P-I-Z-Z-A

WOW!

What to say... This past week I visited Ann Arbor, Michigan to attend the Domino's Transformation Experience. A total of ten students from throughout the United States were chosen based on their "Next Big Idea" to improve healthy eating in their schools or communities. There were a total of 69 applicants from across 33 states. I was one of the lucky ten to receive this amazing opportunity along with a $2,000 grant from Domino's Pizza to start our projects.

During the three-day experience, I met numerous Domino's Executives, other Domino's Transformation Experience winners, and leaders of AdCap and GENYOUth. What an amazing experience. Everyone I met was so genuine and took interest in our ideas. One of the biggest takeaways from meeting with the execs is the power of listening. Domino's faced nearly three years of negative sales growth back in 2007. They began listening to their customers. The feedback they received help execs to completely revamp their menu. Today they are happy to announce that 1 in every 3 pizza's bought in the United States is a Domino's pizza. And, can you believe that they are actually pretty darn good?

During my visit to HQ I was taken down into the test kitchen and was given the opportunity to create and bake my very own pizza. I made a Pacific Veggie pizza with additional ham after Patrick Doyle, President and CEO of Domino's Pizza, informed me that it was his favorite. It was fresh and flavorful. The crust was excellent and not soggy at all. The cheese and toppings are really high quality. 

If you have not been paying attention to Domino's in the news you might not know how innovative the company is. Recently, Domino's has partnered with Ford Motor Company to develop autonomous cars that have the capability to deliver pizza. The future is bright for Dominos. I cannot wait to see what they will come up with next. Cheers to pizza and everything about it!