Get to know a few of our amazing employees who share their thoughts on the month and how their heritage has shaped their unique journeys.
A proud California Bay Area native, Vanessa has fresh food retail in her blood. Her grandparents started a grocery store in Peru after emigrating there from Hong Kong. But her true passion—and chosen career path—is in facilities, construction and operations. She joined 7‑Eleven more than 12 years ago and was a construction manager for eight of those years managing rollouts and innovation projects, new builds and groundups. Vanessa currently leads the Program Management team with regional program managers who support and train operations to better their merchandising acumen, identify and remove obstacles for new stores and those going through changeovers to become 7‑Eleven stores, while also leading innovation projects rolling out to test markets.
“Even though I have a educational background in engineering and business, I experienced challenges when I initially tried to break into the construction field at other organizations. But I was fortunate to find many mentors who helped me along the way at 7‑Eleven so I could realize my career goals and trajectory. When you’re able to stay true to what you want to be and always come prepared as a professional, and treat people with respect, good things happen. Leaders at 7‑Eleven tend to reciprocate and come with understanding when you work hard, and show your passion, and come with a plan when faced with obstacles. It’s why I believe in the Latin phrase, ‘Ad Astra per Aspera,’ which translates to, ‘through adversity to the stars.’”
“I have a mix of Asian cultures that I identify with as part of my family’s heritage. Every year we celebrate the Chinese New Year — it’s a moment of thankfulness and really shows how humble the Chinese culture is; it’s all about celebrating young people and our elders, as well as longevity which is so important in many Asian cultures.”
“It’s important to recognize multicultural months like this to raise awareness for the many cultures that we’re a part of. And I’m proud to be an Asian American at such an open, diverse company like 7‑Eleven where people are encouraged to be themselves so they can do their best work.”
Roy’s entrance into the convenience store industry might seem like a foregone conclusion when you consider that he grew up in one. His dad bought a convenience store in Los Angeles next to the family’s house, with Roy and his brother supporting the family business by working just about every role possible in the store. And while this experience prepared him well for several leadership positions that he’s served in at 7‑Eleven, joining the company wasn’t a fait accompli.
“Funny enough, we didn’t have a lot of love for 7‑Eleven when I was growing up, because it was literally across the street from our store,” he commented. “And after working in my family’s business for so many years, I wanted to do just about anything other than retail. But after college I ended up working at several companies that are major 7‑Eleven product vendors, and then had the opportunity to come here as an Area Leader. As it happens so often, life comes full circle and I’m a second-generation retailer.”
“It’s definitely my dad due to having so much proximity to him both early in my life and still today. He was an engineer before coming to the United States from South Korea, and basically went from having everything to very little. He worked various odd jobs prior to buying this convenience store — working all day seven days a week. His sacrifice, discipline, rigor, and how he approached things as an ardent convenience operator carried over to me.”
“What I appreciate about AAPI Month, and other cultural celebrations, is that it reflects the journey of inclusion the country continues to go through and shows just how diverse we are. I think the fact that we are a true melting pot with respect to different cultures is something we should all be extremely proud of. We have the opportunity to take the best qualities of different cultures and create something really special.”
As a “1.5 generation” American, Yoon was born in the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and emigrated to the United States with his family when he was four years old. Fast forward to today, and Yoon holds numerous accomplishments with 7‑Eleven including a 17-year tenure with the company across several roles and departments, and bragging rights for visiting more than 3,500 stores over his career.
“When I started kindergarten in the U.S., I didn’t know any English. My parents taught me the word ‘bathroom’ as they figured that was pretty important, but that’s all I knew. Within six months I was speaking fluently. I was the only Asian kid in the whole school so it was definitely a unique experience, but I never saw myself as any different than all the other kids.”
“My 9th grade social studies teacher, Mrs. Griffiths, was the first true inspiration in my life and probably had the biggest impact on me. She was always very positive and taught me to be a better student so I could excel academically. Thanks to her positivity and cheering me on, I was convinced I could do whatever I wanted.”
“My 7‑Eleven experience has been one of meritocracy where you are able to make of it what you want based on your skill set, work ethic and desire to learn and grow. I think that’s symbolic of what American culture strives to be when it’s at it’s best. Looking back, the convenience industry as a whole was more homoegenous when I started. But it has really evolved to be much more diverse in terms of different cultures and people from different backgrounds coming together to serve customers.”
Dave joined 7‑Eleven in 2009 and currently oversees the company’s burgenoning fresh foods business. He has served in several leadership roles including Chief of Staff to 7‑Eleven’s president and CEO for nearly five years. A former U.S. Army Officer, Dave has also been instrumental in 7‑Eleven’s highly successful veterans outreach and hiring programs. He’s also the last guy you want to challenge to a pushup contest, recently completing the ‘3,000 Pushups in May’ challenge from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
“I’m an Asian American and Pacific Islander, as my mother was Chinese and Hawaiian. She taught me about my heritage growing up and it’s something that I’ve passed on to my own family. I’m very thankful for my mom and all that she taught and passed on to me. Her kindness, selflessness, faith and Aloha spirit are all things she instilled, and that included a pride in our culture. That culture includes a strong sense of “Ohana” which is really the importance of family and community, and that stands at the forefront of who we are. Both of my daughters were involved in Tahitian dancing and Hawaiian hula for several years when they were younger. They both won competitions, which I’m proud of, but more importantly they learned about the customs and traditions inherent to our culture by participating in these programs.”
“A statement that’s resonated with me is, ‘when you pursue excellence, you achieve diversity.’ That philosophy has been a touchstone for how we approach the hiring, recruiting and retention of talent. And it’s not only diversity of race and gender, but also diversity of thought and experience. I think it’s been key to our ability to innovate and helps us deliver a richer customer experience.”
