Marco's Pizza Chooses Ryder's Transportation Solutions for Franchise Distribution Service
MIAMI, May 10, 2010 Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE: R), a leader in transportation and supply chain management solutions, today announced that it has been awarded a Dedicated Contract Carriage transportation contract with Marco's Pizza Distribution LLC, the distribution service of Marco's Pizza (Marco's Franchising LLC). Marco's Pizza is the fastest-growing pizza company in the U.S.
Marco's launched Marco's Pizza Distribution in January 2010, opening its first distribution center in Maumee, Ohio. The center will serve more than 100 Marco's Pizza locations in the Midwest region, adding more stores and territories over time.
Marco's Pizza is growing exponentially, and we needed a qualified partner who could support the start up of our distribution center and provide a turnkey solution to support direct-to-store delivery for franchises in the Midwest region, said Don Vlcek, Vice President of Purchasing for Marco's Pizza. We have confidence that Ryder's transportation and logistics expertise will support Marco's Pizza Distribution's standards of excellence for operations, efficiency and service.
Ryder's Dedicated Contract Carriage service is a customized suite of transportation management services that optimizes fleet operations and allows the customer to be more focused on core business issues.
Under the multi-year contract, Ryder purchased trucks (tractors), as well as refrigerated trailers and hired a team of drivers and an on-site manager to orchestrate the timely delivery of products from Maumee, Ohio, to franchise stores in the Midwest. In addition to providing the drivers, equipment, management and ongoing engineering support, Ryder will support Marco's peak shipping periods drawing upon vehicles and other Ryder resources available in the local area.
The Ryder sales and operating teams worked closely to engineer an innovative solution that was cost-effective in meeting the transportation goals of Marco's Pizza, said John Sonia, Vice President of Dedicated Contract Carriage for Ryder. Ryder looks forward to implementing best practices and processes throughout Marco's transportation operations to support their rapidly growing business.
About Marco's Pizza
Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, Marco's Pizza (Marco's Franchising, LLC) is the fastest-growing pizza company in the U.S. (based on the number of stores signed into development since 2007). Marco's was founded in 1978 by Pasquale (Pat) Giammarco and is committed to making Ah!thentic Italian pizza with fresh ingredients. The company has grown from its roots as a beloved Ohio brand to operate more than 200 stores in 17 states and the Bahamas. Marco's is now recognized as one of the top-performing restaurant franchises in the country. For more information, visit www.marcos.com.
About Ryder
Ryder is a FORTUNE 500® commercial transportation, logistics and supply chain management solutions company. Ryder's stock (NYSE: R) is a component of the Dow Jones Transportation Average and the Standard & Poor's 500 Index. Inbound Logistics magazine has recognized Ryder as the top third party logistics provider and Security magazine has named Ryder the number-one company for security practices in the transportation, logistics, supply chain, and warehousing sector. Ryder is a proud member of the American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program, supporting national and local disaster preparedness and response efforts. For more information on Ryder System, Inc., visit www.ryder.com.