Wegmans announces Midlothian store’s leadership team

With less than a month to go before the opening of the Richmond region’s first Wegmans grocery store, the company announced the store’s leadership team on Monday.

The team includes the store manager, executive chef, pharmacy area manager, and three area managers who each supervise several departments. Together, the group will spearhead operations of the store at Stonehenge Village Shopping Center on Midlothian Turnpike in Chesterfield County.

“Each member of this group shares our values and brings a wealth of Wegmans knowledge to Midlothian,” said Heather Gole, human resources manager of the company’s Virginia stores, said in a statement. “We’re still hiring and training for full-time culinary and restaurant positions at Midlothian, such as line cooks and Asian cuisine, as well as various part-time positions throughout the store.”

The Wegmans Midlothian leadership team includes:
Store Manager Jerry Shelly; a longtime employee who most recently managed a Wegmans store near Philadelphia; Executive Chef Craig Haines, who worked in the kitchens of a large hotel chain before joining Wegmans in State College, Pa. in 2002; Pharmacy Area Manager Jeff Mallon, who joined Wegmans in 2006 as a pharmacy technician before becoming a pharmacist; Perishable Area Manager Shawn MacKay, who will oversee product quality, sales, and employee development for the produce, floral, bakery, seafood, meat, cheese and deli departments; Merchandising Area Manager Jeff Blankenship, a store employee since 1986 who will supervise merchandising and sales for a number of departments; and Service Area Manager Laurie Shadders, who started as a cashier in 1987 and worked her way up into management. Shadders also will supervise local community giving.

Wegmans Midlothian is a 115,000-square-foot supermarket that includes a Market Café, with indoor and outdoor seating for more than 250, as well as The Pub, Wegmans’ full-service family restaurant.

Wegmans Food Markets Inc., a family-owned company based in Rochester, N.Y., has 88 stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland and Massachusetts. The company is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2016.

Wegmans has been named one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” by Fortune magazine for 19 consecutive years, ranking No. 4 in 2016.