2016 – I DIE AT MY POST

It’s hard to compress my Sheetz story into a few lines. The years have been packed with projects, people, and moments that shaped me…more than I could ever list. It’s been a blur of milestones and memories, of ideas turned into reality. Endless growth. Boundless fun. And the kind of work that makes you want to show up every day and give it everything you’ve got.

I came to Sheetz wide-eyed and ready to work. Sheetz-pilled instantly. My orientation with Earl Springer — father of the MTO — made me feel like I was stepping into something way bigger than a job. Within weeks  Tammy sat me down and walked me through the brand pyramid (back when “Devotion / Feel the Love” sat at the top) drilling into me the positioning, history, and foundation of this brand. That early education gave me an intrinsic connection to our identity that still shapes my work today.

From the start, my role stretched far beyond the title. Even in those first days as a Graphic Designer, I was shoulder to shoulder with Tammy, shaping the work as much as making it. Develop the brand guidelines, design package, and launch plan and events for our brand-new company intranet? Yep — did that. Create the name, brand identity, and interior finishes and décor package for our new Day Care facility? Yah – did that. Help build the foundations of our modern store design that our architecture partner couldn’t?  Without a dedicated team? Sure did. That was just year one.

It was those essential contributions that led to my promotion to Lead Designer in 2018. In this role, I oversaw the first expansion of our design team. When we recognized the need for stronger in-house digital skills, I partnered with Tammy to write the job description and act as hiring manager for our first Digital Designer. That role allowed us to bring work in-house that had previously lived with two agencies . This meant developing entirely new kinds of work, pathways, systems, and workflows, and building collaboration with teams where it hadn’t existed before.

I was heavily active in brand campaigns during this time, working alongside Tammy in close partnership with Tattoo. Together, we shaped the direction and did the hands-on work that drove our biggest campaigns — Sheetz Run and Done, Time Back, and Art Project. We also launched the Beer Project, one of my first opportunities to fully craft a campaign from start to finish — from the name, to packaging, to social teasers, to launch content and events. It remains one of my favorite projects, and a standout success for us as a brand. I believe the work we did there is what drove the hype and ultimately made it a win.

This was also my first entrance into major employee events like Sheetz Fest and Year End. I played a key role in translating corporate messages into relevant, exciting, and moving experiences that truly connected with our employees. And I’ve been doing it ever since — making them better, cooler, and more connective than ever before.

But the growth didn’t stop — and neither did the volume of work for our team. When I became Creative Manager in the fall of 2020, we were writing more job descriptions, adding more levels, and building more capabilities and skills. I hired every last member of our team.

With that growth came an increased focus on the four things that have defined my leadership ever since: the work, the processes that support it, the people who make it happen, and the culture that keeps them engaged and inspired. All of that was happening in the middle of a pandemic, with a fully remote team — which meant rethinking how we stayed connected, collaborated, and kept our creative energy high when we weren’t in the same room.

During this time, I was also a key player in the agency search that led to Brand 2.0. I worked side-by-side with Tammy and our agency partners to develop and manage the rollout across every channel — writing creative briefs, managing timelines, delivering feedback, and making sure execution stayed true to our positioning and brand personality. And when the agency couldn’t stick the landing, my team closed the gap — producing award-winning OOH, truck graphics, uniforms, packaging, and promotional work that carried the campaign forward.

Now, as Senior Creative Manager, I’ve been running the shop in full for the last two years — managing budgets for both production and people, and building a team of highly capable talent, each ready to step into their next role and operate at full strength without me at the helm. Succession has been part of the plan from day one. I’m using everything I have — every tool, every piece of knowledge — to shape how this brand functions, how we get work done, and how we keep pushing it forward. I’ve already started laying the groundwork for the future of the brand, capturing audience attention in ways we’ve dreamed about for years.

This is my moment. Everything I’ve done at Sheetz has led here, to this next step. I’ve worked with the best — VaynerMedia, RTOP, Joan, Tattoo — and more freelancers and consultants than I can count, pulling together teams that deliver at the highest level. I’ve crossed paths with every department in this company, from Purchasing to TAQ, IC, CLI, SDS, Ops, and beyond, learning how every gear in the Sheetz machine turns. I’ve been in the rooms, on the calls, and at the tables where the big decisions happen, and more than once, I’ve been the one they hand the decision to. I’ve proven myself over and over. Hell - I’ve dug into our archives all the way back to the ’80s, with no stone unturned. I know our history. I have a vision. And I know exactly how to connect the two to create what comes next.