Mr. Nicholas Castaldo

castaldo@nova.edu

Nick Castaldo joined Nova Southeastern University in August 2004 as a Lecturer at the H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship. He teaches undergraduate courses in Marketing and Entrepreneurship. He graduated summa cum laude from St. John's University (New York) with a B.S. in Marketing and earned his MBA from Harvard University.

Mr.Castaldo’s career spans over twenty-five years in consumer products and service businesses including chain restaurants, banking, health and beauty aids, and retailing. He has worked in a variety of organizations, public and private companies, large and small. He has directed the introduction of several innovative business strategies including the fast food industry’s first comparative marketing campaign and the launch of everyday value pricing in the family restaurant category.



He was President of Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza, a start-up restaurant concept, for three years and currently serves as Vice President, Equity Partner, and member of the Board of Directors. The company is based in Ft. Lauderdale and is expanding with multiple locations in Florida and the Northeast. Mr. Castaldo consults for restaurant concepts, consumer products and service businesses, and multi-unit retail operations.

Mr. Castaldo served as President of Pollo Tropical, a Miami-based quick casual restaurant chain, for eight years. He led a successful turnaround of the company, and during his tenure, Pollo Tropical doubled in sales and cash flow and ranked as the number one concept in average store sales and profit in its market segment.

Prior to joining Pollo Tropical, Mr. Castaldo held executive positions at a number of industry-leading corporations. He was Vice President of Marketing of Denny’s, Inc., America’s largest family restaurant chain. He was Senior Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at S&A Restaurant Corp., which included the Bennigan’s and Steak and Ale restaurant companies. He has been Vice President of Marketing for Citicorp Savings of Florida, Vice President of Advertising and Promotion for Burger King Corporation, and has held management positions at Clairol and Federated Department Stores.

A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., he has been a guest speaker at local universities including the Distinguished Lecture Series at the Huizenza School. Mr. Castaldo currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Harvard Business School Club of South Florida.