New roles to lead MOD’s efforts to bring its brand to life in stores across the US
SEATTLE, Wash (September 24, 2015) – MOD Pizza, the expanding pioneer of fast casual pizza, today announced it has added two Vice Presidents to support the company’s rapid expansion across the U.S. Mike Hilgers will join MOD as Vice President of Design and Construction and Darren Medina as Vice President of Store Design; both roles will be focused on creating the unique in-store environment that brings the MOD brand to life.
“MOD has always been focused on creating a series of unique stores, rather than a chain of restaurants. To stay true to this mission, we have attracted two outstanding individuals to lead our store design and construction teams. Together, they will ensure we execute on our aggressive store opening plans while maintaining a focus on the details that make each MOD store unique,” said Scott Svenson, co-founder and CEO of MOD. “We are thrilled to have Mike and Darren join the MOD team. Together, they possess the technical and creative experience to continue elevating the cool aesthetic for which MOD is known.”
Mike Hilgers joins MOD Pizza as a Vice President of Design and Construction. In this role, Mike will lead the overall design and construction efforts for all new MOD locations. Mr. Hilgers was previously the National Director of Retail Real Estate for T-Mobile where he led all new store real estate development in the United States and Puerto Rico. During his seven years with T-Mobile, Mike held several real estate and construction roles and led his team to complete thousands of new location and remodel projects.
Darren Medina joins MOD Pizza as a Vice President of Store Design, where he will lead the team responsible for designing all new stores. Mr. Medina joins MOD Pizza from M3|messenger where he was the Director of Architecture. Prior to that, he spent 15 years at Starbucks Coffee Company as the Director of Global Store Design Concepts, where he helped build the processes, systems, tools and teams that enabled Starbucks to grow from under 200 stores to more than 11,500 stores.
About MOD
Seattle-based MOD Pizza is the pioneer of the fast casual made-to-order pizza segment, founded in 2008 by entrepreneurs Scott and Ally Svenson. MOD’s individual artisan-style pizzas are made on demand, allowing customers to create their own salads and pizzas, using fresh-pressed dough and signature sauces for one price. Pizzas are hand-cooked in an 800 degree oven in less than three minutes and salads are individually hand-tossed for each customer. The menu is rounded out with handspun milkshakes, house-made lemonades and iced teas, and local craft beers and wine.
With over 70 stores in 12 states, MOD is committed to creating not just a cool place to eat, but an inspired place to work. The company has been recognized as one of the “Top 50 Breakout Brands” by Nation’s Restaurant News, named one of the “Fastest Growing Private Companies in America” by Inc. Magazine, ranked as a “Fastest Growing Private Company” by the Puget Sound Business Journal and named one of “Washington’s Best Work Places” by the Puget Sound Business Journal.