Marco’s Pizza has made a new executive appointment focused on franchise expansion.
The fast-growing pizza brand has named Brad Smith as its new vice president of franchise growth. Smith brings more than 29 years in franchise development and operations to the position. This includes scaling brands from startup to more than 3,000 locations worldwide across industries including fitness, hospitality, home services, commercial cleaning, co-working, real estate, and restaurants.
According to Marco’s Pizza, Smith has worked with over 3,500 franchise investor groups and has successfully led growth strategies across the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa, including awarding multi-unit, area developer, and master franchise agreements.
“Brad brings a rare combination of strategic vision, operational expertise, and global franchise insight,” said Gerardo Flores, chief development officer of Marco’s Pizza. “As we continue to scale with purpose, his leadership will be instrumental in accelerating growth, deepening our operational excellence, and expanding our reach with high-caliber franchise partners.”
The pizza franchise noted that Smith’s appointment reflects its continued investment in world-class leadership as it pursues aggressive multi-unit growth, international expansion, particularly across Latin America and the Caribbean, and non-traditional development opportunities.
“Marco’s has created something truly special in franchising; a brand with operational rigor and an undeniable energy that’s fueling rapid growth,” said Smith. “My goal is to build on that strength by deepening support for our franchisees, expanding into new markets, and driving growth that creates opportunity across the system. I’m proud to join a brand that’s not just growing, it’s leading.”
To further support brand growth and franchise expansion, Marco’s recently launched a Franchise Development Royalty Incentive Program designed to reduce barriers for qualified multi-unit owners. With early-stage royalty incentives starting at 0%, plus real estate, construction, and operations support, the brand offers a streamlined, resource-rich path to growth.
Marco’s most recent franchise disclosure document reports $1.3 million average unit volume for the top 25% of franchised stores in 2024.
Founded in 1978 and based in Toledo, Ohio, Marco’s operates 1,200 stores in 35 states and Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Mexico.
