I've always been a big believer in staying young at heart. This mindset promotes an open mind, and leads to change, creativity and innovation. I'm a firm believer that when we stop being young at heart, we stop changing, and when we stop changing, we no longer grow.

Change, however, is a scary thing. So I can't help but feel nervous as I enter uncharted territory - writing my first post on what I hope will become a widely read journal on convenience. After all, convenience and the creation of unique customer experiences is what we stand for at Wawa. So while entering cyberspace is a bit scary, I find myself channeling my inner youth, and more than anything, feeling excited. I am excited to use this medium to speak to all the Wawa customers, friends, and family about our unique culture, our unique offering and our unique ability to provide convenience on every level.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. I should back up for a moment and introduce myself. I'm Howard Stoeckel, and I'm the lead goose at Wawa (aka President and CEO). Our corporate symbol is the Canada goose, and I try to make flying a little easier for our Associates and customers. I have held this position since 2005, and have been part of the "flock" at Wawa since 1987, holding various positions throughout the company during this time. I'm happily married with two daughters, a stepson and four grandchildren.

I am humbled to be part of a caring Wawa family that is more than 16,000 associates strong. I continue to be impressed by the wonderful actions of our associates, who make Wawa a place where ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary things. I consider myself among these ordinary people. In fact, for many years my claim to fame was that I graduated from high school. I wasn't the captain of the football team, nor was I in the honor society. But early on I adopted the philosophy of thinking big and thinking young. I even keep this oversized crayon in my office, to remind me to think big in order to make big things happen. And this is just what we do at Wawa. We think outside of the crayon box to create a customer and associate experience unlike any other.

So in the journal entries to come, I hope to give all of you a new perspective on convenience, culture, and on what Wawa is all about - simplifying your lives.

'Til next time...