Ashley Joseph has always known she has a passion for helping others. She went to school to earn a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, and simultaneously held jobs at QSRs, retail stores and as a residential supervisor for adults with developmental disabilities during her time in college. 

“After graduating, something just kept pulling me back into the guest services field. One of the things I love about it is that there is always a need to help out somewhere,” she said. 

Ashley has now worked in the convenience industry since 2018 and has been a store manager at a Weigel’s location in Athens, Tennessee, for two years. 

She spoke with NACS about: 

Why she loves working in convenience

I currently work at one of our travel centers, and for the majority of my convenience career I’ve always had an interstate store. They pull in a lot more guest traffic, and one of the things I’ve always enjoyed is talking to the guests and being able to create those relationships. The guests obviously play a huge part in what makes the convenience industry so great. I enjoy meeting people from all over the country. Working in an environment with such a diverse group of people helps each of us grow and strengthen our social skills, which is imperative to the business.

What she finds fulfilling about her job

For me, it’s the people—my team and the guests that come in here. It’s so rewarding to see team members grow personally and professionally here. That is one of the things that I strive to help them do. I want to see everyone grow their skills and to see each person here build their own relationships with the guests and other team members. It’s really fulfilling to see a cashier grow into an assistant manager who could eventually take over a store. That’s one of the things that I really enjoy. 

One of her favorite days at work

Last year we had the privilege of going to Chattanooga, Tennessee, to participate in Wreaths Across America. It was around Christmas time and we placed wreaths on veterans’ graves. It was such a great way to honor the veterans, and it was the first time that I’ve had the opportunity to do something in the community through a company. I’d always been big into doing things for the community myself, but to be able to do it within my company was wonderful. Weigel’s has such a great relationship with its community in Knoxville, and I can’t wait to see the relationships that we build with other communities as we continue to grow.