539th Meeting Featuring John Maguire

The Five Hundred and Thirty-Ninth Meeting
of the
Worcester Economic Club
will be held at the
College of the Holy Cross
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Reception and Networking, 5:30 pm; Speaker, 6:30 pm

John M. Maguire

CEO, Friendly’s

John M. Maguire was named CEO of Friendly’s Ice Cream LLC in 2012 bringing to the company two decades of experience in restaurant operations.  He was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Panera Bread and  previously held positions with Au Bon Pain Co., Inc., Bread and Circus/Whole Foods Supermarkets, and Continental Baking Company.

At Panera, Maguire held positions of increasing responsibility over 19 years, managing many different functions including restaurants, franchising, commissary operations, bakery supply chain, manufacturing, catering, and joint venture operations.

When Maguire was 26, Au Bon Pain handed him “his first chance to turn around an operation. The project was a 17,000-square-foot commissary in a building under the Tobin Bridge charged with providing salads, juice, and baked goods to the Au Bon Pain locations without their own kitchens. The commissary was a disaster.” The lesson he learned there about motivating his employees is one he has intended to take to Friendly’s.

Friendly’s Ice Cream, LLC is a new, vertically integrated restaurant company, with a legendary brand name, serving signature sandwiches, entrees and ice cream desserts in a friendly, family environment. Together with its broad franchisee base, the company has system-wide sales of over $550 million and distribution through over 7,500 retail locations.

Maguire is a native of Weymouth, Massachusetts .He has a Bachelor’s degree in bakery science and management from Kansas State University and a master’s degree in advanced management from Harvard Business School.

Tickets for this event will be available at the door, standard guest pricing applies.