WHITEWATER, WI (PRWEB) February 13, 2012 – Mark Cairns is no stranger to pizza. In fact, long before becoming Toppers Pizza’s Director of Franchise Development, he actually delivered product to the first ever Toppers location.
“It’s a small world,” he said. “I actually worked as a supplier to Toppers founder Scott Gittrich’s first location from 1991 to 1992. It’s amazing how everything comes full-circle.”
Cairns joins Toppers Pizza with a wealth of experience, most recently igniting franchise development for Wisconsin-based Cousins Subs, as well as previously holding a seven-year post as Franchise Development Director at 400-plus-unit Huddle House. Before recruiting new franchisees, Cairns was also a franchisee himself, as an owner/operator of Papa’s Pizza To-Go in Atlanta (1996-2001).
“Everything happens for a reason. All of my experiences have led me to this opportunity,” Cairns said. “I am excited to help lead Toppers over the 50-unit mark this year, and past the 100-unit mark next year.”
In 2012, Toppers will climb over the 50th unit mark (projected by fourth quarter) with openings already scheduled and has awarded the rights to another INSERT NUMBER, including a multi-unit deal in Chicago. The first four openings will be accompanied by 20-30 more by the end of 2015.
“We have searched very carefully for the right addition to help lead our growth,” Gittrich said. “We are confident we found our match in Mark Cairns. His wealth of experience as well as his determination to help brands grow led us to picking him to lead our development moving forward.
When Gittrich decided to rebel against big box pizza chains, he did so with a methodical vision to test and test again every aspect of his pizza-concept. Starting off with the simple goal of recapturing the magic of a made-from-scratch pizza in a sea of cookie cutter chains, Gittrich laid the foundation for his vision. Nearly 20 years later, his Whitewater-based pizza brand is showcasing its growth potential, as it now comes armed with 30 locations and an incredible average unit volume ($941,591) plus average per unit net profit ($161,998).
Showcasing Toppers’ progression, the founder of “Fast Casual Delivered” has a big first quarter of 2012 on the books, including two openings in Chicago; two in Madison, WI; Lincoln, NE; Cincinnati, OH; Bloomington, MN; Rochester, MN; Carmel, IN; Sheboygan, WI; Menomonie, WI and Milwaukee. Focusing its expansion in the upper Midwest, the brand’s aggressive campaign will target top-tier, multi-unit/multi-brand franchisees with portfolios that include historic and proven franchise brands.
