Corporate Office HQ

Menards Corporate Office

Menards

Working his way through college, John Menard, Jr. began working on post frame buildings to help pay his bills. Within a year, he found that he was hiring crews to handle the extra workload. After graduating college, Menard purchased some land for an office and a shop.

Menards was founded in 1960 by John Menard, Jr in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The company incorporated in 1962.

History

In 1969, Menard found that there was a demand for even more products and services. He added manufacturing capabilities to the site, including lumber and doors. A distribution center was also added. By 1994, the post frame building division of the company was sold.

In 1998, a second distribution center was opened in Plano, Illinois. This was followed by 2 more distribution centers in 2007 in Holiday City, Ohio, and Shelby, Iowa. The Ohio distribution center is nearly 700 square feet and the one in Iowa boasts 735,000 square feet!

Larger Menards stores began adding groceries to their line up of products.

In 2013, Menards was ranked as the 43rd largest private company by Forbes Magazine. It is the third largest home improvement store, trailing behind Home Depot and Lowe’s.

In 2016, the company moved up the list, now ranking 37th on the Forbes list, along with an estimated annual revenue of $8.7 billion.

The company has been involved in numerous disputes concerning violation of environmental regulations. One that occurred in 2011 found that the company was illegally dumping hazardous waste. Menards paid a fine of $30,000.

Menards also settled complaints filed with the National Labor and Safety Board, which found that the company was violating the rights of workers in regards to pay and firing practices. The company agreed to make changes, but this paves the way for a nationwide, class action lawsuit from employees.

In July 2020, in response to the COVID-19 crisis, Menards posted that they will require all shoppers to wear a mask or other type of face covering as of July 13, 2020.

In late July 2020, the company chose Revenna, Ohio, to build a new manufacturing and distribution center.

Today, Menards has over 300 stores in 14 US states. The Menards corporate office is still located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Pizza Hut Corporate Office

Pizza Hut

Pizza Hut was founded by brothers Dan and Frank Carney in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas. The brothers borrowed $600 from their mother and opened a small restaurant in downtown Wichita.

In 1959, the first franchise opened in Topeka.

History

The business grew quickly in the 60s through aggressive marketing. By 1966, there were 145 franchise locations.

In 1972, Pizza Hut went public and rapid growth continued. The company merged with Pepsi in 1977 and became a division of the soft drink company.

In 1986, the 5000th franchise was opened.

In 1994, growth finally began to slow. In 1997, Pepsi packaged all their restaurant holdings which included Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell and spun them off as Yum! Brands.

As of 2018, are currently over 18,000 Pizza Hut locations operating under Yum! Brands in 94 countries worldwide.

Pizza Hut announced at the beginning of 2019 that they intended to hire more than 11,000 workers in the US in the coming year, although earnings in February of that same year were flat for the pizza chain.

Due to the coronavirus and subsequent quarantine, the parent company of Pizza Hut, filed for bankruptcy in July 1, 2020.

The Pizza Hut corporate office is located in Plano, Texas.

Pizza Hut was founded by brothers Dan and Frank Carney in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas. The brothers borrowed $600 from their mother and opened a small restaurant in downtown Wichita. In 1959, the first franchise opened in Topeka. The business grew … [Continue reading] about Pizza Hut Corporate Office

Winn-Dixie Corporate Office

Winn-Dixie

Winn-Dixie was founded by William Milton Davis and his sons in Burley, Idado in 1914. Davis bought a general stores which he renamed to Davis Mercantile.

In 1925, Davis borrowed $10,000 (about $125,000 in today’s dollars) from his father, moved to Miami, Florida and purchased Rockmoor Grocery. Two years later, the business was renamed to Table Supply and 4 additional stores were opened.

In 1933, 33 additional stores were added with the purchased of Lively Stores chain for $10,000. William Davis died the following year.

History

In 1939, William’s sons bought 51% of Winn-Lovett, a 73 store chain. In 1944, the brothers adopted Winn-Lovett as the company name and moved the corporate office to Jacksonville, Florida. More acquisitions followed in the 40s and 50s and Winn-Lovett went public in 1952.

The company continued to grow through acquisitions up until the 2000’s.

In 2005, the company went into bankruptcy and planned to close over 300 stores. In 2011, the company was purchased by BI-LO.

There are currently 485 Winn-Dixie branded stores in the US, mostly operating in the South. The Winn-Dixie corporate office is still located in Jacksonville.

Winn-Dixie was founded by William Milton Davis and his sons in Burley, Idado in 1914. Davis bought a general stores which he renamed to Davis Mercantile. In 1925, Davis borrowed $10,000 (about $125,000 in today's dollars) from his father, moved … [Continue reading] about Winn-Dixie Corporate Office

Choice Hotels Corporate Office

Choice Hotels

Choice Hotels started out in 1939 in Maryland under the name Quality Courts United, a group of 7 motel owners. The name was changed in 1969 to Quality Motels and again in 1972 to Quality Inns.

From 1946 to 1964, the company had a marketing agreement in place with Best Western because they operated on different halves of the US.

History

The company began franchising in 1972 and soon was over 300 locations (less than 40 company-owned). In 1982, the company pioneered segmentation in the lodging industry and the company grew quickly in the 80s and 90s.

In 1992, Choice Hotels became the largest franchise hotel chain in the world.

The company is best known for their recent string of popular television commercials, featuring a tagline which says “Badda Book, Badda Boom.”

In December 2017, the company announced that it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire the brand and franchise business of WoodSpring Suites from WoodSpring Hotels Holdings for approximately $231 million.

The company stock gained 7% in value in the 2018 fiscal year.

Choice Hotels launched a new advertising campaign in mid-2019, aimed at luring business travelers.

The company has been plagued with complaints about bed bugs, including a young boy who stayed with his mother at a Bozeman, Montana, Quality Inn.

There are currently over 6000 locations operating under 10 different brand names, including Comfort Inn, Sleep Inn, Rodeway Inn, Quality Inn, and Econolodge. The Choice Hotels corporate office is currently located in Silver Spring, Maryland but will be moving about 20 miles to Rockville in 2013.

Choice Hotels started out in 1939 in Maryland under the name Quality Courts United, a group of 7 motel owners. The name was changed in 1969 to Quality Motels and again in 1972 to Quality Inns. From 1946 to 1964, the company had a marketing … [Continue reading] about Choice Hotels Corporate Office

Buffalo Wild Wings Corporate Office

Buffalo Wild Wings

Buffalo Wild Wings (or BW3 for short) was founded in 1982 after friends James Disbrow and Scott Lowery were unable to find a good place to eat chicken wings in Kent, Ohio. They decided to open their own restaurant and Buffalo Wild Wings & Weck opened in Columbus, Ohio. A year later, they opened a second location in the Columbus suburb of Westerville.

The company began to offer franchises and the company took off. The name of the company was eventually shortened to just Buffalo Wild Wings but the nickname BW3 or B-Dubs has stuck.

History

In 2010, the company expanded operations into Canada.

A former employee filed a federal lawsuit in May 2019 stating that the company promoted a racially hostile work environment and that managers allowed employees to discriminate and refuse service to blacks and others if they felt they wouldn’t receive good tips.

As of February 2018, the company became a subsidiary of Arby’s, Inc.

There are currently over 800 locations (more than half are franchises) in 45 US states and Canada. Buffalo Wild Wings corporate office is now located in Minneapolis, Minnesota but was previously located in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Buffalo Wild Wings (or BW3 for short) was founded in 1982 after friends James Disbrow and Scott Lowery were unable to find a good place to eat chicken wings in Kent, Ohio. They decided to open their own restaurant and Buffalo Wild Wings & Weck … [Continue reading] about Buffalo Wild Wings Corporate Office