THE LITTLE TYCOON

Vicki Dunn-Marshall Dionne

Franchisee, Little Caesars

SUPERPOWER: ENERGY

Vicki Dunn-Marshall Dionne is a franchisee, operating 27 Little Caesars stores—19 of them in West Virginia. She has just under 700 employees and takes a true interest in their work ethic and passions. Her Little Caesars stores support causes near and dear to their hearts, including Little Victories Animal Shelter, Pizza Paws to benefit K-9 units, and efforts to support the research of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD).

At age 15, Dionne took a job as a crew member for Little Caesars Family Inn in Garden City, Michigan. “I had also applied at Burger Chef, and both offered me a job,” she says, “but I decided to work for Little Caesars because they paid 5 cents more per hour.” She had her sights set on becoming a lawyer but, as she continued working to save for her education, she was climbing the ranks. “I became store manager, then went into supervision. I was a good trainer, so the franchise sales department wanted me to come help them.”

From upper Michigan to Wisconsin and Ohio to Florida, she helped open stores. Today, Dionne has stores in southern West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, northern Kentucky, and southern Ohio. “Our headquarters are in Huntington, and we spread out two and a half hours in three directions,” she says.

Dionne is pleased to have played an important role in the Little Caesars success story. “I would be considered a poster child for them. There aren’t many women in the business, and I’m a large store operator. I get to play an important part on the team of two national committees that help steer the organization.” She’s never satisfied, she says. “And that’s not a bad thing. I always want to improve and grow.” At 63, she has no plans to slow down anytime soon.

Dionne serves on the Huntington Goodwill board, the Young Presidents’ Organization, the Truist Bank Advisory Board, Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse, and the Mountwest Foundation. “I’m most proud of my work on the West Virginia Economic Development Authority—trying to make a difference in the state of West Virginia by changing the employment landscape.” 

Written by Julie Perine

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