Whitewater, WI, October 23, 2007 – Topper¹s Pizza Inc., adds a new member to its executive team Director of Training, Mark Watt.
Topper’s Pizza Inc. is proud to welcome Watt, a dynamic professional who will help guide the company’s continued growth.
“I’m excited that Mark is joining Topper¹s in the newly created position of Director of Training,” said Scott Gittrich, president of Topper’s Pizza, Inc. “His experience leading Training Departments at both Country Kitchen International and Domino¹s Pizza will immediately impact our delivery of World Class Training to Franchisees, Managers, and all Store Team Members. His enthusiasm for building something special and his dual passions for product quality & customer service are a perfect match for our culture.
This is a guy that gets it, and he has pizza sauce in his veins! We’re lucky to have him.”
As Director of Training at Topper¹s Pizza, Inc., Watt is charged with establishing the Training Department and developing materials & systems to train everyone in the company, from newly hired Hourly Team Members to recently hired/promoted Management Team Members, and new Franchisees preparing to open Toppers Pizza locations. He will also be charged with developing ongoing training programs to challenge existing Management Team Members to constantly improve. In addition, he will be responsible for coordinating and managing all new store openings, from the point after construction through the opening of the location, and until the Training Team leaves the site.
Watt brings 22 years of restaurant experience to Topper’s Pizza, Inc. Most recently, Watt spent the past 3 1/2 years as Director of Education & Training for Country Kitchen International, where he coordinated and supervised all facets of new store openings. He also generated training materials for menu updates and seasonal promotions. Prior to departing Country Kitchen International, Watt was instrumental in a complete overhaul of the training materials & systems used to train all Team Members in the Country Kitchen System. Prior to becoming Director of Education & Training for Country Kitchen, Watt honed his multi-unit supervisory skills as a Regional Director in the Country Kitchen System.
Before joining Country Kitchen in 2000, Watt spent ten years working for Domino’s Pizza, where he developed many of his management skills, as well as an undying passion for Pizza and the Pizza Business! Watt started as a Delivery Driver for Domino’s Pizza in 1990, and worked his way first to Assistant Manager, and then to General Manager while attending college. He was later tasked with training new Management Team Members, and was promoted to Multi-Unit Supervisor the year before he left for Country Kitchen International.
Watt graduated summa cum laude from the University of Wisconsin Platteville in 1996 with a major in Political Science & a minor in Philosophy.
Toppers Pizza has 24 stores open or under development in the states of North Carolina, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan, and Illinois. Toppers Pizza’s development goal is to expand to 100 stores by 2013. Watt joins Topper’s Pizza at a critical stage in our company development, and will be integral in our future success as a company. The Topper’s Pizza menu includes 17 gourmet pizzas, the franchise’s signature product: Topperstix, as well as oven-toasted Grinders, Buffalo wings, Quesadillas and cold drinks. A complete menu and coupons are available for each store online at www.toppers.com
