Over the past nearly eight years, Andy Niemeier has seen his fair share of changes take place at Azzip Pizza. There have been successes such as the annual “March Crabness” pizza, which has become a staple of Azzip’s Pizza of the Month program to the tweaking of their online ordering service to best serve their customers.
But there have been changes that haven’t worked as well, such as the opening and subsequent closing of a location in Champaign, Illinois, and food items such as Zip Dips that didn’t have a long stay on the menu. If there’s one thing he’s learned through the different successes and failures along the way, it’s one rather simple message–never be afraid to try something new.
Niemeier, co-CEO of Azzip Pizza, presented "Ready for Change: Adapting to the Marketplace and Lessons Learned in Azzip's Journey" in the Romain College of Business at the University of Southern Indiana on Wednesday, February 28 in front of a full house of students, faculty and administrators.
“Don’t be afraid to try new things,” Niemeier said. “Some of those new things will fail, but some of those new things are going to be what propels you to success along the way.”
Niemeier, an Evansville native, spoke to guests about the history of Azzip Pizza and the different changes that have greeted the restaurant over the years. He discussed how they’ve searched for unique ways to make their business standout against their competitors and how they navigated the uncertainty of COVID during its peak in 2020.
He also talked about what the company looks for when preparing to branch out for their next location and how they strive to continue to improve their marketing in new areas such as TikTok and other social media channels.
"Just trying to communicate around the changes we've had at Azzip, our journey through those and how those changes have played into our journey,” Niemeier said. “We’ve learned from things that've gone well and things that haven't gone well."
While this was Niemeier’s first time talking to the entire Romain College of Business, he’s no stranger to speaking to classes at USI. Over the years, he has appeared as a guest speaker for Dr. Brett Bueltel, Associate Professor of Accounting, in several of his classes.
Speaking with students is something that Niemeier truly relishes. He’s hopeful that attendees were able to take away a helpful “nugget or two of information” just like he did when he attended presentations as a student.
“I remember whenever I was a college student still and I really appreciated hearing from those that were in the field and learning those stories,” Niemeier said. “I enjoy getting to share our experiences and hopefully people can relate to them.”
Azzip Pizza is an 11-unit, fast-casual pizza restaurant that was founded and based on Evansville’s west side. Azzip was recently recognized as the #1 Menu Innovator by Pizza Marketplace in 2023.
Niemeier shares the co-CEO role of Azzip Pizza with his brother Brad. Andy Niemeier was also selected to the Evansville Rotary Club’s 20 under 40 list in 2022.
