News

Fazoli's adds to leadership team

November 16, 2017

Fazoli's has appointed three industry veterans to its leadership team: Jeff Sturgis as CDO, Rodney Lee as CFO and Jodie Conrad as VP of marketing.

"The Fazoli's brand prides itself on recruiting and fostering the talents of some of the most dedicated and gifted executives in the industry," Carl Howard, president and chief executive officer of Fazoli's, said in the release. "In review of what we have been able to accomplish in the past year, we are enthusiastically looking forward to seeing what these exceptional industry veterans are able to bring to the table moving forward. We are in the midst of capitalizing on some incredible growth initiatives leading into 2018 and I can't think of better leaders to be at the helm during this exciting time."

In his new role, Sturgis is responsible for driving the brand's franchise development efforts in addition to leading strategic planning efforts and execution of all restaurant development, real estate and franchise sales activities. Prior to joining Fazoli's, Sturgis led franchise development efforts for McAlister's Deli, Fantastic Sam's and FOCUS Brands to name a few.

Lee joined Fazoli's in September 2008, as CFO and treasurer. He previously served as CFO of 2JR Pizza Enterprises, a franchisee of Pizza Hut, according to the release.  Lee took a brief hiatus with Fazoli's, joining The Krystal Company functioning as the brand's EVP and CFO. When an opportunity to return to Fazoli's, Lee rejoined the company in September, reprising his original role.

Conrad, formerly serving as Fazoli's senior brand director, was promoted to VP of marketing in September 2017. In her new role, she is responsible for all marketing functions and product development for the brand. Prior to joining Fazoli's, Conrad previously served as director of brand marketing for The Wendy's Company, director of new product testing for Donatos Pizza and customer marketing manager for The Coca-Cola Company.

Closing out the calendar year, the company has experienced strong success throughout 2017, with the rollout of newly remodeled locations, the signing of promising single- and multi-unit franchise agreements, the opening of new restaurants nationwide and the integration of the brand's first mobile ordering and loyalty app, Howard said.