News

Blaze promotes Mizes to top spot

May 12, 2017

Blaze Pizza has promoted Jim Mizes to the brand's president and CEO, from his former position there as president and COO. He now assumes global responsibility for the brand and its growth, according to a company press release.

"He combines a background in finance and restaurant operations with decades of experience helping start-up brands add systems and processes so they can scale smoothly and quickly," Blaze co-founder and Chairman Rick Wetzel, said in a news release. "He is truly the entrepreneur's best friend!"  

Mizes previously helped Noah's Bagels and Jamba Juice grow out of the start-up phase through infrastructure creation to help each brand add locations and grow sales. He has been with Blaze for five years and joined when the brand had two restaurants.

Under his leadership, the brand has made the following achievements:

• 2016 AUV of $1.45 million in across 31 states and Canada. 
• $185 million in system-wide sales last year for a four-year system-wide sales CAGR of 210 percent.
• 4-year new-unit CAGR of 205 percent.

Mizes was previously president of Freebirds World Burrito, where his oversight was key in doubling its number of units. As vice president of brand development and store operations at Jamba Juice, he led the chain from 50 to 350 stores in five years. And before that role, he was president of Noah's New York Bagels on its growth path until the brand's sale to Einstein Bros. Bagels, according to the release.

"By leveraging the infrastructure we've built over our first five years, we are now well-positioned to become a dominant category leader, with a goal of becoming a billion-dollar brand by 2022," Mizes said in a news release.