Marco’s Pizza®’s new incentives and programs increase the value of our franchise opportunity for veterans and help them build great post-military careers
We always want to bring great talent into Marco’s Pizza to further our growth, and we also want to do great things for our communities. By offering more incentives and support for veterans to own their own businesses, we’re able to meet both goals while helping veterans build great post-military careers for themselves. Here are just a few examples that demonstrate how we’ve become a choice franchise opportunity for veterans.
New, generous incentives make Marco’s Pizza an even stronger franchise opportunity for veterans.
Incentives and franchise opportunities for veterans
In 2017, Marco’s increased the incentives we offer to veterans who open a franchise with us. We’ve doubled the discount on the initial franchise fee to $10,000 for qualified U.S. veterans, and we waive the initial franchise fee entirely for qualified U.S. veterans with a 50% or greater military service-connected disability rating.
“We want to do more for veterans, and we want more veterans to be on the team and in the brand,” says Scott Quagliata. Quagliata is Marco’s Vice President of the Veterans’ Program and Recruitment, as well as a veteran and a franchisee in Charlottesville, VA. “We have a cultural belief system that resonates with veterans. We believe in executing excellence, embodying trust and working with the community.”
Beyond recruiting veterans to own franchises, we also offer management opportunities by coordinating between our franchisees and the Department of Defense’s SkillBridge. SkillBridge is a program within each branch of the military that partners with companies to provide job training and offers to veterans before they’ve left the service, helping smooth the transition between military and civilian life. We also attend job fairs on military installations and communicate job opportunities to veterans organizations.
Veteran franchisees on the rise
We’re making a concerted effort through these programs to bring more veterans into the Marco’s Pizza family, as franchise owners, employees and members of our corporate staff. We’re proud members of VetFran, an initiative of the International Franchise Association that aims to help more veterans become franchise owners through financial discounts, mentorship and training.
“The leadership team at Marco’s wants veterans to be successful and to provide long-term career opportunities for them,” says Quagliata. “The organization supports the veteran community, and our structured operating system offers a degree of familiarity for people from the military.”
Those efforts are showing strong results. Quagliata joined our team and opened his franchise after serving with a fellow franchisee in the U.S. Army. Another Army vet recently became the first Marco’s Pizza graduate of the SkillBridge program and is now a manager at our soon-to-open Boise, ID, franchise. And a pair of Navy veterans recently opened a franchise in Virginia Beach, VA. For one of them, it was a homecoming: his very first job had been at a Marco’s Pizza.
Why Marco’s works so well for veterans
Franchises in general are great career options for military veterans, and we’ve worked hard to make Marco’s Pizza one of the top franchise opportunities for veterans. Military life instills values of leadership, teamwork and self-discipline, which are strong ingredients for success in the pizza business.
Our commitments are earning praise from military and business publications; we were ranked No. 3 on the Military Times’ 2017 Best for Vets Franchises List, and Entrepreneur magazine named us one of the top franchises for veterans in 2016.
“Compared to opening something by yourself, we provide proven systems and processes and we have a strong support center,” says Quagliata. “You’re your own boss. You drive your own results. If you’re willing to work hard and put the energy into it and ask questions, that will certainly help you drive results. You make your own dream and destiny.”
Learn more about the franchise opportunity
Download our franchise report for in-depth details about why Marco’s Pizza is one of the best franchise opportunities for veterans. You can also learn more by exploring our research pages.
