PITTSBURGH — Sheetz is opening its first technology and innovation hub in Bakery Square in Pittsburgh.
Led by Emily Sheetz, assistant vice president of strategy, and Mary Beth Green, innovation officer, the hub will focus on developing, testing and implementing transformative products and services, the company said.
“Our mission at Sheetz is to create a business that puts the Sheetz as we know it today out of business,” said Emily Sheetz. “This hub is an investment in the future and will give Sheetz a unique opportunity to access developers and other talent in Pittsburgh.”
Sheetz has a history of early innovation, from implementing touchscreen and voice-activated ordering to building drive-thrus. This year, Sheetz launched a line of cannabidiol (CBD) products, installed bitcoin kiosks where customers can buy and sell the cryptocurrency and increased its beer and wine offerings.
“Over the last 10 years, Pittsburgh has become a vibrant innovation and startup ecosystem,” said Mary Beth Green. “I’ll be putting together a team to look at new lines of business, customer experiences and really think about what convenience may look like 10-plus years from now. Although not all members of the team will work from this location, it will serve as a meeting place for collaboration, along with an incubator space at the Sheetz Operations Support Center Claysburg.”
The technology and innovation hub will officially open Oct. 1 and will house Sheetz’s growing innovation team, technology development specialists and more.
Established in 1952 in Altoona, Pa., Sheetz is a family-owned and -operated c-store chain with more than 580 locations in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio and North Carolina. It is No. 14 in CSP's 2019 Top 202 ranking of c-store chains by number of retail locations.
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