Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue IV, 2013 | Page 18

D OM I N A T O R S
By Debbie Selinsky

Compassionate Leader
Domino’s franchisee dominates with a
kind and gentle hand

M

ary Lynne Carraway’s 74 Domino’s Pizza restaurants may dominate the Washington, D.C., market, but she runs her
1,800-employee business, Domino’s Pizza
Team Washington, with a kind and gentle
approach.
For example, the mother of four—who
stepped into the company’s leadership
position after the death of her husband
David from brain cancer—was the first
to comfort the family members of two
employees who were shot on the job and
to assure nervous employees that all possible safety measures were being taken to
ensure their well-being.
“Since I’ve been doing this job, there

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Multi-Unit Franchisee Is s ue IV, 2013

Name: Mary Lynne Carraway
Title: President and majority owner
Company: Domino’s Pizza Team

Washington
No. of units: 74 Domino’s Pizza
Age: 48
Family: Four children: Molly,

Carson, Brandon, Hannah
Years in franchising: I was

married to someone in franchising
for 27 years and I’ve been the
franchisee for 8 years.
Years in current position: 8

have been deep, hard places I’ve had to go.
When someone gets hurt, it’s crushing,”
she says. “You go on, but your heart never
stops feeling the sadness for the others going through such difficult things.”
Carraway was still mourning the loss of
her husband when she took over the operation he’d built with Frank Meeks. “Before
he started losing his memory, David told
me he wanted me to take over and continue this legacy for our children. I knew
it was the right thing to do and that there
were great people on the job to help me,
but it was quite a tender time. I had some
background working in restaurants and had
been a manager for Marriott Hotels and
thought my people skills would serve me