TOLEDO, Ohio, Dec. 2, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Marco's Pizza, the nation's fastest growing pizza company, announced today that it has named Cathy Hull as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). An accomplished marketing leader with extensive experience in the food industry, including consumer packaged goods and QSR, Hull rounds out a dream team of senior management professionals who joined the franchise from a variety of prestigious, nationally recognized brands.
Named to ExecRank's 2012 list of "Top Private Company Marketing Executives," Hull is known as a driven brand builder who excels in marketing strategy, promotion planning and product development. Prior to joining Marco's Pizza, as CMO of Fazoli's LLC, Hull attained over 30 months of positive comparable sales by developing and executing a fully integrated 360° marketing approach, seeing the chain evolve from QSR to fast casual during her tenure. Previously at Papa John's, she initiated marketing strategies that resulted in three years of positive same-store sales against soft category growth. She also was the first female Region Manager in the history of Oscar Mayer Foods Corporation.
"Cathy has a keen understanding of the importance of consumer insights in driving a plan to success," said Jack Butorac, president and CEO of Marco's Pizza. "We are at a pivotal point in our growth phase. Her experience in marketing strategy creation and execution, new product development and launch, and overall leadership capabilities to create brand alignment across the organization will benefit our franchise partners tremendously and take us over the edge in our category."
Hull is among several top-grade industry executives who have migrated to Marco's Pizza from other prestigious, well-known brands, including COO Bryon Stephens from YUM Brands, Vice President General Counsel/Chief Legal Officer Todd Watson from Metromedia Restaurant Group, and Director of Financial Planning and Analysis James Boswell from Darden Restaurants, among others. Hull is taking over the lead marketing role at Marco's Pizza previously held by Vice President of Marketing Peter Wise, who stepped down earlier this year to spend more time with family. Wise, an ongoing stakeholder, fan and supporter of the brand, had joined Marco's in 2007 with 25 years marketing experience, including senior positions with brands such as Mercedes-Benz.
Because of the company's strong corporate backing, ability to earn market share, its Italian food standards and its people, the Marco's Pizza franchise system took less than five years to more than double in size. As a result, Marco's Pizza has received high praise from Entrepreneur Magazine and AllBusiness.com which ranked Marco's in the top 10 Allstar franchise systems. Most recently, Marco's Pizza ranked as number 2 on the Nation's Restaurant News' second 100 top 10 newcomers, and number one on Pizza Today's Up and Comers.
"The culture and team at Marco's Pizza truly inspire me," Hull said. "This brand has an amazing story to tell and we're going to tell it at every opportunity we can in the marketplace. I was attracted to both the quality of the product, combined with the team's collaborative approach toward winning. I'm eager to dive into the position to continue to build this quality brand."
ABOUT MARCO'S PIZZA:
Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, Marco's Pizza (Marco's Franchising, LLC) is the fastest-growing pizza company in the U.S. (based on the number of stores signed into development since 2007). Marco's was founded in 1978 by Italian born, Pasquale ("Pat") Giammarco and thrives by making Italian Pizza with fresh ingredients. The company has grown from its roots as a beloved Ohio brand to operate more than 425 stores in 32 states, and the Bahamas. Marco's Pizza recently ranked 11th place in the "2012 Pizza Industry Top 100 Movers & Shakers" by PizzaMarketPlace.com. To inquire about franchise opportunities with Marco's Pizza visit marcosfranchising.com.