CLAYSBURG, Pa. –Sheetz Inc. held opening ceremonies April 19 in Claysburg, Pa., for the convenience-store retailer’s new operations support center.
The project includes a modern, 115,000-square-foot corporate office building and an adjacent 13,000-square-foot day care center on a site midway between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh. It was designed by Philadelphia-based CDI Studio One, the architecture division of L.R. Kimball, a CDI Co.
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“This building is phenomenal; we are so happy to add it to what we can now call a campus,” said President and CEO Joe Sheetz at the ribbon-cutting event. “We wanted a building that was modern and has longevity to it, and we wanted something more collaborative and open. The idea of what a workplace should look like has changed. You need a lot of energy and light. That is what members of today’s workforce want and demand.”
The long axis of the building is sited between two protected wetlands, providing a pastoral view from the majority of workspaces, the company said. The building is based on a simple, flexible, rectangular floor plan, reminiscent of the farm structures that dot the western Pennsylvania landscape, CDI said.
The dining room is an independent pavilion that extends into the lawn, with exposed timber columns and a natural stone, gas-burning fireplace against the wall. The chimney is shared with a wood-burning fireplace on the outside patio that will be used for special events. A large, Southern-facing glazed porch encourages employees to experience nature during the workday.
In addition to the dining room, the first floor also has state-of-the-art test kitchens, data center and training rooms. Above the first floor, a mezzanine will accommodate future expansion. The second and third floors are devoted to flexible, open-plan offices, with conference rooms and common open spaces to encourage collaboration and camaraderie.
Adjacent to the headquarters, the new Little Sproutz Early Childhood Learning Center is a one-story, wood-framed structure with a pitched roof, reminiscent of homes in the region. The entryway features a magnetic message center, family conference room, stroller storage and access to a large multipurpose room and children’s library. The nine classrooms for infants to preschoolers are equipped with toilet-training rooms, countertop sinks and storage. Each classroom has an exterior door leading to a fenced playground and natural play area. There is room for 146 children, grandchildren and dependents of Sheetz employees.
“Sheetz is a rapidly growing company that cares about its employees,” said Gary Lapera, principal of CDI Studio One. “Connection to nature, abundant sunlight, healthy building materials are key elements, as are flexible workspaces and areas for collaboration. The building is a combination of global best practices in workplace strategies and, most importantly, the physical embodiment of the Sheetz DNA—innovative, collegial and rooted in the community.”
Established in 1952 in Altoona, Pa., convenience-store retailer Sheetz has more than $6.4 billion in revenue and more than 18,500 employees. It operates 568 stores in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, Maryland and Virginia. The chain ranked No. 14 in a year-end update of CSP’s2017 Top 202 list of the largest c-store chains in the United States.
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