Sheetz Honored with CSD’s 2017 Chain of the Year Award

Attendees celebrate Sheetz during a dinner at the Crystal Gardens at Navy Pier in Chicago.

By Erin Rigik Del Conte, Senior Editor

Convenience Store Decisions (CSD) honored Sheetz as the 2017 Convenience Store Chain of the Year during a dinner held at The Crystal Gardens at Navy Pier in Chicago during the NACS Show that welcomed more than 200 attendees.

“Over the past 28 Years, CSD has consistently honored convenience retailing excellence. And while there have been some companies gobbled up in acquisitions, the chains we have honored remain industry leaders, starting with Wawa, the first chain of the year winner in 1990,” said John Lofstock, editor-in-chief of CSD.

Lofstock explained that Sheetz is the very first company to be named a two-time winner of the Chain of the Year award.

“This honor highlights remarkable consistency and a commitment to excellence—to customers as well as employees over a very long period of time, and I’m very proud to have been able to watch the chain soar to new heights over the past 20 years,” Lofstock said.

CSD first honored the chain in 1994.

As is tradition, the previous Chain of the Year award winner presents the trophy to the new Chain of the Year.

Bob Graczyk, vice president human resources of QuickChek Corp., which was the 2016 Chain of the Year, presented the award to Joe Sheetz, president and CEO of Sheetz.

“Following the award last year we had our awards dinners and at 16 different dinners Dean (Durling) carried this award with him, set it up on a table and told the team members what it meant to him and to them for the work they do with each other and for our customers,” Graczyk said.

Dean Durling, QuickChek CEO, was unable to attend the NACS Show this year, but he sent a special video of himself shopping at a Sheetz store with a personal message to Sheetz.

“Congratulations to the entire Sheetz organization, the Sheetz family and the vendor community that help make Sheetz what it is today,” Durling said. “The Sheetz family business is one of the best, if not the best, model that our industry has to offer.”

As he accepted the award, Sheetz noted how the company has evolved quite a bit since it first won the award in 1994. “First of all I wasn’t there…In 1994 we had 167 stores and 3,700 employees. Now we have 564 stores and over 1,800 employees.” Sheetz pointed out that 320 employees who were there when Sheetz won the award in 1994 are still with the company today.

“I need to thank John and Tom and everyone on the CSD staff for this award. We’re very honored. I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank all of our supplier partners. A lot of you are in the room tonight. Thank you for helping us grow. Thank you for supporting us. I’d like to thank all of the other retailers here. I’m looking around and I’m really overwhelmed by how many of my friends in retail are here and that’s surprising and awesome,” Sheetz said. “The biggest thank you on behalf of my family, our executive committee has to go to our over 1,800 employees because they are the ones that make this happen. So thank you.”