Executive Team
Charles Bruce President »
Richard Kerley Sr. Vice President, Chief Financial Officer »
Bill Toole Vice President of Operations »
Jason Greenwood Vice President of Marketing »
Charles Bruce
President
Favorite Game to Play at PPP:
Tokyo Drift
Charles Bruce is no stranger to the restaurant industry. He joined Peter Piper Pizza in 2009, serving as Chief Marketing Officer before being promoted to President in September 2012. Before Peter Piper Pizza, Charles was the Senior Vice President of Marketing for a concept restaurant called Salsarita's. Prior to that, he worked at various food service companies including Pizza Hut, Wendy's and Captain D's Seafood Restaurants, Inc. His experience includes executive-level international marketing, branding and operations management. One thing that attracted Charles to Peter Piper Pizza was the brand recognition and company culture.
"I spent eight years in the Pizza Hut system, and we always respected Peter Piper Pizza as a very good regional pizza brand," says Charles. "The culture is based on respect for others and appreciation of their hard work to consistently offer our guests a great dine-in or carryout experience."
Charles' goal is to re-generate growth after the restaurant industry nationwide has experienced its most challenging times in more than thirty years. “As President, I have the good fortune to lead the team in the implementation of our growth strategy. I consider that to be a tremendous opportunity for a brand with as much potential as Peter Piper Pizza,” said Charles.
Charles attended Kansas State University and holds a BA in Business & Spanish. back to top »
Richard Kerley
Sr. Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
Favorite Menu Item at PPP:
It's a toss up between the New York 3 Cheese with Pepperoni and the Cinnamon Crunch Dessert - I like them both.
When Rich Kerley was a child on the east coast, there were hardly any places that combined food with fun.
"When I was growing up, you had pizza places and you had arcades. At Peter Piper you can find all that under one roof and that's an exciting concept," said Rich. "My two grandchildren love playing the games."
One of Rich's first jobs in the food service industry was driving an ice cream truck for a summer. "It was a job that taught me the value of hard work," said Rich. "I also learned about customer service and patience. Those are key things in business."
Rich grew up in West Virginia and went to school at Marshall University where he earned his bachelor of business administration in accounting. After graduating, he worked for Haskins & Sells, which later became Deloitte & Touche. He worked for the firm for 34 years at various locations, eventually transferring to Phoenix as a partner in 1983. While at Deloitte & Touche, he gained experience serving both public and privately held companies primarily in the consumer product industry.
At Peter Piper, Rich leads the finance, accounting and purchasing departments setting direction and strategy so the departments are successful in their goal of providing efficiencies and strong support to restaurants.
One of the things Rich is looking forward to is helping Peter Piper grow as a company. As CFO, he ensures that the capital structure is in place to meet the company's expansion plans. "We want to increase the size of the company's footprint," said Rich. "We want to open up the opportunity for more franchises." back to top »
Bill Toole
Vice President of Operations
Favorite game to play at Peter Piper Pizza:
Golden Tee Golf
Bill Toole has his sights set on two primary goals: maintaining the strength of Peter Piper Pizza’s current locations – now numbering close to 150 – and helping launch the brand in new markets while the company grows its share of the pie by 10 to 15 percent a year. As Vice President of Operations, he knows success is in the details, from recognizing outstanding service and maintaining restaurant cleanliness to retaining team members and sharing best practices for building sales.
"One of the most important elements in getting my job done is making sure the people I work with feel empowered," says Bill. "There are so many exciting things that we’re doing with this brand, and I put a lot of effort into making sure each team member is in the best position to utilize their strengths, so everyone feels confident in their role and can keep advancing us forward."
An asset Bill brings is a very sharp knowledge of what each of those roles entails – he has been with Peter Piper Pizza for over 20 years, initially rising from crew member to general manager with Pistol Pete’s Pizza, then staying on board when that concept was acquired by Peter Piper Pizza in 1995. He was promoted to area supervisor and then regional manager before obtaining his current post.
"This brand has gone through amazing development, especially over the past few years. To see where we are today, and the success that has been reached, makes me very proud to be part of this company," Bill says. "Great leadership is at the root of it all, and having a team that feels secure in making decisions is a result of that; it keeps all the wheels in motion with everyone truly doing their part and sharing in the achievements."
Bill is in a unique situation to really understand the evolution of the company – as a five-year-old, he used to frequent the very first Peter Piper Pizza restaurant within the first couple of years it opened. He remembers going with his family, playing Pac-Man and Skeeball, and eating all the pizza he could. As a father, he has taken his sons to the restaurants to enjoy family time as well. Now he pulls on those memories as the company enters new markets and determines how to appeal to the next generation of children and families. back to top »
Jason Greenwood
Vice President of Marketing
Favorite game:
Big Bass Wheel
It's not often you get to revisit your childhood, but that's exactly what happened the day Jason Greenwood started at Peter Piper Pizza. The aroma of freshly made pizzas, the sound of games and laughter and the sight of great family gatherings are more than a successful day's work for the Vice President of Marketing. For Jason, it's reminiscent of his own cherished childhood memories, which he works to preserve for today's families.
"As a teenager, my parents loved taking us to Peter Piper Pizza, so I virtually grew up eating our pepperoni pizza and playing in our game rooms," says Jason. "As the leader of the marketing discipline, my objective is to maintain that family-friendly heritage on which I was raised, while evolving the concept to delight in all aspects of the modern restaurant experience."
Prior to Jason's positions at Peter Piper Pizza, the native Michigander embarked on a marketing career in the automotive industry. He started as a marketing analyst for Lucas Varity (now TRW Automotive), then moved into account planning at Y&R Advertising. There, he devoted himself to marketing research and brand development for Ford Motor Company’s luxury divisions, along with Callaway Golf, Sony Electronics and other 'blue chip' brands. Jason relocated to the Grand Canyon state after launching his own franchised restaurant company in Phoenix. Jason joined the Peter Piper Pizza team as Director of Marketing in 2008 before his promotion in 2012.
Jason is an alumnus of Eastern Michigan University, where he a holds Bachelor's Degree in Marketing, and Wayne State University for his Master's Degree in International Business.back to top »
