In the Dayton area, ThreeWitt Enterprises — which also includes David Fisher and Eric Lundgren — owns 10 Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants and three Milano’s Atlantic City Subs . The company is expanding into the Palmetto State because it wanted to grow the company, but had maxed out the local market, Slaughenhaupt said. Additionally, they liked Columbia because of its similarities to Dayton, including the presence of universities and a military base.
“It just felt a lot like home,” he said.
Plans call for the company to open one store in Columbia this year. Another two stores each will be added in 2010 and 2011. Executives plan to add a sixth store in 2012, Slaughenhaupt said. ThreeWitt’s territory also includes Sumter, S.C., where the company will open one store.
The southward expansion of the company, which employs 800, eventually should result in growth for the company’s Dayton headquarters, Slaughenhaupt said.
Jay Janney, an associate professor of management at the University of Dayton, said it’s not unusual for companies that expand into new territories to also add staff at home so they can better manage operations.
“The idea that the expansion in South Carolina will benefit the Miami Valley is very reasonable,” Janney said.
The partners began looking out of state for areas to develop because they had built as many Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants as they could in Dayton, Slaughenhaupt said.
Spokeswoman Liz Brady said Minneapolis-based Buffalo Wild Wings Inc., which has approximately 600 stores, plans to add 80 stores in 2009, an increase of 15 percent.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7317 or ttresslar@DaytonDailyNews.com.
About the Author