Nate Sleeper is Region Director of 31 of our Pizza Hut locations in Arizona, but his journey with the QSR brand began in the much colder locale of Michigan, where he grew up. Nate moved to Arizona in his 20s, working for a number of different retailers before returning to the Pizza Hut fold. Today, Nate exhibits a heartfelt loyalty to Desert De Oro Foods (DDO) and our co-founders, Mark Peterson and Krystal Burge.
At Desert De Oro Foods, you’re more than just a number.
Nate’s professional ascension is a familiar story. He began as a Team Member then rising to Restaurant General Manager (RGM), Training Manager and Area Coach (AC) before assuming the Region Director role 13 years ago. The management path even took Nate by surprise! He originally started working at Pizza Hut to finance his dream of becoming a licensed massage therapist. But he was excelling in a leadership role — Nate was named Area Coach of the Year two years in a row! Additionally, Nate was honored by the brand as among the top 10 out of 6,000 Pizza Hut restaurants in the country for guest metrics and speed of service.
Juggling Opportunities
As Region Director, Nate works closely with his ACs, RGMs and the Marketing Department. He appreciates the opportunity to be hands on with his team. Nate admits it’s a bit of a juggling act to visit every restaurant in his region, but the meetings are an opportunity to not only focus on
the restaurants, but also community engagement events as well. Nate and his team are particularly proud of hosting events like the canned food drive they held for local food banks. Their community planning efforts recently reached legendary level celebrating the re-opening of our Pizza Hut in Bullhead City, AZ. The event featured free personal pan pizzas, a Ferris wheel and a visit from Santa Claus!
“I’m pleased with the opportunities I’ve been given to get to where I am today.” – Nate Sleeper, Region Director
Renaissance Man
When he’s not planning boots-on-the-ground marketing efforts, Nate enjoys spending quality time with his wife and 8-year-old son. Family travel currently sticks close to home with hikes in Sedona and trips to the backyard trampoline, but the dream is to one day visit Europe.
A jack of all trades, Nate played the drums in a band, has a penchant for writing poetry, and hopes to learn to surf like his Dad, who regaled Nate with surf stories growing up. Guess we can add Hawaii to the bucket list!
Nate thinks everyone should visit the Grand Canyon at least once in their lives. He believes the grandeur of the Canyon reminds us of the testament of time and change. A sentiment that could also apply to your storied career, Nate! We’re grateful to have you along for the adventure.