Serving up inspiration, recognition

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This article was published 30/10/2024 (582 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When it comes to leadership in the food industry, Little Caesars franchisee Karissa Pazdor can’t be topped.

On Wednesday, food delivery giant Skip (formerly SkipTheDishes), in partnership with the Women’s Executive Network (WXN), announced the Winnipeg entrepreneur was one of four winners of the inaugural Food Industry Award.

Presented as part of the Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Awards, the honour recognizes women who have demonstrated resilience, vision and leadership.

The recognition is a powerful reminder of the impact women have in the food industry, according to Pazdor, who owns and operates four Little Caesars locations in Winnipeg.

“It validates the hard work that I and women in the food service industry complete every day,” the 33-year-old said. “I really hope it inspires women to embrace their potential and pursue their dreams in entrepreneurship.”

Pazdor is the only Manitoban to receive the Food Industry Award. This year’s winners will be celebrated in person next month at the 22nd annual Top 100 Awards gala in Toronto.

Pazdor’s journey as an entrepreneur started when she got a part-time job at a Tim Hortons restaurant when she was 15. Over the next 12 years, she worked her way through the ranks until she was the general manager of seven Tim Hortons locations.

“I really hope it inspires women to embrace their potential and pursue their dreams in entrepreneurship.”–Karissa Pazdor

Working in the food industry wasn’t initially supposed to be a career for Pazdor, who holds a bachelor of science degree from the University of Winnipeg.

“Tim Hortons was a part-time job to get me through school, but as I started growing into supervisor roles and managing my own location, it became obvious that’s what I was meant to do.”

Pazdor bought her first two Little Caesars restaurants in 2018. She purchased additional locations in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

She employs approximately 50 people and spends one day each week at each store, working with team members and serving customers (whom she refers to as guests).

“I personally love being in the front with my guests and my team,” she said. “Taking care of your team members and your guests is something that’s really important to me.”

Pazdor’s involvement with Little Caesars has included opening stores, closing stores, moving stores, renovating stores and participating in test markets. She’s also built relationships in the community by supporting fundraising efforts at a dozen schools and donating food weekly to Siloam Mission.

Pazdor notes the Food Industry Award announcement comes at the end of Small Business Month, which recognizes and celebrates the entrepreneurship, resilience and contribution of Canadian small businesses.

“People have the misconception that franchises aren’t local businesses, but meanwhile there’s people like me in the day-to-day, employing local team members and providing things for the community at the same time,” Pazdor said. “We are local owners who work in our stores every single day.”

According to the Canadian Franchise Association, Canadian franchises contribute more than $120 billion per year to the economy and create jobs for almost two million people.

“Canadian franchises enable more than 76,000 hardworking Canadians to be their own boss as the owner of their own small-business franchise locations, serving their neighbours in communities from coast to coast to coast,” the association’s most recent annual report stated.

Skip created the Food Industry Award to spotlight the contributions of women who are “redefining Canada’s food industry,” according to Melanie Fatouros-Richardson, vice-president of communications and government relations.

“This award allows us to empower and celebrate female leaders whose passion, vision and innovation are transforming the sector,” she said in an email. “We hope this award inspires more women to follow their passion while contributing to a more inclusive and equitable culinary landscape across Canada.”

WXN’s Global Alliance for Inclusive Leadership chose the four Food Industry Award winners, which include a chef from Toronto, a café owner from Toronto and a sous chef from Vancouver.

“(Karissa’s) definitely excelled for many years in the food industry,” said Virginia Johnson, director of marketing and communications at WXN. “It was really an honour to be able to celebrate Karissa and the other three winners in this category.”

Little Caesars was founded in 1959 in the Detroit suburb of Garden City, Mich. Today, the chain has thousands of locations in 28 countries and territories around the world.

Pazdor is proud to have her own slice of a brand she associates with fond childhood memories. When she was young, her mother brought her to Little Caesars every now and then for a quick bite before soccer and ringette games.

“Being part of something I grew up with is really fun,” she said. “The convenience, the affordability, the family environment — I really like being involved with something I believe in and can support.”

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca