Neighborhood notable: Demonstrating leadership in making the community successful and safe.
During the massive 2011 uprising in Madison against Gov. Scott Walker, In addition to good wages, Gurfield says he offers full-time employees health insurance, 401k benefits and yearly bonuses. Part-time employees also qualify for bonuses and 401k benefits. But he allows it's a juggling act. "We have these goals, but we also have to make sure that the business is viable and that we are not cutting corners in other areas to make this work." A key component is providing a "path" for advancement for employees that leads all the way to store ownership. While Gurfield keeps a hand in all Ian's Pizza stores, he has sold many of them off to managers, including the one on State Street and two in Milwaukee. He remains the owner of the North Frances street location. Gurfield learned about the pizza business while working for a family-owned Italian restaurant in Amherst, Mass., where he was attending college. After graduating, he spent about 18 months visiting up to 60 college towns in search of the right place to start his own pizza business. "I came to Madison and really liked it," Gurfield says. He opened the first Ian's Pizza in 2001.
He regrets that his recently opened wood-fired pizza shop on State Street didn't work out, but says he is busy caring for his five-month-old son and continuing to improve Ian's, Batch and Gotham.
"There are plenty of challenges in those areas," he says.
