ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Sheetz has opened a new office in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that will serve as a hub for new innovations and technology development that can be used to better serve customers, reports Technical.ly.

“Our mission at Sheetz is to create a business that puts the Sheetz as we know it today, out of business,” Emily Sheetz, vice president of strategy and IT, told Technical.ly. “The expansion of our office space at Bakery Square will allow us to further develop, test and implement transformative products and services that will help Sheetz meet and surpass customer demand for the ultimate one-stop shop.”

Seventy Sheetz employees, which include 40 IT workers and data scientists, will be headquartered at the office, located in the Bakery Square Four office in the East Liberty neighborhood. The location is close to  Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh, and Sheetz hopes to eventually recruit graduates from these universities.

Technical.ly reports that Sheetz worked closely with the Pittsburgh Technology Council (PTC) throughout the development process. PTC President Audrey Russo told Technical.ly the company’s commitment to Pittsburgh is a boon not only for the local tech industry but for the city as a whole.

“It’s just another example of a large, large company that wants to have a presence where there’s talent and where they’re closer to an urban core,” Russo said. “They’re very committed to Southwestern Pennsylvania [and] like being … close to the talent. [T]hey like being part of the innovation culture.”

The new Sheetz office is also bringing jobs to the region. Russo told Technical.ly that one area where there’s already been potential is in the company’s participation in Apprenti, PTC’s apprenticeship program which allows members of the Pittsburgh technology community to diversify their teams by training, developing and retaining employees through the partnership.

“What Emily said while she was in here is that it’s important for her to have a diverse workforce,” Russo said. “They have 25,000 employees across the state, so it’s really important for them to be more at the forefront of innovation.”

In honor of the opening, Sheetz made a $5,000 donation to Pittsburgh Parks Conservatory.

Investing in your workforce will be the key to employee and customer satisfaction. Learn more about Enhancing the Frontline Employee Experience on the NACS website.