Bob Tumolo, who opened the first Rita’s-brand summertime water-ice shop in 1984, was a city firefighter from South Philly who sold out, after 20 years, because growing the chain made him tired. And selling it made him rich.
Jonathan C. Fornaci, who now runs the 600-store, $140 million-plus (yearly sales) franchise chain from Trevose, has had a career that reads like energy personified: He’s a Berkeley-trained physicist, founder of a Silicon Valley venture consultancy (Atomic Tangerine), a former General Electric executive, Peruvian gourmet-restaurant owner, and West Coast pizza-chain boss.