughter eventually had to declare it off-limits at the table.
But his son, Jerry Flores, was always listening.
Now a real estate manager at Marco’s, Jerry spent years absorbing the language of site tours, trade areas, brokers, landlords and development strategy from his dad. Today, they’re working together to guide the pizza brand towards its milestone goal of 1,300 stores, which the chain expects to reach later this year.
In this Q&A with PMQ, Gerardo and Jerry talk about working side-by-side, the pressure of proving yourself in a family-connected role, why leadership starts with people, and how commercial real estate became both a profession and a family language.
PMQ: Gerardo, you reportedly told Jerry that it was his “destiny” to work at Marco’s. How did you come to believe that? What did you see in him that convinced you of that?
Gerardo Flores: I actually told him it was his destiny to follow my path into commercial real estate. I jokingly tell people he has 20-plus years of experience in real estate because Jerry grew up listening to me talk about commercial real estate. When he was younger, I used to take him on business trips with me, so he would be in the car when we did real estate site tours. He also sat around the dinner table when I was with colleagues of mine, listening to us discuss strategy. He came into this industry knowing more than most people starting in this industry. Add in the fact that he connects well with people, and development was a natural fit for him.
PMQ: Jerry, did you resist the idea of working at Marco’s at first? Did you feel it was your destiny, too, or did you have other ideas?
Jerry Flores: My intro to the company is actually an interesting one. I originally came into Marco’s to work in sales. My first role out of college was with a veterinarian/pet boarding acquisition company. I was feeling burnt out from said job and was looking for another. A position in sales was available, and I made the transition but did not work with Dad much as our paths did not cross. I was with sales for about a year when real estate needed some help with some administrative items as the managers were too busy.
After another year, getting real experience in the position, a role opened for a real estate manager, and the rest is history! Now that I’m here, I love what I do, and Dad must have been right about it being my destiny!
PMQ: Once you were in, did you feel pressure to prove that you belonged there?
Jerry: Oh, absolutely! While everyone was incredibly welcoming and did an amazing job of treating me like an equal, there is always pressure when you are a referral, let alone when that referral is coming from your dad, the CDO! Dad has been in the industry for about as long as I have been alive. With him being my steppingstone into the industry, there is also an aspect of “protecting” Gerardo’s reputation. Even though he would disagree and say that’s not important, this is a small industry, and too many times you’ve heard that the family member that was brought in does nothing and is a hindrance to the company. I was not going to let myself be another one of those stories.
PMQ: Gerardo, what qualities does Jerry bring to the team that are different from yours?
Gerardo: Youth…this industry is getting younger by the day! As more and more real estate professionals retire, the younger generation is taking over and moving into management. They bring more energy and new ideas to an industry that has not changed much in decades.
PMQ: What have you learned from your dad’s leadership style, Jerry?
Jerry: The No. 1 thing I have learned from him is that you put people above all else. When you are managing people, you’re not just making sure they’re doing their work. You are also constantly teaching them and growing their skills. You’re making sure they’re doing okay personally. You ask about their families. You do not treat people like they are cogs in a machine. That’s how people get burnt out.
If you treat people well and want what’s best for them, 999 times out of 1,000 they will produce great work, and if not, a good manager will help direct someone to something that fits their skillset!
There’s a very popular phrase that Dad uses when talking about leadership in general: People don’t quit bad jobs, they quit bad managers.
PMQ: What about you, Gerardo? What are you learning from Jerry?
Gerardo: When I moved into senior management, I lost touch with the day-to-day action. Frankly, I miss it a bit. Jerry keeps me updated on the latest happenings in the industry—deal movement, new trends, movers and shakers, etc.
PMQ: Do you guys talk pizza and real estate at family gatherings, or do other family members tell you to knock it off?
Jerry: Real estate takes up many conversations that we have. Whether it’s evaluating actual real estate, discussing how to overcome industry challenges or advice on what I can be doing to be a better real estate manager or what I can be doing to advance my career, we are constantly annoying my mom and sister! There have been many dinners where we’re told that real estate is a banned topic at the table!
Gerardo: It turned for us when my daughter pulled my wife aside and asked her to ask us to stop talking real estate. So we’ll go find a quiet spot around the house somewhere and finish our conversation. It’s hard for us to avoid the subject because of our passion for the industry.
PMQ: At a personal level, what does it mean to you guys to be working side-by-side and building something this monumental together?
Jerry: It’s not lost on me that I’m in a unique position that many people do not get to experience. I get to work with my dad, a titan in the industry, and learn from some of the best. On a personal level, I feel very set up for success, and every day I feel blessed that I have this opportunity!
There are many cases of families starting successful businesses/ventures, and that in itself is a very cool concept. What we’re doing here is working with a franchise concept with 1200-plus stores already, working side by side every week, developing strategies to best assist our developing franchisees, maneuvering our existing developments and carving out our legacy at Marco’s Pizza. The goal is to one day be traveling anywhere in the U.S. (and internationally) and be able to point out a successful Marco’s and say, “We (directly) helped do that.”
Gerardo: Watching Jerry grow professionally and getting the opportunity to have a hand in his growth is beyond rewarding for me. Although we try to keep family and work separate, we find ourselves leaning into the work topics we both enjoy. I always knew commercial real estate would be his path, but never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined we would be taking this amazing ride together in the same car.
PMQ: When Marco’s hits that 1,300-store milestone, how will you guys celebrate?
Jerry: It’s going to sound very cliche, but I haven’t really thought about how we’re going to celebrate 1,300. I’m working with franchisees every day trying to find their first, second or fifth store—that is my priority.
Gerardo: The interesting thing about what we do is that we are fully concentrated on the real estate funnel: what is coming into the top of the pipeline—franchise agreements—and what is coming out at the bottom—executed leases. And to Jerry’s point, we are always chasing the “next real estate deal.” That said, the 1,300th store opening will be a milestone for not just the both of us, but for everyone at Marco’s, from the corporate employees to our ARs to our franchisee partners. However, we’re always open to celebrating, so I’m sure we’ll come up with something fun to do. And in the true meaning of family, we’ll bring my wife and daughter to that celebration…since we already subject them to real estate conversation at the dinner table.
Rick Hynum is editor in chief of PMQ Pizza.
