Papa John's Promotes William Mitchell to President, USA
LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar. 11, 2009--
Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) today announced the
promotion of
William Mitchell to President,
USA. Mitchell succeeds
William Van Epps, who is leaving to pursue other interests after seven
years with the company. As President,
USA, Mitchell will report to the
CEO and be responsible for leading U.S. corporate and franchise
restaurant operations, real estate and new business development.
“We thank Bill Van Epps for his service to the Papa John’s system,” said
John Schnatter, Papa John’s Founder Chairman and Interim Chief Executive
Officer. “Bill has made some outstanding contributions to Papa John’s,
both in the marketing and operations areas, to help keep our brand
vibrant over the years. We wish him the very best in all his future
endeavors.”
Van Epps will work with the company to assist with the transition of his
responsibilities as needed over the coming months.
Mitchell has served as Papa John’s Senior Vice President of Domestic
Operations since February 2007, responsible for overseeing all aspects
of the company’s U.S. operations. From 2006 to 2007, he served as Papa
John’s Division Vice President for the Midwest, the company’s largest
division. And from 2000 to 2006, he served as Papa John’s Operations
Vice President for the central United States.
“Bill Mitchell is a talented operator and I am pleased to have him lead
our U.S. corporate and franchise operations teams,” commented Schnatter.
“Bill and his outstanding team of operators in the field do a great job
delivering on our ‘Better Ingredients. Better Pizza’ brand promise every
day.”
In total, Mitchell has nearly 20 years of experience in restaurant
operations. Prior to joining Papa John’s, he was with AFC Enterprises,
Inc., serving in various operations roles including Senior Director of
Franchise Operations for Popeye's restaurants, responsible for business
planning and overseeing operations for 1,400 franchised units. From 1993
to 1996, Mitchell was with RTM Restaurant Group overseeing operations
for Mrs. Winner’s restaurants in the Georgia region. From 1990 to 1993,
Mitchell was with PepsiCo, Inc., holding training and operations
positions with increasing levels of responsibility within the KFC system.
Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Papa John's International, Inc.
(NASDAQ: PZZA) is the world's third largest pizza company. For nine
years running, consumers have rated Papa John's No. 1 in customer
satisfaction among all national pizza chains in the highly regarded
American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Papa John's also ranks
first among pizza companies in the 2008 Brand Keys Customer Loyalty
Engagement Index, was honored by Restaurants & Institutions Magazine
(R&I) with the 2008 Silver Award for Consumers’ Choice in Chains in the
pizza segment, and was named 2007 Pizza Today Chain of the Year. For
more information about the company or to order pizza online, visit Papa
John's at www.papajohns.com.
Source: Papa John's International, Inc.
Papa John's International, Inc.
Christopher J. Sternberg,
502-261-4934
Sr. Vice President, Corporate Communications
and
Interim General Counsel