Marco's Pizza, one of the nation's fastest-growing pizza brands, has announced it will be attending Franchise Expo South in Fort Lauderdale from January 24 – 26 in search of passionate entrepreneurs looking to join the franchise system and expand the brand in the southern U.S.

Franchise Expo South is the premier franchise expo serving the Southern U.S., Caribbean, and Latin America. Hundreds of proven franchised businesses at every investment level and every industry attend in search of entrepreneurial investors. Marco's Pizza will be situated at Booth 105 and have several local representatives readily available to speak with those interested in the franchise opportunity.

Marco's Pizza is already seeing immense growth and success in the Florida market with nearly 90 locations currently open and operating in the state and another 16 in development. The brand seeks to add an additional 23 locations though strategic franchise partnerships in 2019.

"Marco's Pizza has seen incredible success in Florida and it's no surprise the state was recently ranked one of the best states for business—from the job growth and cost of living to the business survival rate, Florida has a thriving economy," said Ron Stilwell, Chief Development Officer of Marco's Pizza. "Our attendance at Franchise Expo South is a great way to meet motivated and excited entrepreneurs who are looking to jump into the world of franchising or diversify their portfolio with a popular and growing brand like Marco's Pizza."

Key initiatives driving Marco's Pizza growth include the unveiling of a new restaurant design and the recent celebration of the brand's 40^th anniversary in July 2018. Combined, these efforts will drive Marco's larger mission of being the Pizza of Choice, Employer of Choice, and Partner of Choice in markets across the country.

"This is an exciting time for the Marco's Pizza brand as we approached the opening of our 1,000th location later this year," said Stilwell. "The culture and people behind the brand are what truly moves Marco's Pizza forward. We hope to continue to build on this momentum and expand throughout Florida and the southern region of the U.S. beginning with our attendance at Franchise Expo South."

Additional target development areas throughout the southern U.S. with viable franchising opportunities include Puerto Rico, which has 18 locations open and another 18 in development for 2019, as well as the Bahamas, which has 6 locations open and room for further expansion.

Opening a new store every three to four days, Marco's Pizza is committed to increasing that pace significantly in 2019, and aims to have 1,500 locations open by late 2020. As the only national pizza franchise chain founded by a native Italian, Marco's Pizza has carved out a niche in the industry for authentic Italian quality pizza, known for its fresh dough made daily onsite, a proprietary cheese blend that is fresh, never-frozen, and a secret original pizza sauce recipe from its founder Pat Giammarco.

For more information on Marco's Pizza franchise opportunities, visit www.marcosfranchising.com or call 866-731-8209.

ABOUT MARCO'S PIZZA 

Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, Marco's Pizza is one of the fastest-growing pizza companies in the United States. Marco's was founded in 1978 by Italian-born Pasquale ("Pat") Giammarco and thrives by making authentic Italian quality pizza with fresh ingredients. The company has grown from its roots as a beloved Ohio brand to operate 900 plus stores in over 34 states and in three countries. Most recently, Marco's Pizza was ranked No. 5 in Forbes "Best Franchises to Buy" 2018 Study/Medium Investment, and No. 39 on Entrepreneur's 2019 Franchise 500 ranking.  Other recent accolades include ranking No. 2 on Entrepreneur's 2018 Top 200 Food and Restaurant Franchises in the pizza segment, and No. 8 on the Military Times Best: Franchises 2018 list.