Michael Whitaker

A 1977 graduate of the Public Relations program, Michael Whittaker has been instrumental in building some of Atlantic Canada’s best known food brands and products. In 1981, Whittaker joined Grinners Food Systems (franchisor of Greco Pizza). Under his marketing direction and campaigns, Greco grew to more than 130 franchises and is now the largest pizza chain in the Atlantic region. As Grinners Food Systems grew, so too did Whittaker’s role as he was named general manager in 1994 and CEO, president and partner in 1996. During his time with Grinners, Whittaker also sat on the board of directors for both the Canadian Franchise Association (CFA) and the Canadian Restaurant Foodservice Association. Whittaker moved into his current roles as president and partner of Trucorp Investments Limited (parent company of Grinners and Bonte Foods) in 2005. In 2006, he added the title of president of Bonte Foods Limited, the Dieppe, New Brunswick-based manufacturing arm of Trucorp. Under Whittaker’s leadership, Bonte Foods has become one of Atlantic Canada’s most distinctive and versatile food manufacturers. In addition, Whittaker is co-owner of Haystacks Media Production, a full-service production facility providing services in print and electronic media development, production and research. He is also co-owner of OPCO Restaurants, an operating company that owns eight Greco Pizza/Captain Sub restaurants and a Robins Donuts franchise. In 1995, he was awarded the President’s Award of the CFA for his outstanding contributions to Canadian Franchising and was named one of Atlantic Canada’s top 50 CEO’s in 2004 by Atlantic Business magazine. Whittaker is also a major supporter of organ donation, dedicated to creating awareness around the cause. With the support of the Canadian Transplant Organization, he helped implement a campaign promoting organ donation through more than two million pizza boxes and three million flyers.