EVERETT, WA (September 2007) — Garlic Jim’s Famous Gourmet Pizza®, the first and only “gourmet” carry out and delivery pizza chain, proudly announces the appointment of Michael Hartzell as a Washington State franchise consultant, effective September 2007.

In his new role as franchise consultant, Hartzell will contribute to the operations department by enhancing store level sales and assisting with marketing and operations. He is currently visiting all of the Washington State franchises with the intention of not only seeing the store, but also getting to know the franchisees and their respective markets.

“Mr. Hartzell’s experience, as well as his enthusiasm, will make him a vital part of our expanding team,” says Lex Nepomuceno, Garlic Jim’s chief marketing officer. “We look forward to watching him help each Garlic Jim’s franchise improve and grow.”

Hartzell brings about 40 years of experience in the food service business, with 24 of those years specifically in the pizza industry.  Before coming to Garlic Jim’s, Hartzell worked for Pizza Hut as the VP of marketing and human resources. He is also a previous owner of a Godfather’s Pizza Franchise for eight years, receiving multiple sales awards.

“I’m thrilled to work side by side with Garlic Jim’s franchisees as we continue to pioneer the unique concept of ‘Gourmet, Right Away!’” says Hartzell. “The people at Garlic Jim’s are outstanding, and the product is even better.”
ABOUT GARLIC JIM’S

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n the $33 billion dollar-a-year, highly competitive U.S. pizza industry, Garlic Jim’s Famous Gourmet Pizza is proud to be the first pizza franchise to focus on quick delivery pizza made fresh with gourmet toppings.  Garlic Jim’s in-store system and team member training allows them to make pizza in 15 minutes or less “from order to out the door,” thus pioneering the concept “Gourmet, Right Away.”

At Garlic Jim’s the term ‘gourmet’ signifies more than just the finished pizza – it refers to the finest ingredients: fresh packed sauces, fresh 100% whole-milk mozzarella and fresh dough made daily, where the customer can certainly taste the difference. Garlic Jim’s offers customers two crust choices; hand-thrown thick, made with parmesan cheese and buttermilk, or garlic thin; four cheese options: 100% whole-milk mozzarella, cheddar, feta and parmesan; seven sauces: classic red, garlic basil, basil pesto, zesty chipotle pesto, creamy ranch, smokin’ sweet BBQ or garlic infused olive oil, and a variety of meats, vegetables and gourmet toppings such as roasted garlic, marinated artichoke hearts, roasted corn and sun-dried tomatoes.

With gourmet pizzas such as Nutty Chipotle™, zesty chipotle pesto topped with spicy sausage, pepperoni, red onions, tomatoes and cashews, Jim’s Gourmet Garlic™, basil pesto sauce, marinated artichoke hearts, roasted garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and feta cheese, and Chicken Bacon Ranch, grilled chicken, bacon, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, red onions and creamy ranch sauce, Garlic Jim’s is putting a new spin on pizza.  “We’ve gone out of our way to source the best ingredients available to create our specialty pizzas and as a result we also have the best tasting pepperoni pizza you will ever find,” says Northrop.

Garlic Jim’s has grown from two open stores in 2004 to 44 open stores and a total of 108 franchises sold as of September 2007.  In addition to current locations in Oregon, Arizona, California, Pennsylvania and Washington, Garlic Jim’s has units under development in New Jersey, Colorado, Florida, Tennessee and Texas. With projections of doubling in size in 2007, Garlic Jim’s is sure to become the fastest growing gourmet pizza franchise in the country. For more information on Garlic Jim’s pizza and franchising, visit their Web site at www.garlicjims.com, or call 866-918-jims (5467).