Under the leadership of Owner, President, and CEO Nicholas Papanier Jr., PrimoHoagies continues to build on a legacy born in South Philadelphia and fueled by family and tradition.
Nicholas Papanier Jr. has solidified PrimoHoagies' place as the Best Sandwich Shop in America, earning the title three years in a row. He has led the brand to achieve monumental growth-celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2022, expanding to 126 stores by 2025, and nearly doubling annual sales to $90 million in 2023. His strategic vision has taken PrimoHoagies beyond the East Coast-into Texas, the Carolinas, Colorado, and upstate New York.
Since becoming CEO in 2019, Papanier Jr. has strengthened PrimoHoagies' foundation, modernized its systems, and positioned the company for national expansion. Despite rapid growth, the brand remains family-owned and privately operated - a distinction he proudly protects as PrimoHoagies continues to grow.
Recognized for his relentless drive and dedication to excellence, he has earned numerous honors, including Most Admired CEO (2021), Titan 100 (2022–2024) and Titan Hall of Fame (2024), NJBiz Power 100 (2023–2025), 40 Under 40 (2024–2025), and Executive of Excellence (2025). Balancing growth with authenticity, Papanier Jr. remains committed to building a brand that stands for family, quality, and tradition.
Alex Chu has over 10 years of leadership experience in franchisee and franchisor growth brands. Prior to joining PrimoHoagies, Alex held leadership roles at Church's Texas Chicken leading US Development and Franchise Finance. Prior to Church's Texas Chicken, Alex served as President of a 45+ unit Arby's franchisee leading portfolio growth. Prior to Arby's, Alex held leadership roles at various franchisees operating over 100 Sonic Drive-ins and 70+ Orangetheory Fitness locations. Prior to the franchisee roles, Alex led Business Strategy and Finance at Arby's and eventually Inspire Brands.
Joseph Golden has been with PrimoHoagies since 2014, bringing over three decades of financial expertise and leadership. After serving as Controller and later Chief Financial Officer, Joe was named 2023 CFO of the Year by the Philadelphia Business Journal in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the company's growth and financial success.
Before joining PrimoHoagies, Joe spent more than 25 years with the Internal Revenue Service, where he held roles including Special Agent and Assistant Special Agent in Charge. He also worked as a private investigator specializing in financial fraud and served as an Adjunct Professor at Drexel University.
With a career spanning government, education, and corporate finance, Joe brings unmatched integrity, insight, and experience to his role as Chief Accounting Officer.
Angela has an extensive background in defining and driving brand growth strategies and development for Fortune 500 companies like TJX, Limited Brands, and Wendy's. She joins us most recently from Cousins Maine Lobster, where she was the Head of Development, leading all facets of brand strategy, franchising, real estate, design, and construction. During her tenure, Angela developed strategies, programs, and franchise partnerships that enabled the brand to double its footprint and expand into more than 30 new markets within 24 months. Cousins Maine Lobster became the fastest growing seafood chain in the US and is now one of the top 3 investments of all time for Shark Tank. Prior to CML, Angela spent 14 years leading various aspects of brand strategy and global development for The Wendy's Company. During her tenure, she laid the groundwork and drove execution of a multitude of development programs that enabled brand evolution and global expansion through the recruitment of new franchisees and development partners. She helped to accelerate brand reimaging and drove incremental new units across the system with cost effective, sales driving building designs, and unlocked non-traditional locations by creating a spectrum of innovative design solutions and small footprint concepts.
Angela resides in Powell, OH with her husband Sean and two sons, Holden (20) and Ridley (17). Outside of her career, Angela loves football (Go Bucks!), enjoys cooking and gardening, and is passionate about giving back to her community. She is an active volunteer and camp counselor for Flying Horse Farms, which provides year-round camp experiences for children with serious illnesses.
Madalyn Weintraub joins PrimoHoagies as Vice President of Marketing, bringing more than 15 years of strategic brand leadership and franchise marketing expertise. Most recently, she helped lead Rita's Italian Ice to seven consecutive years of same-store sales growth, modernizing the brand and strengthening its presence across core and emerging markets. Known for bridging creative strategy with operational excellence, Madalyn brings deep experience in integrated campaign development, branding, local shop marketing, and data-driven, digital-first growth strategies. She is a Certified Franchise Executive through the International Franchise Association and is passionate about building strong franchisee relationships, driving cross-functional alignment, and delivering marketing that moves the business forward.
A Northeast Philly native, she's also a foodie, craft brewery fan, and Ocean City regular who proudly bleeds green (Go Birds!).
Asim Qamar is an accomplished franchise operations executive with over 30 years of experience leading major QSR brands, including Burger King, McDonald's, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, and Wingstop.
Most recently, Asim led Wingstop's North Region turnaround, driving operational excellence, top-line sales growth, profitability, and accelerated expansion. Under his leadership, the region achieved record results - growing from 220 to more than 650 restaurants and setting a new standard for operational excellence across the system.
Asim is a visionary and transformative leader who is deeply committed to serving the brand and franchisees in building a strong, sustainable future together. He is passionate about enhancing the experience for guests, team members, and franchisees, and takes pride in never forgetting his own journey - starting as an hourly team member and rising through the industry through hard work and a people-first mindset.
