“Congratulations Glenn! You are the first Wawa associate to ever be nominated in all six values categories! To date we’ve received thousands of values submissions about outstanding associates, but never has an associate been recognized for all six values – until now!  Thanks to April Ferrante-Church, Amanda Wood, Michael Capozzi, and a local customer, your efforts to live our values each and every day have not gone unnoticed.  I look forward to seeing you next week at a special lunch in your honor!” 

This was the video iPod message I sent to our associate, Glenn Vogel, to let him know we were about to have a celebration in his honor.  This past week, I went to Glenn’s store in Waretown, NJ to thank him for living our company values, and for bringing the heart of our company to life for all the associates and customers Glenn interacts with each and every day.  Together with Glenn’s family, friends, and co-workers, we talked about Glenn’s contributions to the store, sharing stories of the many ways Glenn embodies our values.  We also recognized his co-workers who wrote to us about his contributions, thanking them for being the story tellers of our company who help spread our values messages to all 16,000 of our associates.

After the store celebration, the group enjoyed a wonderful lunch, giving us a chance to really thank Glenn in our own small way, with all the people who mean the most to him by his side.

While out at our lunch Glenn shared with us his feelings of his Wawa journey. 

“I came to Wawa because I wanted a career. I did some research and I knew that I wanted to be part of a company who wasn’t hurting during these economic times. I was sold as soon as I started because of the people, and how they truly believed in Wawa. I learned more in my first 30 days with this company then I did in any job. April took me under her wing, she didn’t just having me doing tasks.”

Glenn’s lunch was just one part of our Big Six Values Program, which I’ve mentioned in past entries http://www.wawa.com/Blog/category/Culture.aspx. It’s our internal associate recognition program designed to recognize and celebrate our associates for exemplifying our values, and get our associates talking and thinking about our values in new ways.  The program is all fueled by the values submissions that our associates write in, that tell us unforgettable stories of their co-workers actions. 

Glenn stands out as a truly remarkable associate for not only being the first associate to be nominated for all six values, but also for becoming an asset to his team in such a short amount of time, as Glenn has been working at Wawa for less than year. This is no doubt a testament to all of our associates’ passion and dedication to our traditions.  They create a special feeling in our stores that is immediately apparent to all those who walk through our doors. 

So here’s to Glenn and to all of our associates for creating a culture of convenience fueled by a commitment to Delight Customers, Value People, Do the Right Thing, Do Things Right, Embrace Change, and have a Passion for Winning.
 
‘Till next time…