Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. is a privately held American supermarket chain headquartered in Gates, New York, and was founded in 1916 in Rochester. At the helm of the family-owned company since 2017 is CEO and President Colleen Wegman. Taking the reins from her father Danny, she is the fourth generation to lead the 105-year-old company. Known for providing free samples, cooking demonstrations, and high-end ingredients, Wegmans has 110 stores, mostly in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, and employs more than 52,000 people.
Wegman graduated from the University of Colorado with a degree in sociology and later earned a master's degree in business administration from the University of Rochester. She joined Wegmans in 1991, working on the Food You Feel Good About line, and opened the company’s Nature’s Marketplace department in 1994. She held a variety of customer service positions before becoming a store manager in 1998. In 2000, she led the team responsible for Wegmans’ digital and e-commerce strategy, and subsequently directed the perishable and merchandising teams.
Wegman first started visiting stores with her father and sister at age five. In a rare interview in 2016 with the Democrat and Chronicle, she said, “You watch somebody doing something that they love and that inspires you and encourages you to want to be part of that, too. It gets in your blood and becomes part of who you are, the culture. We got to learn about the values of the company that way, and that became instilled in us as well. So, it’s fun. Over four generations it has become sort of a common theme.”
Wegmans has appeared on Fortune's annual "100 Best Companies to Work For" list since the list first appeared in 1998. In 2020, under Colleen Wegman’s leadership, the company was ranked at number three on that list, based on an employee satisfaction survey. She has also been recognized as one of Glassdoor’s “Employees’ Choice” top CEOs.
Wegman was the United Way of Greater Rochester’s 2010 annual campaign chair, and served as board chairperson from 2013 to 2017. She is also a member of the Food Marketing Institute’s board of directors.