• Favorite Wetzel Pretzel Menu Items: Jalapeno Cheese Wetzel Dog and Frozen Lemonade
• Bill's most prized pretzel possession includes a pair of gold pretzel-shaped cuff links given to him by his wife as a Christmas gift
• Towering at a height of 6 feet, 6 inches, Bill played basketball at Middlebury College in Vermont
  
  His father, Dick Phelps, founded his own company, Superior Pet Products, and invented raw hide dog bones. Superior Pet Products was later bought by Nestle USA, former employer to Bill and Rick
  

• Favorite pretzel: Sinful Cinnamon
• Sold his Harley Davidson to purchase his first mixer for the company in 1994
• Yes, he was called 'Wetzel Pretzel' in grammar school.
• No he did not change his name.
• The addition of Wetzel's Pretzels to the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif. is a perfect excuse to watch his favorite basketball team in action - Go Lakers!

In addition to a valuable background in marketing and sales, Bill brought a strong entrepreneurial spirit to Wetzel's Pretzels. Bill has a keen sense of finances, "street smarts" for identifying good opportunities, and a flair for working calmly through difficult situations. Bill says its our entrepreneurial style and tenacity that have made our company and its franchise stores successful.

Following a career marketing Nestle food products, Rick teamed up with co-worker Bill Phelps to start Wetzel's Pretzels. Rick enjoys working on marketing promotions and helping with strategic initiatives. Rick's vision for the company is for it to become a cult snak-food brand.

Vincent Montanelli
Sr. Vice President of Operations

Vincent "rolled" in as the Sr. VP of Operations in 2004 bringing with him many years of experience in the QSR industry. Vincent has worked with McDonald's, Baskin Robbins and the Jamba Juice brands. Vincent leads the operations team and is committed to "brand ownership".

Martha Lares
Director of Construction

Martha joined our corporate staff in 2004, bringing with her many years of experience working for the Disney Stores in their Property Development Department. Martha is responsible for guiding our franchisees through store design and construction.

Liz Dutchess
Director of Real Estate

Liz supports the real estate department and works with franchisees to find new sites. Besides a great personality, Liz has lots of mall experience she gained while working at the Disney Store's corporate office.

Cyndi Tang
Franchise Coordinator

Cyndi supports the Franchise Sales & Construction Department. She is responsible for facilitating the administrative processes for the leasing and construction teams.

Christina Diaz
Logistics Manager

Christina joined the Operations team in 2007 as Logistics Manager, bringing her many years of experience in sales and analysis working with Countrywide Financial Corporation.  Christina is the link between our corporate office and our franchise community.

Cathy Sato
Bookkeeper

Cathy runs the bookkeeping department and works with the franchisees to keep the funds flowing smoothly.

Elaine Delgado
Administrative Assistant

Elaine is the "Smiling Face" that greets our visitors at the corporate headquarters. In addition to her clerical duties, Elaine mails out all the items ordered from us by our franchisees.

Gary Thomas
Director of Field
Operations, West Coast

Gary has over 20 years foodservice experience and has been with Wetzel's Pretzels for over five years. In addition to working with franchise owners, Gary has the tough assignment of serving the Laker Girls before home games.

Dave Braxton
Director of Field
Operations, East Coast

Dave is our "can do" guy who has responsibility for the East coast franchise stores. In addition to being great with franchise owners, Dave is an expert in outrunning an alligator (run in a zig zag!).

Mark Luers
Director of Field
Operations, Northwest

Mark began his career with Wetzel's working at our Downtown Disney location in Disney World. He is responsible for assisting our franchisees in the Northwest and Texas. Mark has lived all over the world and is very knowledgeable about the customs of many cultures.

Paul Shah
Director of Field
Operations, Southwest

Paul joined Wetzel's Pretzels in January 2006. As a District Manager, he is responsible for assisting and partnering with the franchisees in the Mid-West and Texas. Paul is also part of our new store owner training program at Downtown Disney in Anaheim, CA. Along with his positive attitude, he brings with him, over 12 years of foodservice experience that he gained from working with Taco Bell and Rubio's.