Celebrating Our Fourth Dream Maker Winner, Samantha Eller

Dreams do come true. Our Associate Samantha Eller learned this on Wednesday, September 30 as she stepped on stage before 150 cheering Wawa associates and was awarded Wawa’s fourth ever Dream Maker Award. It was a moment I’ll remember forever. Samantha’s parents, John and Barbara Ann and husband BJ stood proudly by her side. Samantha’s four-year-old daughter Sophie, dressed as a fairy princess, smiled broadly for the cameras and flourished her wand towards the giddy crowd. Samantha’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped and lowered in astonishment after I announced each dream reward she was being given as part of her fairy princess package– among them a deluxe salon & spa package, a new wardrobe, and a five day Disney cruise!

The Dream Maker award is our version of Extreme Home Makeover meets Make-a-Wish. It’s a chance for the Wawa community to embrace our values champions and, in our own small way, make their ultimate dreams become a reality. We didn’t just guess what would make Samantha’s dreams come true; we asked her colleagues, friends, and family to help us craft the perfect dream package. It’s the least we could offer to someone who has given so much of herself to help those around her.

Truthfully, as extravagant as these rewards sound, they are trivial in comparison to the lasting impact that Samantha has had on her fellow Wawa associates. Our Dream Maker Award is the highest honor in our Big Six Values Program, which recognizes and celebrates our associates for living our company’s six core values.  Every month associates submit stories about their co-workers exemplifying our values, and we honor and recognize these associates in different ways. 

Samantha Eller was selected from among Wawa’s 16,000 associates for the deep compassion and commitment she has shown to her colleagues. When fellow associate Nichole Wright was involved in a terrible car accident that hospitalized her for 20 days, including seven in the ICU, Samantha dropped everything she was doing to be by Nichole’s side. She has been instrumental in supporting Nichole’s recovery that has involved 13 rounds of complex, reconstructive surgery. Samantha regularly visited Nichole in the hospital, served as a liaison to Nichole’s friends and family, and helped make her recovery as pain free and worry free as possible. Samantha even invited Nichole to stay with her and her family for several weeks to help take care of her every need. Samantha has been a fairy godmother for Nichole Wright and it was only fitting that we honor her in return with a special Fairy Princess Package.

I had a chance to catch up with a still breathless Samantha after our surprise announcement and she shared this thought with me;

“I’ve worked alongside so many wonderful associates at Wawa who go above and beyond every day that I’m humbled to have been selected from among them as the Dream Maker recipient. More than anything, this experience has inspired me to share the stories of my fellow values champions who are equally deserving of this distinction. This is truly a dream come true!”

In these challenging times, value and values make all the difference. At Wawa, we strive to live our values – Value People, Delight Customers, Embrace Change, Do Things Right, Do the Right Thing, Passion for Winning – each and every day in the same way that we strive to deliver value to our customers in the form of great prices, fun events, and top notch customer service. It’s all part of our commitment to providing our customers with the best in-store experience possible by living our values, right here at home. There is no better example of living our values than our recent Dream Maker award.

Samantha, we’re so very proud of you for all that you have done, and continue to do, for the Wawa family. You are a Values Champion and are truly deserving of the distinction of Dream Maker.  May all your dreams come true!

‘Till next time…

If there’s one thing I could impart to college students and recent graduates in our footprint, it’s that Wawa isn’t just a place to get your morning coffee, fill up your tank, or get a late night hoagie – it can also be the source of a fulfilling career. In a year when students are particularly scrambling to line up jobs, we’re redoubling our efforts to inform them of career opportunities at Wawa through the recent launch of MyWawaCampus.com. The website is intended to serve as a portal to educate students about our college graduate leadership, loan forgiveness, and internship programs.

Our recruitment manager, Liz Riggs, recently did an interview with Convenience Store/Petroleum Magazine, discussing how we create a workforce made up of the special people you see inside our stores each and every day.  Since this program began, I’m proud to say that students are increasingly learning that working at Wawa isn’t just a job – it can also lead to a lifetime career.

I’ve been at Wawa for over twenty years and I’m by no means the exception.  In fact, it’s not uncommon for our associates to have worked at Wawa for 10, 15, and even 20+ years. Some get their first job at Wawa in high school and never leave. Many of our senior managers got their start in entry level positions before assuming leadership roles at Wawa. For me, this is a great testament not only to the unique culture we’ve nurtured over the years but also to the many opportunities we create for career advancement.

Participants in the Wawa College Graduate Leadership Program and Internship Program learn important managerial skills and can qualify for Wawa to pay up to $21,000 of their student loans. It’s a win-win: through these initiatives we in turn are able to recruit and train the best and brightest college students and, in doing so, foster the development of the next generation of Wawa leadership. Ultimately, this allows us to continue to provide the best possible service for our customers and make each of the one million daily transactions at our stores engaging and memorable.

If you or someone you know would be a good fit for our internship or leadership training programs, I encourage you to visit MyWawaCampus.com to learn more and to apply. Here’s to the most convenient future yet!

‘Til Next Time…

Last week, I was honored to participate in the commencement ceremony at my alma mater, Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey http://www.rider.edu/.  It’s hard to believe that my own college graduation was all the way back in May of 1967 when Rider was a College and hadn’t yet transitioned into a University.   You could say that, 42 years later, I have come full circle, now having the distinct privilege and honor of serving as the chair of the Board of Trustees at Rider University. 

As I sat on the stage last week, participating in the commencement services, I couldn’t help but reminisce about how my life has evolved in the more than four decades since I received my college diploma.  I didn’t realize then that the kind of education I had received during my four years at Rider, would shape me into the person I am today, and give me the foundation I needed to prepare for a future career.  And as I look back, I realize that college prepares individuals not only to dream, but to make their dreams to come true. 

Personally and professionally, I have always believed in the power of pursuing your dreams. In fact, you could say that at Wawa, we are in the dreams business.  Wawa is a magical place where people can achieve their potential and can fulfill their dreams – no matter what the dreams may be.  We give associates the opportunity to work up the corporate ladder, support community activities, and become the best they can be in their dedicated profession.  Let me share a few stories about how our associates are dreamers, like me.

Jim Wisniewski is a General Manager in our Hamilton Square, New Jersey store.  I had the honor of being on stage at the Rider graduation while Jim received his diploma.  Jim is 21 and has worked full-time as a Wawa General Manager for the past three years while attending Rider full-time.  He grew up just a few blocks from the store he now manages.  He began working at Wawa while attending college and was promoted to General Manager.  Jim has always had big dreams and a passion for everything he does.  According to Jim, it’s been a challenging, but fun and rewarding journey.  He tells me that he learned many things from school that he can apply to his role at Wawa; and at the same time, he learned many things from Wawa he has been able to apply to school.  Jim said it’s been his life’s dream to get a college degree, and Wawa has helped him make his dreams come true through work flexibility and some assistance through our tuition reimbursement program. 

Another dreamer is Wendy Marshall.  Wendy is our Corporate Secretary Administrator in Wawa’s Legal Department.  Wendy, a mother of two daughters –one recently graduating college – decided to return to school in August of 2001 to complete her degree.  In 2005, Wendy suffered a stroke.  She courageously fought to recover, and never gave up her dream of completing her education all along the way.  Wendy said she was driven even more to finish the program after she was told by doctors that the odds of her completing it were against her.  Wendy received her degree from Neumann College this past weekend, as part of Wawa’s cohort program, along with three other Wawa Associates.  She is proud of achieving this dream and for the unwavering support of her family, friends, and her extended Wawa family along the way.  Wendy said when she heard her name announced on stage, it hit her that her dream was no longer a dream-- it was a reality.

The desire to constantly improve is what drives us to learn more.  And it’s what allows us to become fulfilled individuals, and provide our customers with the friendliest most convenient service possible.   By learning more, we become enriched as individuals, as a team, and as a company. No matter what your level of education or stage of life, learning is something you can do throughout your career at Wawa.  At Wawa, we are dedicated to continuous learning, and to helping associates earn their degrees in higher education.  Available programs include classes at local campuses, tuition reimbursement programs, and cohort partnerships with St. Joseph’s University, Immaculate College and Neumann College, to name a few.  I continue to believe that this commitment sets us apart from other companies, and is part of what keeps us one big family, always expanding our minds and our hearts.

So hats off to all of our graduates!  May all your dreams come true.

“Til next time…