Leaning on the importance of accounting-driven decision-making, the alumnus shared some of the valuable insights he’s learned since leaving 20^th and Olney, as he now runs one of the largest convenience store companies in the nation.

On a Tuesday afternoon in Founders’ Hall, lessons learned in accounting classrooms met real-world business applications.  

Brian Schaller, ’97, MBA, CPA, visited La Salle University on Oct. 27 to speak with students about his work as President of Wawa, Inc., and how the foundational education he received at 20^th and Olney guides him through daily business decisions.  

In his role as president of the company, Schaller leads store operations, fuel, real estate, supply chain, finance, and marketing teams. Wawa owns and operates more than 1,200 convenience stores in 14 states.  

Schaller originally joined the organization in 2002 and has held several leadership roles within the company prior to beginning his current position in 2023.  
His career included time at Deloitte and Touche as a manager in the audit and assurance practice in Princeton, N.J., specializing in the audit of financial service companies. 

While visiting campus, Schaller spoke to Explorers about his time as an undergraduate student and student-athlete, his tenure with Wawa, and the valuable lessons he’s learned along the way.  

Schaller landed at La Salle after being recruited to play on the baseball team, but quickly determined he had an interest in business and followed his grandfather’s advice to study accounting.  

“La Salle was the right fit for me,” he said.  

After graduation, Schaller continued to grow his experience through a variety of different roles, including working for Deloitte, a Big 4 accounting firm. But his start at Wawa really opened the doors to strengthen his experience in a multitude of areas, including fuel, retail, and customer service.  

Schaller shared the data-driven decisions that go into many aspects of running Wawa, including how a new store location is determined and how to best serve their customers by utilizing the information they gain on consumer habits. But Wawa’s mission and ideals, which are founded in Quaker values, are also a big component of how the organization runs every day.  

“Societal impact matters big time for us. That’s the Quaker heritage,” he said.  

Other topics during Schaller’s visit included the rise of artificial intelligence and how it can impact a business’ everyday operations, being one piece of the larger supply chain, and how organizations can stand out from the competition by finding their differentiating advantage.  

Schaller also shared his advice with Explorers, telling them to get involved as a student, get to know their teachers, and gain real-world experience in and out of the classroom. He said learning from everyone you work with, no matter where they may sit on the organizational chart, is also valuable.  

“There’s two types of power. There’s organizational power and there’s personal power, and you should always endeavor to use the second, personal power, and get people invested in what you’re trying to accomplish or [your] mission,” he said.