Z is relentlessly curious about what’s possible, and at the same time responsibly disciplined about what has to be done. The combo makes a leader who simultaneously inspires a team forward, while keeping them on track and on objective. He’s humble and lets his team shine and he stokes a culture of “We.” But he never hesitates to contribute, build on ideas and help them come to life. He’s proud of the Sheetz brand and it shows. It creates a contagiously charged environment that has people around him constantly raising the bar and the potential of the brand…not for credit, but for the satisfaction that comes from going all in for a good company that wants to do good things for good people. As we say, you can’t just say you want to be a leader, people have to want to follow you… Z is someone people want to follow.

Zach is more than a creative force, he is a true brand strategist and understands how to instill the brand in hearts and minds of Sheetz most loyal fans. As a skilled design thinker, his talents shine bright through a variety of projects that bring the brand to life for customers and employees, define key experiences and ultimately set Sheetz apart in the marketplace. He leads a highly productive team of skilled creative and design professionals. As a leader he ensures individual and team productivity and has achieved high levels of satisfaction from his direct reports. At the same time, he is highly collaborative working with people at various levels within the organization to help achieve business goals through a variety of design projects. Zach consistently receives high praise for his ability to problem solve and work with clients to produce engaging and effective work that gets results and positively impacts the brand. His success is visible primarily through all brand communications and marketing promotions, plus HR recruiting, employee events, internal communications and a number of projects supporting store design. His energy is boundless and he possesses intense dedication to a responsibility he takes very seriously. Zach can be counted on to support the culture, build effective cross functional teams and consistently exceed expectations.

It’s genuine when I say he’s one of my favorite clients I’ve ever worked with. He’s the kind of client creative folks wish for every time we start a relationship. He’s pushes the work in all the right ways. He’s open to hearing all perspectives and he trusts the agency. But he’ll always be honest with how he thinks the work can get better. And when we wants to push work further, we always find ourselves saying “Spot on, Zach.” He wants the best for the brand. He doesn’t approach this work like it’s just a job. You can tell his heart is in it and he genuinely cares about what’s best for Sheetz. He’ll push for ideas that are bold and strategically sound, as opposed to ideas that are safe and won’t rock the boat. Which is all too common in this biz. He motivates everyone around him. We’ve seen him get the best from both the agency team and the internal team. His mantra is collaboration and making sure everyone is in the boat together rowing in the same direction. There’s an old saying in advertising that “clients get the work they deserve.” Without a doubt Zach deserves the best and everyone around him works their ass off to deliver for him.

In the simplest of terms, Zach is one of the great ones.

Working with Zach is like grabbing a MTO sub at 2 a.m. - always fresh, creative, and honestly, exactly what you need. Zach KNOWS the Sheetz brand inside and out, and he brings that same energy to every project. Whether it’s brainstorming bold event strategies, tightening up budgets, or making sure the look, feel, and message are all hitting the mark, Zach is the ultimate collaborator. He encourages our team to think big, push ideas further, and never settle for anything less than bad ass. Smart with process, fearless with creativity, and always fueled by passion - Zach is the kind of brand leader who makes you proud to be a part of something bigger.

Zack actually gives a damn. We did the original work to articulate the Sheetz purpose and one major source where we got our earliest clues in that anthropological process was through working with Zack—through the observation and experience of who Zack is about his work and how he consistently operates. Everything matters. Nothing is a throwaway. He expects greatness and he’s never afraid to go for it. Because he really cares about what we’re all doing together, what we’re creating in the world, and the impact it has on people in real everyday life. Zack gets sh$t done. He’s masterful at moving work forward. He doesn’t stall. He doesn’t defer. He doesn’t play the devil’s advocate just to play the devil’s advocate (seeding doubt and just leaving it there to kill early, fragile creation). This is a critical skill that very few people possess. He will ask the tough questions, he’ll look to see it from all sides . . . but he does all that in an active forward-motion to identify and solve potential issues, to make the work even better, and to keep progress moving at he speed and volume of Sheetz. Zack is everything you want to direct the future of the Sheetz brand. He’s passionately committed. Tireless in his pursuit for excellence and relevancy. He’ll keep pushing this brand to its edges to strengthen, deepen, and fortify its place in the culture and the everyday connectedness of life. And he’ll protect this brand with his life.

Zach runs a tight ship, but with personality and humility. People respect him because he's decisive when he needs to be and doesn't overcomplicate things. When something needst to happen, he makes the call and moves forward. He's motivating to work with. He stays on top of what's happening culturally and translates that into work that makes sense for Sheetz. He gets that the brand has a specific personality and knows how to take smart risks without losing what makes it work. Working with Zach is straightforward. He listens to ideas, gives honest feedback, and pushes back when something could be better. He's open to input from our team but doesn't just go with whatever sounds good. He has a strong point of view and we appreciate that. He spots opportunities quickly and allows the team to move at the pace of culture. Whether it's a trend, a platform, or a partnership, he's good at turning it into something impactful for the brand.

Since joining Sheetz, I’ve grown more as a creative, leader, and person than anywhere else in my career, and that’s because of Zack Sheffield. He’s the hub that connects departments and turns loose ideas into clear strategy and accountable plans. If I had a dollar for every call I’ve sat on, often with dozens of decision-makers and senior leaders, that didn’t move forward until Zack gave the directive, I’d buy a dream house in State College so I could sit even closer to his learning tree. I have a conspiracy theory that Microsoft keeps the ‘End Meeting’ button hidden in Teams until Z has spoken. He balances risk and brand ambition while protecting budget and driving growth. He sets a high bar without a heavy hand, pairs candor with empathy, and earns “I’d run through a wall for that guy” effort. He’s taught me to reject mediocrity and turn constraints into advantages. He tells me not what I want to hear but what I need, and I’m better for it. People want to work with and for Zack because he makes goals clear and work meaningful. In the alphabet soup of Sheetz, nomatter where you start, it ends with Z.