Transcription
Values are an extremely important part of any organization, spoken or not spoken.
My name is Mary Ellen Burris, and this is my Rochester story. My dad was a high school principal, my mother was the town librarian. So education was in my genes, so to speak. I think that Warner helped me to bring all of that together and to realize how actionable it is. And what I found worked at Wegmans.
I went to work there in 1971, and I was there almost 50 years. I think probably the most important thing, is that employees have to understand the value of listening to the customer. It's not just an ad in the paper, it's not just a sign in the produce department. Employees have to carry out those values, in every way, every day.
Over the years, the idea that came out in addition to listening, was just about caring— caring about what people said, caring about what makes things work. The University obviously has played an important part of my life, but I think what I have, especially liked is the University connecting to the community. The University has worked hard at being seen and doing things that are helping to engage with community— wonderful examples of education and values being carried out.