Burgerville made a shift in top leadership this fall with Janice Williams settling in as chief operating officer.
The Vancouver-based restaurant chain announced the change Nov. 7, but Williams has been in the position for about two months, she said. She fills the former role of Jeff Harvey, who became the company’s chief executive officer Jan. 2.
Williams was previously a member of the company’s chief operations team, which no longer exists, she said. The team formed when Harvey became CEO.
“The whole purpose of the team was to get us ready for the next level of growth and we fulfilled that, so it was time to put one person in that (COO) role,” Williams said.
On that team, Williams was chief talent officer with Kyle Dean, who remains as chief financial officer, and Tara Wefers, who was chief development officer.
Wefers left the company in September and her position no longer exists, Williams said.
Wefers described the team as “absolutely committed to being in alignment” in a January interview with the VBJ.
Burgerville’s 39 restaurants in Washington and Oregon, which had double-digit growth in 2006 and 2007, are “steadily maintaining” in the slow economy, Williams said.
“We’re not growing as fast as we were,” she said. “We’ve really been focusing on our fundamentals – quality, service and overall guest experience. I wouldn’t foresee cuts.”
The company is recruiting to fill Williams’ previous position from the outside.
She was first hired at Burgerville as a cashier in 1984 and has risen through the ranks since then.
Williams led development of Burgerville’s Center for Responsible Community Leadership, which provides six-month management and training programs for Burgerville employees.
“We’ve had about five internal promotions with the people who have taken on the coursework and have seen 10 percent to 15 percent better results,” Williams said.
