A pizza king has joined Dairy Queen.
The Bloomington-based franchisor announced Tuesday it has hired Art D’Elia as chief operating officer for the U.S. and Canada. D’Elia comes from Domino’s Pizza, where he was chief marketing officer and oversaw the international business for the country’s largest pizza chain.
At Dairy Queen, he’ll oversee 275 employees in operations, training and marketing. Dairy Queen has nearly 5,000 U.S. and Canadian locations and thousands of individual franchisees.
“I have long admired the iconic DQ brand, and I am energized by the potential to grow the business, partner with world-class DQ franchisees and introduce even more consumers to the DQ experience,” D’Elia said in a statement.
D’Elia also brings experience from Danone and PepsiCo and will report directly to CEO Troy Bader.
The new executive “will elevate our franchise business to the next level and deliver on our vision to become the world’s favorite quick-service restaurant,” Bader said in a news release.
D’Elia succeeds Dan Kropp, who is now chief supply chain and development officer.
International Dairy Queen Inc., the company’s official name, is a subsidiary of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway. In 2023, the most recent year available, the company turned a $94 million profit on $248 million in revenue, according to franchise disclosure documents.
