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Christopher Ilitch, president and CEO of Ilitch Holdings, Inc., directs the company that provides professional and technical services to the companies owned by Mike and/or Marian Ilitch. These entities include: Little Caesar Enterprises, Blue Line Foodservice Distribution, Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Tigers, Champion Foods, Olympia Entertainment, Olympia Development, Uptown Entertainment, and the Little Caesars Pizza Kit Fundraising Program. The 2005 total combined revenues of these companies exceeded $1 billion.
During Christopher's tenure as president of Ilitch Holdings, Little Caesars Pizza has experienced tremendous growth and enjoys a presence throughout the United States and on five continents. Similarly, Blue Line Foodservice Distribution has grown into one of the largest food service distributors in the USA and Canada. Christopher has been and continues to be a force in the strategic planning for the future growth of all companies owned by the Ilitch family.
In 2002, he helped steer the formation of Champion Foods, a premier food manufacturer servicing supermarkets, institutional food service, distributors and fundraising customers with private label and branded products.
As president of the Little Caesars Pizza Kit Fundraising Program, he was responsible for the startup of the company in 1997. Under his direction it has grown it into one of the largest fundraising companies in the United States.
Before 1997, Christopher served as a group vice president at Little Caesars, heading several areas including marketing, communications, research & development, and new store development, and he has led the company's store growth domestically and internationally.
Active in civic and community organizations, Christopher is chairman of Illitch Charities for Children and is on the board of directors for the Atanas Ilitch Osteosarcoma Foundation, Detroit Renaissance, the Detroit Regional Chamber, the Detroit Economic Club, and he serves as vice chairman of the Metro Detroit Convention & Visitors Bureau. Illitch was chairman of the Major League Baseball 2005 All Star Week Host Committee and was a guiding force behind this hugely successful event. Additionally, he was a member of the Super Bowl XL Host Committee. He also holds three titles of vice president of the Detroit Red Wings and a NHL alternate governor, president of the Little Caesars Pizza Kit Fundraising Program, and vice president of Little Caesar Enterprises.
He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1987 with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration. Chris and his wife Kelle have two children and reside in metro Detroit. | 