From First Job to Franchise Leadership: Courtney Tilley and Julie Thomas on Growing Through Hungry Howie’s

A first job can teach responsibility, build confidence, and put a little extra money in your pocket.

Sometimes, it can also become the beginning of an entire career.

In this episode of Women in the Driver Seat, host Mary Helen Darah sits down with Hungry Howie’s business partners Courtney Tilley and Julie Thomas at the new Sylvania location to talk about leadership, mentorship, opportunity, and what can happen when young employees are encouraged to see beyond their first paycheck.

Both Courtney and Julie began their Hungry Howie’s journeys in entry level positions. Over time, they accepted new responsibilities, learned the business from the inside out, and grew into leadership.

Today, they are helping create those same opportunities for the people coming behind them.

Their story is about much more than pizza. It is about showing young employees what is possible, building confidence through support, and creating a workplace where people know they matter.

Starting at 16 With No Idea Where It Would Lead

Courtney began working at Hungry Howie’s when she was just 16 years old.

At the time, she was not thinking about management, operations, or owning a business.

“I thought it was just a job for gas money,” she says.

What she found instead was a place where she quickly felt like she belonged.

Courtney remembers being quiet and nervous when she first started. Within her first week, that feeling changed.

One of Hungry Howie’s core values is to treat everyone like family, and Courtney says that was exactly how the workplace felt to her from the beginning.

That sense of belonging became the foundation for something much bigger.

Courtney worked her way from part time team member to General Manager and eventually Vice President of Operations.

There was even a moment when she stepped away.

In 2016, Courtney left Hungry Howie’s for about two months to try college. She quickly realized it did not feel like the right path for her.

She returned home, accepted a General Manager position, and made a decision.

This was what she was going to do.

Then she ran with it.

Leading From Experience

Working in nearly every position along the way has shaped how Courtney leads today.

She knows what it feels like to be the teenager behind the counter, the employee learning something new, and the person responsible for keeping everything moving.

That experience created a leadership philosophy centered on example.

Courtney does not expect employees to do something she would not do herself.

If something needs cleaned, she will clean it. If pizzas need made, she and Julie are willing to jump in and make them alongside the team.

That willingness helps create respect because employees see that leadership is not separated from the work.

Julie shares the same philosophy.

For both women, leadership means showing people how something should be done rather than simply telling them.

That approach is especially meaningful when working with younger employees who may be experiencing the workplace for the first time.

Every shift can become a chance to teach responsibility, communication, confidence, and teamwork.

Opportunity Creates Confidence

Julie is especially passionate about helping more young women see themselves as leaders, entrepreneurs, and franchise owners.

When Mary Helen asks what sometimes prevents women from seeing themselves in those roles, Julie points to two things: confidence and opportunity.

Her solution is straightforward.

Give someone an opportunity, support them, and confidence can follow.

“If you lead and give them the opportunity, they will build the confidence and grow with you,” Julie explains.

Courtney’s career is one example of that process.

Julie has watched her accept opportunity after opportunity and continue growing with each one.

Their relationship also developed far beyond a traditional working partnership.

They started as coworkers and built a friendship. Over the years, they have watched each other build careers, start families, attend each other’s weddings, and continue growing together in business and life.

That connection reflects the culture they want employees to experience too.

More Than Making Pizza

For Julie and Courtney, an employee walking through the door looking for a paycheck may be standing at the beginning of a journey they cannot yet imagine.

Their goal is to help that person see more possibilities.

That starts with relationships.

They are interested in more than whether someone completed a shift.

They want to know how their day went. They want to hear about school. If an employee needs a ride or help with school supplies, Courtney and Julie want their team to know they have people willing to support them.

Julie describes the restaurant as a second home for many employees.

That sense of family is not just something they talk about. It is something they try to demonstrate through everyday actions.

Courtney hopes her own story can help a 16 year old employee recognize that an entry level job does not have to be the end of the road.

When she first started, she knew nothing about where Hungry Howie’s might eventually take her.

She learned. She made mistakes. She grew. Then she kept moving forward.

Now she wants younger employees to understand they can have those same opportunities.

“I want to be there with them, to lead them through that,” she says.

Creating a Community Hub in Sylvania

That same sense of connection extends beyond employees.

Courtney wants the Sylvania Hungry Howie’s location, at Monroe Street and Whiteford Road, to become more than a place where people stop for pizza.

She wants it to become a genuine community partner.

That means building relationships with schools, local organizations, businesses, community events, and anyone looking for people willing to get involved.

Courtney talks about possibilities ranging from fundraising nights and pizza donations to volunteering wherever help is needed.

The goal is not simply to operate a restaurant in Sylvania.

It is to participate in Sylvania.

“We’re here as a pizza place, but we’re also here to support our community,” Courtney says.

The location also brings something a little different to the Hungry Howie’s experience with a drive through designed to make ordering more convenient.

For busy families, parents with children in the car, or someone stopping after work, it offers another way to make the experience easier.

Even that feature has encouraged communication among the team, Courtney explains, because employees have to work together to notice when customers arrive and make sure someone is ready to help.

Showing the Next Generation What Is Possible

Courtney and Julie’s careers did not begin with a plan to become business leaders.

They began by showing up, accepting opportunities, learning the work, and continuing to grow.

Now their roles have changed.

They are the ones creating opportunities.

They are the people younger employees can look toward and see evidence that there may be much more ahead than they expected when they filled out their first application.

For Courtney, the best part of being a woman in business is being able to take charge.

For Julie, it is being able to support others.

Together, those answers tell much of their story.

Leadership means stepping forward, but it also means reaching back and helping someone else take the next step.

Whether that employee eventually becomes a manager, a franchise owner, or takes what they learned into a completely different career, Courtney and Julie want them to leave with more confidence than when they arrived.

Sometimes a first job really is just a first job.

And sometimes, as Courtney discovered at 16, it can open a door you never expected to walk through.

👉 Watch now to hear Courtney Tilley and Julie Thomas share how entry level opportunities became careers, how mentorship builds confidence, and why they want the next generation of Hungry Howie’s employees to dream bigger.