Award recognizes entrepreneurial excellence in Hospitality
EY announced today that Randy Gier, CEO of RAVE Restaurant Group [NASDAQ: RAVE], the parent company of Pie Five Pizza and Pizza Inn, received the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2015 Award for the Southwest region. The award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their business and communities. Gier was selected by an independent panel of judges, and the award was presented at EY’s annual gala, held at the Dallas Hilton Anatole on Saturday, June 27.
“This is a fabulous recognition for an amazing team that is building an entrepreneurial company,” said Randy Gier, CEO, Rave Restaurant Group. “It’s a rare opportunity to be able to simultaneously lead a start up with Pie Five, a turn around with Pizza Inn and lead the charge on creating a world class multi-brand restaurant company.”
Since Gier was appointed CEO of Rave Restaurant Group Inc. in November 2012, the company’s market capitalization has more than quadrupled in size. Prior to RAVE, he honed his food chops by founding Savvy Fare Restaurant Group, where he developed and expanded new restaurant concepts. Gier brings extensive pizza prowess to RAVE from his days as Pizza Hut’s CMO, as well as a wealth of fast casual dining and packaged food expertise from his tenures in executive positions at KFC, Yum! International and Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages (now Dr. Pepper Snapple Group). He has an MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago and a BBA in Finance from the University of Missouri, Kansas City.
With this award, Gier joins a prolific roster of past EY award winners, including Howard Schultz of Starbucks Coffee Company, Pierre Omidyar of eBay, Inc., and Mindy Grossman of HSN. Recent US national winners also include Reid Hoffman and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn; Hamdi Ulukaya, founder of Chobani; and 2014 winner Dr. David Hung, President and CEO and Chairman of Medivation.
As a Southwest region award winner, Gier is now eligible for consideration for Entrepreneur of the Year’s 2015 national program. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the National Entrepreneur of the Year Award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California on November 14, 2015. The awards are the culminating event of EY’s Strategic Growth Forum®, the nation’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies.
Headquartered in the Dallas suburb of The Colony, TX, RAVE Restaurant Group, Inc., is an owner, franchisor and supplier of a system of restaurants operating domestically and internationally under the trademarks “Pizza Inn” and “Pie Five Pizza Co.” Pizza Inn is an international pizza chain featuring traditional and specialty pizzas, as well as freshly made pastas, sandwiches, and desserts. Pie Five Pizza Co. is a fast-casual concept offering individual pizzas made to order and cooked in less than five minutes. Founded in 1958, RAVE Restaurant Group, Inc. operates and franchises approximately 300 restaurants. The Company’s common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “RAVE”. For more information, please visit www.raverestaurantgroup.com.
EY Entrepreneur of the Year is the world’s most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The unique award makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global award of its kind, Entrepreneur of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 145 cities in more than 60 countries.
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