Entrepreneur in Residence Program

Stephen G. Sheetz

Entrepreneur bio - Click here to return to the EIR homepage

Stephen G. (Steve) Sheetz is a native of Altoona, Pennsylvania, also home to the family owned and operated Sheetz, Inc. convenience store chain. Sheetz currently operates 406 stores in six states---Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina---and employs more than 14,500 people, with current year revenue in excess of $5 billion.

Steve is a 1965 graduate of Altoona Area High School and a 1969 graduate of the Pennsylvania State University where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management. Steve also completed the Owner/President Management Program at Harvard University.

As a teenager, Steve began working in his brother Bob's first Sheetz convenience store in 1960. Upon graduation from college in 1969 he became Supervisor and Director of Operations for the four Sheetz stores in operation. He has served in the management of the Sheetz organization ever since. He served as President from 1984 to 1995 and, on October 1, 1995, transitioned to his current role as Chairman of the Board.

In 1990, Steve and his family were honored as Retail Entrepreneurs of the Year. In 1994 Steve received The Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Pennsylvania State University. Also in 1994, Sheetz, Inc. was named "Convenience Store Chain of the Year" by Convenience Store Decisions, a leading convenience industry trade magazine. In 1995 the Sheetz family was named "Retailer of the Year" by Convenience Store News, another leading convenience industry magazine.

In October 1999, Steve received the Alumni Fellow Award from the Pennsylvania State University Alumni Association. The Alumni Fellow Award is the most prestigious honor to be bestowed on an alumnus and is presented to individuals in recognition of their professional accomplishments and continuing involvement in higher education.

In 2004 Steve received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Business Advocacy in Blair County from the Blair County Chamber of Commerce.

In October 2007, the Sheetz family was honored by Convenience Store/Petroleum Magazine as Retailer of the Year.

Steve is a past Chairman of the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) and NACS Foundation for Education and Research. He is a past Board Member of NACS, the Pennsylvania Convenience Store Council, M&T Bank (Buffalo, NY) and the Pennsylvania State University. Steve serves as an Advisory Board Member for the Penn State Altoona Campus. He also serves on the Boards of QuikTrip Corporation (Tulsa, OK) and Eat 'N Park Restaurants (Pittsburgh, PA).

Steve and his wife, Nancy, have two daughters, Megan and Nikki and seven grandchildren.