Pie innovation leads to award for pizza entrepreneur

Pizza magnate Glenn Mueller of Gulfport was recognized for his business prowess that led him to own the largest single Domino’s Pizza franchise, receiving Mississippi Power’s Innovator Award Tuesday at the Power of Synergy Conference.

Mueller was the guest speaker at the event, which was held on the Jefferson Davis Campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.

“Since we began in 1981, when my wife and I lived in a rental house in Long Beach, we’ve been fanatical about customer service,” said Mueller. “We work under the three Ps — have the right plan in place, use the right process and put the right people in the right positions to be successful. The goal is creating smiles and making our customers’ lives better.”

Mueller created RPM Pizza and it has grown to nearly 190 Domino’s restaurants – most of them in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Michigan and Indiana. He employs more than 4,000 workers.

He attributes the growth of his business to innovations like heated hot bags, drive-thru windows at certain locations, the RPM Pizza College and car-top signs on delivery vehicles.

Mueller was also among the first to launch Domino’s new pizza theatre stores where patrons can watch their pies being made with fresh ingredients. He also introduced the first wordless Dominoes logo on a sign.

“I see the same business strategies at Mississippi Power that we use,” said Mueller. “We both strive to be the best, we both set clear goals on where we want to go and what we want to be.”

The event, facilitated by Mississippi Power’s Human Resources department, also featured innovation breakout sessions for company employees that focused on mind-mapping activities and giving employees valuable tools to take back to their respective departments.

Mississippi Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), produces safe, reliable and environmentally responsible energy for nearly 187,000 customers in 23 southeast Mississippi counties. Mississippi Power ranked first in the Southeastern Electric Exchange’s 2016 Safety Performance Reports and is consistently recognized as an industry leader in reliability, customer service and safety. Visit our websites at www.mississippipower.com and www.mississippipowernews.com, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and YouTube.