Wegmans Burlington on Track for Oct. 26 Grand Opening

In just more than a month, area residents will have a Wegmans of their own, when the store’s long-awaited Burlington location opens its doors on Oct. 26. The third Wegmans location in Massachusetts will be located at 53 Third Avenue in Burlington.

Construction of the supermarket is coming along and is on track for the slated opening, according to Jo Natale, Wegmans director of media relations. And while the finishing touches are going up on the exterior of the building, but right now most of the work is happening inside the store.

The Burlington Wegmans is an approximately 135,000 square-foot supermarket that includes a Market Café with indoor and outdoor seating for more than 200 people, and a two-story design that features a convenient cart conveyer system.

But the biggest priority right now for Wegman’s to be up and running next month? The hiring of staff for the new location

“Our top priority right now is hiring enthusiastic, eager-to-learn employees for part-time positions ranging from customer service to culinary professionals,” Natale said.

Those interested are encouraged to attend open interviews at the Burlington Wegmans’ employment office, 71 Third Avenue on Sunday, Sept. 28 and Monday, Sept. 29 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Online applications can be completed online prior to attending an interview at www.wegmans.com/careers. Open interviews will also be held those same days at the Wegmans stores in Chestnut Hill, located at 200 Boylston St., and Northborough, at 9102 Shops Way.

Leadership Team is in Place

On Friday Wegman’s announced the leadership team spearheading the grand opening and management of the third Wegmans store in Massachusetts, located on 53 Third Avenue in Burlington. The team consists of the store manager, executive chef, pharmacy manager, and area managers who each oversee various departments within the store. Together, the team has close to 110 years of combined experience as part of the ever-growing Wegmans family.

“The Burlington leadership team is incredibly experienced in delivering the highest-level of customer service, and one that we are thrilled to introduce to the local community at our opening on October 26,” said Marybeth Stewart, Human Resources Manager of Wegmans’ New England Division.

• Kevin Russell, Store Manager- Russell, a Milford resident, joined the Wegmans family in 1986 as a produce clerk in Corning, New York. Two years later, he was promoted to the store’s produce night manager, and as opportunities opened up, he rose from night managerial positions to perishable manager, then assistant store manager. Russell became store manager in 1999, just 13 years after joining Wegmans. In 2010, he moved to Massachusetts and became the store manager of the Northborough location, Wegmans’ very first store in New England. Two years later, he was given the opportunity to serve as store manager of Wegmans Burlington where he will oversee more than 600 employees. In this role, Russell will ensure excellent customer service and productivity in each of the store’s departments and the success and happiness of his employees.

• Joseph (Joe) DeVito, Executive Chef- DeVito, who resides in Waltham, started his career with Wegmans in 2010 at a Rochester New York store, and later that same year, joined the Wegmans New England team as Sous Chef for the first Massachusetts location in Northborough. Within two years, DeVito was promoted to executive chef, and has now been given the opportunity to open Wegmans’ newest store in Burlington as executive chef. With 18 years of restaurant experience, DeVito will lead the Prepared Foods team of over 100 culinary professionals to deliver on Wegmans’ promise of high standards and incredible customer service. He will oversee a restaurant-quality, prepared foods section, which includes sushi, fresh food bars, pizza, sandwich shop, and coffee.

• Jason Rowell, Perishable Area Manager- Rowell has been employed by Wegmans since 1999 and has held the various positions, including overnight grocery manager, produce manager and merchandising area manager. He joined the Wegmans New England team in 2011 to help spearhead the first New England store in Northborough. As the perishable area manager for Burlington, Rowell will oversee product quality, sales, merchandising, employee growth, development and performance, while ensuring the perishable departments (bakery, seafood, meat, cheese, etc.), and the store as a whole, operate efficiently and profitably. Rowell, a Milford resident, will ensure that the finest perishable products are available and help customers make great meals easy.

• Alicia Elliott, Service Area Manager- Elliott, a resident of Marlborough, has been with the Wegmans Family since 1980 and has held a variety of positions, including front end manager, produce manager, corporate accountant, and pharmacy manager, during which she served as one of two pharmacy hub managers in the Rochester division helping to roll out new in-store software. As the service area manager, Elliot will oversee all service departments, including front end, service desk, helping hands, etc., and is developing an experienced team to deliver incredible customer service to the people of Burlington. She will also oversee all community partnerships.

• Ted Kamas, Merchandising Area Manager- Kamas is a resident of Boston and has been with the Wegmans family since 1998. He has served as cashier, management trainee, seafood manager, meat manager and human resources executive. Kamas will now oversee the merchandising departments in Burlington, which include grocery, dairy, frozen food, liquor, etc. and will work collaboratively with all departments to ensure products are well merchandised and always available for Wegmans customers

• Drew Wheaton, Pharmacy Area Manager- Drew Wheaton, PharmD, graduated from Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in 2010. He joined Wegmans in 2004 and previously worked as a pharmacy intern, pharmacy technician, staff pharmacist, and is now the pharmacy area manager. As pharmacy manager, Wheaton will oversee all aspects of the Burlington pharmacy department and its staff to ensure the utmost in customer service and personal attention to detail that each customer deserves in order to live a healthier life. Services include an attentive helpful staff, expert health and wellness consultations, immunizations, auto-refill and competitively low prices on select generic prescriptions. Wheaton lives in Marlborough.

Wegmans Burlington will celebrate its grand opening on Sunday, October 26starting at 7 a.m. Today, the store launched www.wegmans.com/burlington which provides store details, including hours and directions as well as blog posts by the leadership team.