Over 40 years ago, no one dreamed that a tiny Youngstown-area pizza parlor would spawn a mighty franchise of 80 locations in 19 Ohio counties. A pizza was just a pizza until Hallrich Incorporated brought one of Ohio's first Pizza Hut franchises to town. Today, Hallrich is a Northeast Ohio business success story. A leading edge company, Hallrich has made a more than modest contribution to Ohio's economic strength during its nearly 40 years.

This is the story of Hallrich Incorporated. It is the story of two dynamic entrepreneurs, William G. Halls and A. Scott Ritchie, and their hand-picked manager, A.E. Szambecki, who bought a budding franchise from a Wichita, Kansas, based company and steered it to incredible success in the culturally-diverse Northeast Ohio area.

In 1965, Szambecki was hired as a dishwasher by Pizza Hut's Wichita, Kansas parent company. An 18-year old college student, he was paid 50 cents an hour. "I left a truck driving job that paid more," Szambecki recalls, "but the hours at Pizza Hut allowed me to continue my education."

Starting from the ground up, Szambecki (Hallrich Chief Executive Officer) worked through his "pizza apprenticeship." He learned to make pizzas, bus tables and please customers. He continued to excel, soon moving into management.

In 1968, Halls (now deceased) and Ritchie (Hallrich Chairman of the Board) bought a Pizza Hut franchise, with plans to open in Austintown, just outside Youngstown. They enticed Szambecki to Ohio to run it. As Szambecki puts it, "They offered me twice the work for half the pay - what a deal!" but since the offer included an equity option, Szambecki accepted.

From the start, the relationship between the three men was a win/win situation for all. Indeed, Szambecki had already written a training manual that had been used to train many of the early franchisees. So, he said goodbye to Wichita and drove 1000 miles to Ohio.

Today, Hallrich Incorporated employs around 2000 people in 19 Ohio counties. But the pizzas are not the major story, at least not to Szambecki, who likes to reflect on the families whose lives have been touched by Hallrich. It's a long list, including not only the employees, but also their families, the construction and landscaping firms, the utility providers and bankers who have built, serviced and financed the restaurants; as well as many others.

More significantly, Szambecki says: "It has been a source of great satisfaction to me that we've taught several generations of young people how to work, how to handle people and problems, how to build a career. This is the accomplishment that means the most to me."

Pizza Hut's vision to pioneer new, quality products for their customers perseveres. In fact, the company has launched two new concepts; the Italian Bistro and WingStreet eateries. The Pizza Hut Italian Bistro is an upscale concept with a café atmosphere which features gourmet pizzas, sautéed pastas, toasted sandwiches and a variety of delectable desserts. WingStreet is quickly becoming a customer favorite with their award-winning wings. WingStreet currently offers delivery service, but soon Hallrich will unveil its first WingStreet with a dining room.

Hallrich is always looking for new ways to expand their organization. It has diversified and broadened its scope from pizza to beauty. In 1994, Designer Hair Outlet Incorporated was formed and its management operates the BeautyFirst Retail Stores and Salons located in Fairlawn and Boardman, OH. The full-service salons have a list of services including manicures, pedicures, facials, massages and eyelash extensions, and an extensive array of professional beauty products.

With all of the changes – past, present and future – Hallrich recognizes that people are their greatest asset and that commitment, quality and exceptional service are the recipe for their success.