Sioux City 17-year-old is the proud owner of a Papa Murphy's
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — There's a new business owner in Sioux City, and she's only 17 years old.
Wednesday was the grand reopening for the Papa Murphy's location in Sioux City, with the 17-year-old owner ready to serve her community some delicious pizza.
Lily Wilford is your average 17-year-old. She loves to hang out with her friends and spend time out in the sun, and just like many other kids her age, she got a job the first chance she could – for her, it had to be at Papa Murphy's.
'This is where all my siblings worked, so every time they turned 14, they'd get a job here,' Lily said. 'It's a really good starting job, and it grew my work ethic, and it really helped me develop who I am today.'
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Lily is homeschooled by her mother and father, Kathie and Brad, and with school coming to an end for her, the teenager wasn't sure what to do next.
'So I was looking for colleges, you know, majors, everything that a senior does,' she said. 'But I just really wasn't finding anything that I had the drive for and that I wanted to do. And so I just kind of let God take the wheel and kind of lead me where he wanted me to go.'
The former owner of the Papa Murphy's made an offer Brad and Kathie to purchase and run the restaurant last April, but the couple already had a busy life. Instead, they said: why not have Lily become the owner?
'When this opportunity presented itself, it got me excited and it was something that I wanted to do,' Lily said. 'So we started looking into it see if this was even possible. I'm 17, can a 17-year-old own a business? So there is definitely challenges and barriers and things that I had to overcome and so many things I had to learn.'
Over the course of several months, Lily and her family met with corporate officials and went through days of training. In Aug. 2024, Lily officially became the owner of the restaurant, with her parents being co-owners. Now, with roughly five and a half months of experience under her belt, Lily is continuing to tackle challenges as they come her way.
'Really just finding out how to lead them,' Lily said. 'As a 17-year-old, how can I lead them well and really just put the skills that I've learned from my homeschooling and being able to learn and grow and to always become the best version of me that I can.'
And what's Lily's favorite part of her job?
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'Customers, the guests, you know, they come in and I love to get to know their names, I love to know who they are,' she said. 'And it's just, that's really the best part, is when I get to talk to them and ask them how their day's going.'
Brad and Kathie say they're proud of their daughter and look forward to seeing her succeed.
'You know, she's doing a great job,' the couple said. 'It's not easy. It's hard. It's got challenges. But she's doing a great job. And really, the key is what she keeps saying, is she loves her customers. She loves people and wants to hear their stories. And you know, that's what makes her successful.'
Lily says she's still got much to learn about being an owner and is excited for whatever the future brings her.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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