Project Pie, known for "everyday artisan pizza custom built by you" that cooks in less than two minutes, has named former Qdoba executive Todd Owen as its vice president of franchise development, a position designed to drive continued franchise growth for the fast-casual pizza concept.

Owen brings 18 years of experience in franchise development to Project Pie. Most recently, he served as vice president of franchise development at Qdoba Restaurant Corporation.

During his tenure at Qdoba, he was responsible for driving the franchise development strategy for the brand and successfully growing the franchise side of the business from a 60-unit organization to 630 system locations in just over 11 years.

Prior to joining Qdoba, he worked with other industry brand leaders such as Taco Bell and Pepsi-Cola in various franchise development, sales, and management capacities. His franchise development experience includes new business development, nontraditional development, strategic planning, and real estate site analysis.

"We're looking to Todd to properly grow and expand this unique brand throughout the world," says James Markham, CEO and founder of Project Pie. "We have proven the Project Pie business model can succeed in both domestic and foreign markets, and we're eager to keep our momentum going as the leader and most experienced brand in the segment."

Throughout the remainder of 2013, Project Pie will continue to grow with several new domestic and international locations planned to open in Los Angeles County, Califronia; Boulder, Colorado; Manhattan; and the Philippines.

The brand has three restaurants. Two locations are based domestically at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and the Hillcrest neighborhood in San Diego, and there is one franchise location in Mandaluyong, Philippines.