Founded in 1962, NPC International is one of the largest Pizza Hut franchisee in the world. It operates more than 1,100 stores in over 25 U.S. states. The company also offers gift and fundraising cards that are used for purchasing pizzas at several NPC International-owned Pizza Hut outlets. It additionally provides online pizza ordering options. NPC International is a privately held company and is a part of Merrill-Lynch Global Private Equity Group.