Abby Gunlock & Allison Cool

Vickie Forcina
Business Pathways
12 October 2016
PACE Business Profile
Lindner College of Businesss PACE is an abbreviation for professionalism, academics,
character and engagement. PACE uses all of these aspects to ensure that students are able to
pursue the personal and career goals that they have set for themselves. We have selected and
analyzed the company, Marcos Pizza, through the four aspects of PACE. Abby wrote the
introduction paragraph, as well as the paragraphs on professionalism and engagement. Allison
wrote the paragraphs on academics and character and the conclusion. Both Allison and Abby
worked on the video presentation. Jack Graham voiced the presentation.
Professionalism plays an important role in Lindner College of Business PACE program.
Professionalism focuses on real-world skills that are needed to excel in the workplace. The
Lindner Fast Track program puts this into play by allowing students to actually enter the
workforce, thus, giving them experience and competitive advantage over students who have not.
Marcos Pizza started as a small, inexperienced pizza shop in Ohio just as a new unschooled
student would be. Since then, Marcos has acquired tools, skills and strategies to grow into a
thriving company. By doing so, Marcos Pizza has doubled in size by adding 113 stores for a
grand total of 700 stores that operate in thirty-five states including, the Bahamas, India and
Puerto Rico (About Marcos Pizza). The trajectory of the company is expected to expand to over
1,000 stores by the end of 2017. With all that has been achieved, Marcos Pizza has been named
the undisputed kings of new store development by Entrepreneur Magazine. Furthermore,

Lindner College of Business has also earned the highest rankings jump of any MBA program in
the United States over the past three years according to the U.S News and World Report
(University of Cincinnati). Marcos Pizza and Lindner College of Businesss PACE program
have both utilized the concept of professionalism to succeed.
Academics as a part of the PACE program is very important as Lindner College of
Business was named a Best Business School by U.S. News and World Report (PACE
Curriculum). At Marcos Pizza academics and employee training are also an important part of
how they operate as a business. Marcos hires employees as young as age 14 to take orders and
make pizzas but to be a driver, employees must be 18 years old with a valid drivers license but
no education is required for either position. To be a manager of a store, individuals must be 18
with at least a high school diploma or the equivalent. A corporate position at Marcos Pizza
requires at least a bachelors degree and preferable applicable to the position they are trying to
obtain. In order to make sure their employees are performing the best service they can provide,
Marcos Pizza requires employees to complete nine online training course at their Marcos
University, with managers completing a higher number of courses to be considered fully trained
(Cool). Additional courses are available to all employees if additional training is wanted.
Marcos has an online partnership with DeVry University and the Keller Graduate School of
Management for which employees can potentially earn college credit for the corporate training
that they complete. Any Marcos Pizza employee can receive a fifteen percent discount on tuition
and a waived admissions fee (Marcos University). The company wants their employees to
develop professionally and personally which matches up with what the PACE program is trying
to instill in students at Lindner College of Business.

Having strong character in a business environment is crucial to how it operates. Character

in the PACE program means having the strength and conviction to both lead and work with
teams made up of diverse social, cultural and economic viewpoints (PACE Curriculum). Marcos
Pizza is partnered with an organization called Partners in Leadership. Corporate employees
must be certified in tools of cultural beliefs and accountability. They must then take these skills
and integrate them into the daily operations of business. This program is helpful to better
diversify the workforce for the business and as said by District Manager Mike Cool, We will
explore every avenue to bring in the most qualified people to offer the highest quality service
(Cool). Cool also said Marcos Pizza could use a more dynamic approach to attract better and
more highly qualified people to develop the brand, when asked about what could be done better.
The leadership and cultural awareness tools learned by Marcos employees are similar to the
qualities that are taught in the PACE program.
Not only does Marcos Pizza strive to create excellent food and service, they also put
forth effort in making a positive mark on the community. According to the PACE program,
engagement is about going above and beyond one's work by getting involved in the community.
By doing so, one can personally grow and have a positive impact on society. Marcos embraces
this by having their very own non-profit organization called Slice of Support. Marcos Slice of
Support believes that supporting the community deepens consumer connection to the brand so
they actively partner with local charities that are important to their core values. Since Marcos is
based in Ohio, Slice of Support primarily focuses locally. A recent example of Slice of Support
giving back to the local communities is the 5k for children they will be hosting on October 23rd.
They have partnered with Feeding America in aims to provide relief to childhood hunger across
Northeastern Ohio particularly in Cleveland, Akron and Lorain County. Engagement in PACE

also puts emphasis on making sure students personally grow as well as academically with the
tools Lindner College of Business provides. Marcos Pizza follows this idea with their employees
in mind. Slice of Support provides financial assistance for employees facing hardship so they
will still be able to support themselves and ultimately recover back to normal everyday living. In
hopes to encourage individuals to contribute to the community, Marcos has the convenient
option to donate to Slice of Support on their website. In the long run, the support and
involvement offered by Marcos has a positive impact on society just as PACE encourages
students to do the same. Between involvement in the community, good citizenship and the
overall support of their employees, Marcos Pizza is an excellent example of engagement
expressed in PACE.
Marcos has been growing at a very fast rate just in the past couple of years and still
makes sure all of its employees are properly educated, not only for their job at Marcos, but skills
they will need throughout their life. Additionally, the business works closely with the employees
and the community to create a positive atmosphere in society. Marcos Pizza exemplifies
professionalism, academics, character, and engagement throughout the operations of the
business.

Works Cited
Cool, Mike. "Area Representative Operations Field Consultant." Telephone interview.
10 Oct. 2016
Marco's Pizza. "About Marco's Pizza." Marco's Pizza. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2016
Marco's Pizza. "Ah!thentic Italian Pizza - Marco's Franchising." Marcos Franchising. N.p., n.d.
Web. 11 Oct. 2016.

"Marco's Pizza Launches Marco's University Online Education, Training Program." N.p.,
14 Apr. 2016. Web. 11 Oct. 2016.
PACE Curriculum." University of Cincinnati. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2016.
University of Cincinnati. "Rankings." University of Cincinnati. N.p., n.d Web. 11 Oct. 2016.