QuickChek Lawyer Earns Business Honors

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. -- QuickChek Corp.'s corporate real estate counsel is being recognized as one of the Best Fifty Women in Business in 2014.

Mary Elizabeth Warner earned a spot on the list compiled by the NJBIZ business weekly journal. The award honors New Jersey's "most dynamic women in businesses that have made headlines in their field," according to the Whitehouse Station-based convenience retailer.

The winners were selected based on their authority for decision making in their company, their dedication to business growth, professional and personal accomplishments, community involvement and advocacy for women.

As corporate real estate counsel, Warner works with QuickChek's real estate, finance and construction departments to support the company in meeting its growth objectives. She has also been instrumental in working with banks to introduce financing tools to aid QuickChek's transactions and expansion efforts.

Warner joined the company in March 2007 as its first in-house real estate attorney. In the past seven years, QuickChek has added 26 new convenience stores. The privately owned retailer now has 137 retail locations throughout New Jersey and New York's Hudson Valley. The number of stores selling gas has also increased from seven to 44.

Warner works closely with QuickChek's real estate department, developers and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection in pursuing redevelopment opportunities. On Jan. 21, QuickChek opened a redevelopment site located in South Bound Brook, N.J. -- a modern and expansive 4,543 square-foot-store that created 35 new jobs and is expected to generate approximately $1 million in tax revenue, according to the company.

 "I am very excited to receive this award, it's an honor to be in such prestigious company," said Warner, who resides in Tewksbury, N.J., with her husband and three children.

She is a graduate of the College of William & Mary Law School and Wellesley College and earned a Certificate of Special Business and Public Policy from Harvard University.   

 "Mary Elizabeth is a key member of our team who has helped us achieve good, steady growth as we continue to build a great retail chain," said QuickChek CEO Dean Durling. "It is a pleasure to see her recognized for her efforts, not only for what she does for us, but for her dedication and contributions to the community as well."

 Warner was recently recognized by the Boy Scouts of America for her numerous community achievements. She was also named to the Mary Crowley Medical Research Center Institutional Review Board in Dallas.

In addition, she serves on the board of the Connie Dwyer Breast Center, which delivers medical services to underserved women at St. Michael's Hospital in Newark, N.J. Previously, she served on New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's transition team in 2009 and on the boards of Family Services of Morris County and the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

 "When we were looking to develop a great real estate team in 2007, we set out to find the best attorney in the state who would add value to our company, legally, politically, developmentally and socially," said QuickChek Vice President of Real Estate Bob Vallario. "Mary Elizabeth embodies all of these qualities."

 Warner will be honored during an awards ceremony on March 24 at The Palace at Somerset Park in Somerset, N.J.