The Loop Pizza Grill is happy to announce the promotions of two of its executives: Chris Hartley to chief operating officer and Trey Kirwin to director of operations.

In his role, Hartley directly oversees all support center staff, as well as focuses on purchasing, facility design, and franchise support. Kirwin supervises the company's affiliate locations.

Chris Hartley, left, is the chief operating officer of The Loop. Trey Kirwin is the director of operations.

Both Hartley and Kirwin are longtime Loop employees, with more than 35 years combined service.

"In their many years at The Loop, Chris and Trey have both demonstrated outstanding leadership," says George "Mike" Schneider, the founder/president of The Loop Restaurant Group. "They are deserving, and I'm confident they will lead the operations of our brand into the future."

Hartley started at The Loop in 1994. He worked at the Avondale location for about five years in various roles, including as kitchen manager. In 1999, he was promoted to the corporate office, where he contributed to franchise supervision, store profitability tools, and menu development as a special projects coordinator. He has also worked as operations field supervisor, franchise business consultant, director of purchasing, and facility design and director of operations.

Kirwin started at The Loop's Avondale location in 1997 while finishing his degree in restaurant management. He returned in 2001, serving as the general manager of the Deerwood and Avondale locations. After several years, Kirwin was promoted to operations field supervisor, supervising affiliate locations and providing franchise support. He has also worked as a franchise business consultant with The Loop.