From Pizza Hut to Energy Expert: How One Employee Found Success at Budderfly

 At Budderfly, we are passionate about energy efficiency and sustainability. We’re also passionate about the brands we work with, helping them improve operations, reduce their costs, and lessen their dependence on fossil fuels. So many of our employees have backgrounds and experiences that connect to our client brands on a personal level, which helps drive our mission to help our customers and the planet.  

We’re going to share some of these stories on the Budderfly blog, starting with Shannon Long—one of Budderfly’s Lead Inside Sales Specialists —who tells her inspiring life-long relationship with the Pizza Hut brand.  

By: Shannon Long 

My dad was a general manager at Pizza Hut for more than 20 years, and he worked there my entire childhood. I spent so many afternoons there after school. I remember coloring on the dough, as a young child, making it into my own DIY Play-Doh (which was probably frowned upon by everyone but my dad). I remember folding takeout boxes, which at 10 years I probably shouldn’t have been doing, but to me it wasn’t work—it was fun.  Eventually, I got my very first job as a waitress at Pizza Hut, working there throughout my teens, and of course, eating massive amounts of pizza.  

The Pizza Hut staff was like my family, and some of them were even my babysitters over the years. I loved taking my friends there for pizza parties, and I have such great memories of being in that environment. 

When I joined Budderfly, and specifically the Yum! Brands team, I was so excited to engage in the Pizza Hut world again. There were obvious nostalgic reasons, but I also felt uniquely positioned to help Pizza Hut franchisees. I have such vivid memories of how the kitchen and walk-ins were set up and how much of the equipment used on location is very specific to Pizza Hut. I immediately understood what so many Pizza Hut franchisees meant during meetings when they insisted that their energy needs were unique.  

I also remember how stressful corporate visits were for my dad, and I’m sure protocols have gotten even stricter since the late 1990s/early 2000s. So I can truly empathize with franchisees who have too much on their plate and not enough hours in the day to keep up with corporate sustainability initiatives while making sure their operations run smoothly. 

I was thrilled to contribute to Budderfly's first deal signed with Pizza Hut. It is incredible to further develop my relationship to a brand that has meant so much to me from such a young age. I love that Budderfly is helping Pizza Hut franchisees boost their sustainability, save on energy, and improve operations. Best of all, Budderfly enables all this without franchisees needing to spend their own money or use up their valuable time. I know firsthand what a difference these changes can make for Pizza Hut franchisees.    

We’re just getting started with Pizza Hut, and it’s surreal that I can say, after all these years, that I’m still part of the Pizza Hut family. My 10-year-old self never saw this coming!