© 2010 Brown & Brown of MN, Inc. Mankato
530 West Pleasant Street, Suite 100
Mankato, Minnesota 56001
Phone (507) 388-2010
530 West Pleasant Street, Suite 100
Mankato, Minnesota 56001
Phone (507) 388-2010
Family business keeps the kids busy
Toppers Pizza started as a way for the Wilkes to find family time - and to make sure their boys had jobs
By Sara Gilbert Frederick
Special to The Free Press
One of the reasons that Paul and Sue Wilke decided to open a Toppers Pizza franchise in Mankato in September 2007 was because they wanted to spend more time with their children. Andy, who is now 25, was living in the dorms at Minnesota State University. Chris, now 20, was in his senior year of high school and getting ready to move into the dorms at MSU as well. Starting a family-run business, Paul and Sue reasoned, would give them a reason to be together more often.
"Working together made is possible for us to have more time with our boys," says Sue Wilke, who had worked at Taylor Corporation for 27 years before leaving to run Toppers Pizza. But there was another reason that the Wilkes wanted to launch Toppers Pizza as well - and it wasn't that they were well versed in the ways of pizza (aside from eating it every Friday, which was "pizza night" in their household.) "We wanted to provide jobs for our kids and to give them some experience in running a business," says Paul Wilke, who is also the general manager of Mankato's River Hills Mall.
MN Valley Business: Was starting this business a family decision?
Andy: We were definately part of the conversation. We all sat down and talked about it, and we all bought into it - even though we knew it represented a pretty significant lifestyle change. Chris and I were used to Mom and Dad working 8 to 5 every day, and this was going to be different.
MVB: Did you discuss the roles you would each play during those early conversations?
Sue: Not to begin with. At first, we all were just trying to figure out where our right seats were on this bus. It took a little time, but now we know.
Paul: We did know, however, that the plan was for the boys to take a leadership role.
Andy: Now Chris is one of the fastest pizza makers in the company.
MVB: So who does what now?
Sue: I run the store day-to-day, with Chris as my right-hand man. I do the bookwork too, which Chris is also learning to do.
Chris: I'm a full-time student, but I work 25 to 30 hours a week. And when Mom's not here, I get to be the boss.
Paul: I handle the sponsorships and build relationships with groups, like the university and the civic center.
Andy: I'm the assistant manager, so basically I have a lot of marketing responsibilities. I send out our postcards every week and do that stuff. At the same time, I'm also a full-time graduate student and an intern at the city of Mankato.
Sue: Both the boys are very busy. But it keeps them out of trouble. I've got two great kids, because I keep them so busy.
MVB: Tell me a little bit about the sponsorships and the relationship with the university.
Paul: The target market for Toppers is the 18- to 24-year age range. So we do a lot with the university; we go up to the basketball games and give away 100 free slices of pizza, for example, and we're at all MSU althletic events, plus other events on campus. We're also involved with Campus Kitchen on campus; we do fundraisers for them and feed them when their 25-hour fast is over. We also just started a five-year contract with the civic center to vend our pizza there. They buy the pizzas from us and then they sell it there.
Andy: We just deliver the deliciousness to them.
MVB: Outside of the four of you, how many other employees do you have at Toppers?
Sue: We have between 30 and 40 part-time kids who work with us. They are all great kids. We call them our famliy too, because many of them did grow up with our boys. They've been great.
MVB: Andy and Chris, do you feel like the experience you've had here will translate to your careers later in life?
Andy: I have learned a lot from my mom and dad, how they started from scratch with this, how they've been able to create what they have now. That is definately something that I can apply to my future. Everything about this is definatley applicable.
Chris: I really feel like what I'm doing here has helped me already. It makes what I'm learning in my classes so much more real to me. And one day, this may all be mine. That's why my mom has taken me under her wing and is teaching me the business of it.
MVB: Have you talked about succession already, and how you'll back away?
Sue: We will probably never back away entirely, but maybe our roles will change. We'll become silent - or maybe not so silent - partners. We'd love to see Chris take over. We know we have such a great staff, and I'm not just talking our own kids. They've all been great.
Toppers Pizza started as a way for the Wilkes to find family time - and to make sure their boys had jobs
By Sara Gilbert Frederick
Special to The Free Press
One of the reasons that Paul and Sue Wilke decided to open a Toppers Pizza franchise in Mankato in September 2007 was because they wanted to spend more time with their children. Andy, who is now 25, was living in the dorms at Minnesota State University. Chris, now 20, was in his senior year of high school and getting ready to move into the dorms at MSU as well. Starting a family-run business, Paul and Sue reasoned, would give them a reason to be together more often.
"Working together made is possible for us to have more time with our boys," says Sue Wilke, who had worked at Taylor Corporation for 27 years before leaving to run Toppers Pizza. But there was another reason that the Wilkes wanted to launch Toppers Pizza as well - and it wasn't that they were well versed in the ways of pizza (aside from eating it every Friday, which was "pizza night" in their household.) "We wanted to provide jobs for our kids and to give them some experience in running a business," says Paul Wilke, who is also the general manager of Mankato's River Hills Mall.
MN Valley Business: Was starting this business a family decision?
Andy: We were definately part of the conversation. We all sat down and talked about it, and we all bought into it - even though we knew it represented a pretty significant lifestyle change. Chris and I were used to Mom and Dad working 8 to 5 every day, and this was going to be different.
MVB: Did you discuss the roles you would each play during those early conversations?
Sue: Not to begin with. At first, we all were just trying to figure out where our right seats were on this bus. It took a little time, but now we know.
Paul: We did know, however, that the plan was for the boys to take a leadership role.
Andy: Now Chris is one of the fastest pizza makers in the company.
MVB: So who does what now?
Sue: I run the store day-to-day, with Chris as my right-hand man. I do the bookwork too, which Chris is also learning to do.
Chris: I'm a full-time student, but I work 25 to 30 hours a week. And when Mom's not here, I get to be the boss.
Paul: I handle the sponsorships and build relationships with groups, like the university and the civic center.
Andy: I'm the assistant manager, so basically I have a lot of marketing responsibilities. I send out our postcards every week and do that stuff. At the same time, I'm also a full-time graduate student and an intern at the city of Mankato.
Sue: Both the boys are very busy. But it keeps them out of trouble. I've got two great kids, because I keep them so busy.
MVB: Tell me a little bit about the sponsorships and the relationship with the university.
Paul: The target market for Toppers is the 18- to 24-year age range. So we do a lot with the university; we go up to the basketball games and give away 100 free slices of pizza, for example, and we're at all MSU althletic events, plus other events on campus. We're also involved with Campus Kitchen on campus; we do fundraisers for them and feed them when their 25-hour fast is over. We also just started a five-year contract with the civic center to vend our pizza there. They buy the pizzas from us and then they sell it there.
Andy: We just deliver the deliciousness to them.
MVB: Outside of the four of you, how many other employees do you have at Toppers?
Sue: We have between 30 and 40 part-time kids who work with us. They are all great kids. We call them our famliy too, because many of them did grow up with our boys. They've been great.
MVB: Andy and Chris, do you feel like the experience you've had here will translate to your careers later in life?
Andy: I have learned a lot from my mom and dad, how they started from scratch with this, how they've been able to create what they have now. That is definately something that I can apply to my future. Everything about this is definatley applicable.
Chris: I really feel like what I'm doing here has helped me already. It makes what I'm learning in my classes so much more real to me. And one day, this may all be mine. That's why my mom has taken me under her wing and is teaching me the business of it.
MVB: Have you talked about succession already, and how you'll back away?
Sue: We will probably never back away entirely, but maybe our roles will change. We'll become silent - or maybe not so silent - partners. We'd love to see Chris take over. We know we have such a great staff, and I'm not just talking our own kids. They've all been great.