Alumni Sportlight: Guidice says to make the most of your Brockport experience

By Nora Hicks
STAFF WRITER

Nine months after graduation Frank Guidice, former BSG president, has settled into life after college. Not even a month after graduation, he was packing up to move to his new apartment in Fairfax, Va. He was offered a job as a Management Trainee for Wegmans, which is a step up from his days as a cashier during high school.

“It’s my first and hopefully only job,” Guidice said. “It empowers me to do what I can to make the company better.”

Fairfax, 25 minutes away from Washington, D.C., is one of the wealthiest counties in the country with a median household income of about $100,000.

“I wish I owned a house,” Guidice said. “Then it would mean I was rich.”

The difference between Virginia and New York is evident in everyday life.

“The weather is nice here, but the big downfall is the traffic,” Guidice said. “It is notorious for being very different, culture wise.”

Guidice’s first assignment as a Management Trainee is to open a store in Woodbridge, Va. He recruits and interviews potential employees for the store’s opening this June.

Guidice started his career when he was 15 years old at the Britton Road Wegman’s location in Greece. Throughout high school he worked hard and held many different forms of management.

When asked where he preferred to transfer to of the new development areas, he immediately chose the Virginia and Maryland locations.

“The stores [in the Virginia area] are remarkably bigger than the New York stores,” Guidice said.
It might seem crazy to move that far away from home, but Guidice verified his reasons.

“I was a Political Science major and now I am only 25 minutes away from D.C.,” Guidice said.

Despite being busy from the impending opening of his new store, Guidice manages to find time to get involved with other things. Last summer he camped at Shenandoah National Park and he currently bowls for the Wegmans’ team Monday nights.

When the hype of the new store’s opening dies down, Guidice wants to become more involved in politics and do volunteer work for campaigns.

“I’m not impressed with the Republican candidates this year,” Guidice said.

He also reflected on his time here at the College at Brockport as being a worthwhile experience.

“It was definitely an awesome time in my life and it really influenced what I do today,” Guidice said.

Although Brockport wasn’t his first choice, Guidice said he “learned a lot about [himself] and useful manager skills.” As BSG President he got to know the college administration and meet different types of people.

Guidice advises current Brockport students to get involved in the campus as he did.

“The biggest thing is to get involved,” Guidice said. “The real life experience is huge when applying for a job because employers want to know what you’re involved with — not just academics.”

He is involved as an alumnus and visited the campus for homecoming. “I miss [Brockport] a lot,” Guidice said. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without my time at Brockport.”

Wegmans ranks No. 3 on Fortune’s “100 best companies to work for” list. This coming June will mark Guidice’s seventh year with the company. During his four years at the College at Brockport, Guidice interned full-time in the summer to learn the functions of the store and people development.

“Being away from my family is hard, but I talk to them on a daily basis,” Guidice said. “I also keep in contact with people from Brockport around the D.C. area.”

Guidice hopes to stay with Wegmans in the future.

“I can’t think of anything better,” Guidice said.