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| Ex-Marine Mike Walker bought into the Pizza Fusion franchise partly because of its green-friendly policies. |
Park City, Utah, native Mike Walker wanted to start a business that fit his personality and his love for the environment.
After eight years of service in the Marine Corps, Walker used the International Franchise Association’s VetFran program to purchase Pizza Fusion.
Walker says he and his wife, Nicole, are set to open their first San Diego location this May in Hillcrest.
“The biggest turn-on to us was Pizza Fusion’s dedication to social responsibility and environmentally-friendly business. The franchise application was very strict, asking everything down to whether or not I was a smoker,” Walker said.
Michael Gordon and Vaughan Lazar founded Florida-based Pizza Fusion in 2006.
The chain’s owners say they are committed to opening only Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED-certified, locations, including the Hillcrest location, which is currently registered for certification by the U.S. Green Building Council’s San Diego chapter.
According to the USGBC Web site, no restaurant in San Diego has so far obtained LEED certification.
“There is a myth that going green is much more expensive. The biodegradable materials we use for our disposables, like spud ware and cornstarch materials, are really pretty easily accessible and not much more money than plastics and paper,” Walker said.
The use of bamboo flooring and use of local organic farmers are among Pizza Fusion’s green-friendly features.
“You can’t really advocate a clean atmosphere in an old model car, so all of our delivery vehicles are hybrids,” said Walker, who also said that Pizza Fusion’s proximity to mass transit, the Fifth Avenue bus stop, gave the restaurant more points for LEED certification.
New franchisees can open an average-sized store of 2,100 square feet with a startup fee of $30,000, and depending on location and size, an additional cost of between $250,000 and $500,000.
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Car Sales are Slowing: Sales of new car and light truck registrations in San Diego are stronger than those statewide, according to a recent California Motor Car Dealers Association report, though the automotive industry isn’t faring well.
