Papa Murphy’s International CEO Ken Calwell was the featured guest at Wednesday morning’s spring 2016 Boardroom Breakfast, held at the Fort Vancouver Artillery Barracks.
Here are 10 things we learned about Calwell and the take-and-bake pizza company during the discussion:
10. Calwell came to Papa Murphy’s in 2011 with significant food industry experience under his belt. He held positions at Dominos, Wendy’s, Pizza Hut, FritoLay and Pillsbury.
9. Calwell admitted that when Papa Murphy’s first approached him about the CEO role (he was working in Ohio for Wendy’s at the time), he was hesitant about moving to Vancouver. The reason? He thought company executives were talking about Vancouver, B.C. He was happy to learn that wasn’t the case.
8. In his first six months as CEO, Calwell found himself saying “no” to several ideas that he feared would take the focus away from Papa Murphy’s core mission. One example he gave involved the company getting into the yogurt business.
7. Papa Murphy’s currently has approximately 1,500 stores and is growing at a pace of more than 100 stores per year. According to data, he said, the U.S. could handle about 4,500 Papa Murphy’s stores, so there is plenty of room for continued growth.
6. The American pizza market is now a $43 billion a year market. Vancouver-headquartered Papa Murphy’s now ranks as the nation’s fifth largest pizza chain. Calwell said the company will pass the billion dollar mark next year.
5. Calwell said that most of the large pizza companies in this country (including Papa Murphy’s) are steadily growing, but many of the small independent pizza restaurants are struggling. He attributes this to larger companies’ ability to adopt digital technologies such as online ordering and point-of-sale systems.
4. How does Papa Murphy’s compete with other large pizza companies? Calwell explained that Papa Murphy’s can afford higher quality ingredients because their locations don’t have expensive pizza ovens or long hours to staff.
3. On the subject of food quality, Calwell said that Papa Murphy’s is looking to one day serve organic produce as well as meats that are free-range and antibiotic-free.
2. Calwell said Papa Murphy’s “took a hard look” at moving to another part of the country when their building lease near the Vancouver Mall was expiring last year (he noted that most major food companies are located in other regions, like Dallas, Texas). However, he said the company stayed committed to Southwest Washington because of its roots here and strong existing relationships. He added that he loves life in the Pacific Northwest.
1. When asked to name a trait that has helped him succeed as a CEO, Calwell said he always tries to be naturally curious; he’s always willing to learn.
Bonus: While attending Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, Calwell operated his own business mowing lawns.
Join us for our next Boardroom Breakfast event on Wednesday, June 1. Rick Goode of Columbia Machine will be the featured CEO.
