Episode 40 | Part One: Chris Gheysens

For over 60 years now, the Wawa chain of convenience stores has been supplying the US East Coast with fresh food and consistently positive customer experiences. In the course of this two-part conversation, David takes a deep dive into the company culture behind the success — with the CEO of Wawa himself, Chris Gheysens. In this episode, Chris talks about embedding the culture in new geographies as the company expands to more cities, and finding the balance between results and the welfare of their associates.

The conversation continues with Brian Roers of Roers Companies. In this episode, he shares with David some of the challenges that come with expanding to now over a dozen states in the US. Brian reflects on the importance of being loud as a leader and having the right team when looking to the future.

In this first of a two-part conversation, Brian Roers shares his journey of co-founding Roers Companies with his brother Kent, and becoming a culture champion along the way. Roers Companies is a multi-awarded multifamily and commercial real estate development firm based in Minnesota. It was founded in 2012 — and by 2024, was recognized by Inc. 5000 as the 344th fastest-growing private company in America. At the heart of their remarkable growth is their Culture Blueprint, and a daily commitment to their culture.

David resumes the conversation with Steven Shapiro and Nancy Shapiro Rapport on designing Our Family Culture. Nancy and Steven explain how Our Family Culture shapes the way conversations are taking place between parents and children, and why repetition matters when parenting with purpose.

What does it mean to be the Culture Architect of one’s family? Over the past year, David has worked with brother-sister duo and lifelong educators Steven Shapiro and Nancy Shapiro Rapport to explore this question. In this episode, they recount the story of coming together and collaborating on Our Family Culture, a system designed to help parents be more purposeful in creating a healthy culture for their families.

In this episode, David and Ed DeAngelis examine EDA Contractors’ journey to becoming a top workplace. Ed explains how investing in the company’s culture has affected their bottom line, and what it means to build a “24-hour culture.”

Ed DeAngelis founded EDA Contractors in 1999, and for the last 25 years, the company has worked on construction and historic restoration projects throughout the Greater Philadelphia region, New Jersey, and New York. Today, EDA Contractors is recognized as a top workplace and a leader in the industry. Much of it is thanks to Ed, whose intentionality around psychological safety and the overall workplace culture makes him a true Culture Architect.

The conversation resumes between David and Dr. Kent Wessinger on the millennial and Gen Z workforce. Using insights from his proprietary research, Kent imagines the near future where these younger generations have become their organizations’ leaders and culture-builders.

David is joined by Dr. Kent Wessinger, researcher and author of Bridges over Ladders: Secure Growth and Fortify Revenue with Millennial Employees, Clients and Members. In this episode, Kent introduces his proprietary research — and breaks down why and how most organizations are ill-equipped to attract, engage, and retain younger employees, even though younger generations already take up the largest share of today’s workforce.

In this episode, David and Geneviève Retzlaff continue to explore connections between authentic leadership and high-performing teams — and weigh in on different approaches to the culture-building process.