Rod Lucio Joins Blaze Pizza as Vice President of Real Estate

Blaze Pizza, a pioneer in the fast-casual artisan pizza category, today announced the appointment of Rod Lucio as Vice President of Real Estate. In this role, Lucio will spearhead the company’s real estate development and acquisition, bringing Blaze Pizza franchises to markets across the country, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Miami, Denver, and Boston.

With more than 20 years of corporate real estate experience, Rod has been directly involved with the opening of more than 220 restaurants including locations for Chipotle Mexican Grill, McDonald’s, and Panda Express. After joining Chipotle in March of 2006 as Manager of West Coast Development, Lucio was charged with expanding the assembly-line burrito concept into long-distance travel sites and West Coast malls, and played a significant role in their west regional expansion. At Panda Restaurant Group, Lucio served as Real Estate Manager and was responsible for new site growth from Santa Barbara County to the Mexican border.

“Rod is an incredibly valuable addition to the Blaze Pizza team,” said Elise Wetzel, president of Blaze Pizza. “We’re looking forward to leveraging his real estate experience to help us secure ‘best in class’ locations, and provide opportunities for franchisees to open their own Blaze Pizza restaurants across the country.”

Lucio joins a rapidly expanding corporate team at Blaze Pizza, which has located its headquarters in Pasadena, CA. A creation of Elise and Rick Wetzel (founder of Wetzel’s Pretzels), Blaze Pizza draws on experience from Wetzel’s Pretzels’ almost 20 years of nationwide franchise success. Blaze Pizza is registered to sell franchises in 34 states and is looking to partner with experienced restaurant operators to support the company’s aggressive expansion efforts.

A creation of Elise and Rick Wetzel (founder of Wetzel’s Pretzels) and backed by investors including Maria Shriver, movie producer John Davis and Boston Red Sox co-owner Tom Werner, Blaze Pizza features the talents of Chef Bradford Kent of Olio Pizzeria & Café, who developed the dough and recipes exclusively for the company. The company, which Forbes.com named a “Hot New Restaurant Chain from an Established Brand,” plans to develop 15+ Southern California locations by the end of 2013, partnering with franchisees to grow the company nationally. To learn more, please visit www.blazepizza.com or www.facebook.com/BlazePizza.