Blaze Pizza Appoints Beto Guajardo as New President/CEO

• Beto Guajardo takes over as president and CEO of Blaze Pizza after the departure of Mandy Shaw, who served within the position for 3 years.
• Guajardo beforehand served as president of Focus Manufacturers Worldwide, which has a portfolio of 1,900 eating places.

Blaze Pizza has appointed Beto Guajardo, the previous president of Focus Manufacturers Worldwide, as its new president and CEO.

Mandy Shaw, Blaze Pizza’s earlier CEO for 3 years, departed the corporate in November, in line with Nation’s Restaurant Information.

Guajardo joins Blaze Pizza after overseeing the worldwide enterprise at Focus Manufacturers, which included greater than $400 million of chain gross sales in over 50 markets with 1,900 eating places, 100 franchisees and eight manufacturers (Cinnabon, Auntie Anne’s, Jamba, Seattle’s Greatest Espresso, Moe’s Southwest Grill, McAlister’s Deli and Schlotzsky’s). Earlier than being promoted to this position, Guajardo was liable for the turnaround of the 370-unit Schlotzsky’s model, which resulted in 30 weeks of consecutive same-store gross sales development beneath his management, in line with a press launch.

“I’m extremely energized and honored to be becoming a member of the Blaze Pizza group,” Guajardo mentioned. “That is an thrilling time for the model, and I’m wanting to proceed the initiatives underway to boost restaurant excellence and supply worth for our franchisees and clients. We have now important alternatives forward, and I sit up for working with the group to speed up our subsequent section of development.”

Previous to becoming a member of Focus Manufacturers, Guajardo served as senior vp of world technique at Starbucks. There, he led a number of initiatives, together with Starbucks Supply, CRM expertise, its go-to-market technique, new retailer improvement, and innovation. He was additionally instrumental in restructuring the espresso firm to concentrate on investments for long-term development. Beforehand, Guajardo held senior management positions at Levi Strauss & Co, Avon Cosmetics and McKinsey & Firm.

Associated: Kristin Corcoran named VP-corporate counsel for Marco’s Pizza

“On behalf of the Brentwood group, we’re excited to start out the brand new 12 months with Beto on the helm,” mentioned Rahul Aggarwal, associate at Brentwood Associates. “Blaze is a vital model in our portfolio, and Beto has in depth govt degree expertise main world restaurant manufacturers and constructing excessive performing groups. I’m assured that he has the expertise and strategic imaginative and prescient to guide Blaze, its franchisees and workers to realize new ranges of success sooner or later.”

Based in 2011 and headquartered in Los Angeles, Blaze Pizza has greater than 330 eating places throughout 38 states and 6 nations.