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3322 College Drive Vineland, NJ 08360 856-691-8600

For Immediate Release

Contact: Amy Vurganov
(856) 405-1220| avurganov@student.cccnj.edu
Wawa CEO to Deliver Keynote Speech at 2016 Commencement
Vineland, NJ, May 19 Chris Gheysens, President and CEO of Wawa, Inc., will be the keynote
speaker at the 2016 Cumberland County College Commencement on May 19th.
Gheysens became CEO of Wawa in 2013 after working for the company for sixteen years. He
grew up in Vineland, NJ, where he earned customer service experience watching his father own
and operate car washes. Gheysens stayed local for college, earning degrees from Saint Josephs
University and Villanova University, and he now resides in Southern New Jersey with his wife
and four young children.
Gheysens is only the second non-member of the owning family to become CEO of Wawa. He's
taking the helm at a time when the company is embarking on a series of strategic initiatives to
keep the business competitive. In addition to conquering new territory in Florida, Wawa
introduced a new mobile application in 2014 to let customers order before they come in the door,
pay via smartphone and get nutritional information about Wawas menu items. The app is
expected to improve the customer experience, making Wawa even more convenient.
Were thrilled that Mr. Gheysens has accepted our invitation to speak, Dr. Shelly Schneider,
interim president. Mr. Gheysens and Wawa are two great Cumberland County success stories
and a great inspiration for our 2016 spring graduates.

About Wawa, Inc.

Wawa, Inc., a privately held company, began in 1803 as an iron foundry in New Jersey. Toward
the end of the 19th Century, owner George Wood took an interest in dairy farming and the family
began a small processing plant in Wawa, Pa, in 1902. The milk business was a huge success, due
to its quality, cleanliness and certified process. As home delivery of milk declined in the early
1960s, Grahame Wood, Georges grandson, opened the first Wawa Food Market in 1964 as an
outlet for dairy products.
Today, Wawa is an all day, every day stop for fresh, built-to-order foods, beverages, coffee, fuel
services, and surcharge-free ATMs. A chain of more than 645 convenience retail stores (over 365
offering gasoline), Wawa stores are located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland,
Virginia and Central Florida.

About Cumberland County College

Cumberland County College is recognized as one of the nations top 50 community colleges
(ranked 29th in the U.S. and first in New Jersey), and has been a vital part of the South Jersey
region since it was founded in 1966 as the first community college in NJ to open its own campus.
The College enrolls nearly 4,000 students and offers 125 career and associate degree programs.
Fully accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the College is guided
by a five-year strategic plan focused on student success, leadership and service-learning, and
economic and workforce development. The College is a valued resource for the Cumberland
County region, providing students and community residents an outstanding learning
environment.

Resources for Assignment

"About Cumberland County College." Cumberland County College. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar.
2016.
Drake, Samantha. "Why Wawas CEO Serves First and Leads Second."SmartCEO. Smart CEO,
21 Nov. 2013. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.
"Our Core Purpose." Wawa. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.