Zac Zurn grew up feeling inadequate — like he would never succeed. Now the owner of Logan’s Pita Pit, Zurn’s definition of success has changed.
“Success is not making the most, it’s not achieving the highest degree and it’s not even being the best at what you do,” Zurn said. “But success to me is achieving personal greatness instead of being the greatest.”
On Thursday, Zurn hosted a grand re-opening event at the Logan Pita Pit, located at 505 E. 1400 North, where he recently became owner. The event included a raffle with proceeds going to the Humane Society, 50 free pitas for the first 50 customers and a performance by DJ Marcus Wing .
Zurn described his road to success as rocky. As a sophomore in high school he struggled with attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, speech and math issues — and was placed in resource classes.
“You’re treated less than smart, like you will never make it,” Zurn said. “After high school it took me five semesters to pass one math class but I wanted to prove the system wrong. I wanted to prove that I was smart.”
Zurn turned things around by learning to work with his disabilities instead of against them.
Today, Zurn said, he’s determined and passionate to give back to the community by helping others whenever possible.
“My life is purpose-filled,” Zurn said. “I strive to give and be involved with others.”
Zurn began working at Pita Pit two years ago when he was given the task to fix it up. The business was losing money monthly. According to Zurn, he was promised a 49 percent share if he could reconstruct the business to become profitable again.
“Our freezer broke, our fridge broke, the grill broke, shipments wouldn’t come and we would have lines that were too long,” Zurn said. “I was putting in 80-hour weeks and I had no social life. The business was my life.”
Pita Pit was doing well again and profits were up. After all his hard work Zurn said he saw no other option besides ownership.
“I had invested all my time, energy and even my identity,” Zurn said. “I ended up giving up a lot.”
Zurn gained full ownership of the business on Dec. 1. The grand re-opening was a success, he said, with $400 donated to the Humane Society. Since he Zurn has seen an increase of 20 percent in sales.
Zurn said Wing — who is an old friend — did him a big favor by being the DJ at the celebration. Wing is a well-know DJ in Utah who has headlined large events including Utah State University’s paint dance, The Howl and Mardi Gras.
“I like the owner, I support locally-owned businesses, and the food is great,” Wing said.
Zurn said he was pleased to put on an event that brought the community together and also to see his employees feed off each other’s energy. Zurn takes pride in making sure his employees grow from the experience.
“Zac is a great employer, he is always pushing for us to take what we learn at work and apply it to our daily lives,” said Alyssa Sawyer, a staff member at Pita Pit.
While juggling his personal life with his work life, Zurn has learned that it is easy to overwork himself. He turns to coaching soccer and his artwork as an outlet.
“You name it I gave it up. That’s why I took on art because I never had any time for myself so I needed something as an outlet,” Zurn said.
Zurn’s office is hung with canvases corner to corner, each one brightly painted displaying inspiring quotes and pictures. Zurn also bounces on a red yoga ball when at his desk. He said he likes his work space to be inspiring and uplifting.
Zurn plans to continue to focus on making his business a part of the community by holding events every few months. He wants people to feel welcome at Pita Pit, and come to hang out. There is even a television that continually plays movies throughout the day for customers to enjoy. It’s another reminder of Zurn’s free spirited personality. Officials from Pita Pit’s corporate headquarters advised Zurn to get rid of the television, but Zurn believes it adds to the laid-back atmosphere.
“I would rather ask for forgiveness than permission,” Zurn said.
Kyndall Peterson, Jill Dean, Lauren Handy, Cambria VandeMerwe, Heather Foster, Aaron Griffiths and Paige Sjoblom contributed to this report.
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