Bayville 7-Eleven Owner Nominated As Berkeley Hero

BERKELEY, NJ — When times are tough, heroes emerge. We all know someone who's making a difference right now as we live through unprecedented times. Here at Patch, we've launched an initiative to help recognize these everyday heroes.

This submission comes from Scott Mahnken.

Nominee: Sam Ekhwat

Job: owner of the 7-Eleven in Berkeley

Essential worker? :Yes.

How do you know the nominee?: I’m a customer at his 7-Eleven store.

Why do you believe the nominee deserves to be honored? I’m honoring Sam the owner of the new 7-Eleven in Bayville because of his hard work, community spirit, and unfortunate business climate. When Sam’s 7-Eleven first opened he made certain to connect with the local community by donating money to charitable causes, allowing youth sports teams to fundraise at his doorstep and sent free coffee and food offers to residents nearest his store. Owning and managing a 24/7 business is an incredible challenge. What Sam didn’t expect was the downturn in his business and loss of revenue during the current shutdown. Nor could Sam predict how hard it would be to staff his new establishment as new employees are hesitant to join the business world under the current climate.

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Yet day after day Sam tirelessly puts in the hours and maintains his store. During this crisis I’ve seen him offer free food and discounts to customers that were a bit short of cash. It’s during challenging times that great people emerge by showing great leadership and compassion and Sam is doing just that!

What's one thing everyone should know about your hero? I would like everyone to know that Sam’s typical workday is 17 hours. He’s sacrificing himself along with time away from his family to establish his business and to be there to serve the community the necessities we need day to day.

Thank you for all you do, Sam!

>> Do YOU have a local hero you would like us to know about? Share their story here.

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