Pizza Shuttle To Become Employee Owned

The owners of Pizza Shuttle, 1827 N. Farwell Ave., are retiring and transitioning ownership over to their employees.

Owners Mark Gold and Louis Siecinski opened Pizza Shuttle 37 years ago.

“I dreamed of opening a pizzeria when I was a teenager,” Gold said in a statement. “This restaurant has been my life, which makes stepping away from the business a very difficult decision.”

The pizzeria has an expansive menu and is a popular late night favorite, whether for delivery or the many heading there from Brady Street after bar close. In 2019, it was ranked 43rd in Pizza Today’s Hot 100 Independent Pizzerias.

Now, Gold and Siecinski are working with Teamshares, a financial technology company to make the transition. Teamshares is a venture-capital backed firm, according to a press release, that “assists with issuing employee stock and helping employee-owners become financially fluent through software and education.”

“Many of our employees have been with us for years – even decades,” Gold said. “When I discovered the employee ownership model, I knew this was how I wanted to transition into retirement – empowering my employees to take ownership and benefit from business growth and success.”

The plan is to transition 50% of the company to employees over the next 10 years, and 80% of the company within 15 to 20 years. Employees will collectively earn 10% stock in the company for four years of continuous service.

In the meantime, Pizza Shuttle will hire a new president and Jessica Gold – Mark Gold’s daughter – will serve as general manager.

The restaurant has a staff of 80 base employees, according to a press release. If the employee ownership model sounds interesting, and you’re willing to put in some time, Pizza Shuttle is hiring.

The restaurant says it offers competitive wages, benefits, flexible hours and 401k options. Delivery Drivers make $20 an hour.