Buffalo Wild Wings' longtime chief financial officer, Mary Twinem, will retire after helping the company grow from a small regional chain to one of the nation's hottest restaurant concepts.

Twinem, 55, plans to retire Feb. 29, Buffalo Wild Wings announced Tuesday.

She joined Golden Valley-based Buffalo Wild Wings in 1994, following in the footsteps of Sally Smith, CEO of Wild Wings for the past 20 years. The two had previously worked together at Dahlberg Inc., a hearing aid business.

When Twinem joined Buffalo Wild Wings, it had 35 restaurants. Today, the company has 1,150 outlets and does more than $1.5 billion in sales, its wings, beer and sports motif proving a big hit with consumers — and investors.

In the past decade, Wild Wings' stock has risen from under $20 to as high as $205 earlier in 2015, before settling to about $165 lately after a weak third-quarter earnings report.

"Mary has been a key leader in the organization and has had a significant role in our success," Smith said in a statement, thanking Twinem for her contributions. Wild Wings is searching for her successor.

Twinem said in a statement that she's "very proud of what we have accomplished at ­Buffalo Wild Wings."

She said she's looking forward to "joining my husband in retirement and traveling and spending more time with family and friends."

Mike Hughlett • 612-673-7003