Starbucks Coffee Company Veteran Joins Fastest Growing Restaurant Chain
SEATTLE — April 13, 2020 — MOD Super-Fast Pizza Holdings, LLC (“MOD Pizza”, “MOD” or the “Company”) today announced the appointment of Josh Guenser as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Guenser will oversee financial operations, fiscal responsibility, reporting and accounting for all 480+ MOD locations across North America.
Guenser joins MOD after spending the last 10+ years at Starbucks, most recently serving as Senior Vice President, Finance, Americas. In this position, Guenser was responsible for managing the finance and accounting team overseeing the results of 18,000+ owned and licensed Starbucks stores in the United States, Canada and Latin America. For the 2019 fiscal year, Guenser’s team was responsible for reporting on net revenues of over $18.2B for the Starbucks Americas business. During his tenure at Starbucks, he also held vice president and director-level roles in finance – focused on retail operations, global supply chain and reporting. Prior to Starbucks, Guenser was at KPMG for over seven years.
“Josh is a tremendous leader with deep financial expertise in the global multi-unit retail sector. With his extensive experience from Starbucks – a company for which Ally and I hold great fondness and admiration – Josh possesses a deep understanding of complex financial issues across multiple states, countries and continents that will help guide MOD’s strategic vision for the future. On top of that, he has a deep interest in contributing to a company where profit and positive social impact co-exist,” said Scott Svenson, co-founder and CEO of MOD. “This is an unprecedented time in the restaurant industry, and we are confident that Josh will be a major contributor to ensuring that MOD is well-positioned to emerge from this crisis stronger than before.”
“As a Seattleite, I’ve watched MOD’s incredible story over the past 11 years and continue to be impressed by the thoughtful way they’ve approached their growth, along with their steadfast commitment to creating a brand that is rooted in a strong purpose. It’s no easy feat to create a concept, pioneer a new category, and quickly scale a business – all while remaining laser-focused on building a people-first culture. Yet, MOD continues to break the mold, and lead the way in the restaurant industry,” said Guenser. “As a true fan, I couldn’t be more excited to join the MOD team and to contribute to the next chapter of this amazing journey.”
Guenser holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Washington and resides in greater Seattle with his family.
MOD Pizza is a pioneer in fast casual pizza, with 480+ locations throughout North America and has been named the fastest growing restaurant chain in America for four years running. The Company reported 2019 system-wide sales of $493 million, a year-over-year increase of 24% and company net revenue of $393 million, up 26% over 2018. In 2019, MOD raised $160 million in equity financing, bringing total funding to date to over $339 million.
ABOUT MOD PIZZA
MOD is a purpose-led, people-first brand founded in Seattle in 2008 by serial entrepreneurs Scott and Ally Svenson. MOD Pizza serves individual artisan-style pizzas and salads that are made on demand, allowing customers to create their own pizzas and salads with any combination of over 30 toppings, all for one incredible price based on size. With 480+ locations system-wide, MOD is committed to creating not only a cool place to eat, but an inspired place to work. MOD recently earned a spot on the Fortune 2019 “Change the World” list, for its purpose-led culture and commitment to provide opportunities to individuals with barriers to employment. The Company has also been named America’s fastest growing chain restaurant by Technomic for four years running and named the most loved pizza brand by Foodable Network. MOD has earned a spot on the Inc.5000 list and has been recognized by Fortune as one of the “20 Best Workplaces in Retail,” a “Best Workplace for Women,” a “Best Workplace for Millennials,” and a “Best Workplace for Diversity.” For more information, please visit www.modpizza.com or connect with the brand via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
The trademarks MOD, MOD Pizza, and the MOD Shield, are owned by MOD Super Fast Pizza, LLC.
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