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It's 5 a.m. and Michael Ursini, director of operations support for The Pantry, wakes up and rolls toward his BlackBerry. After checking to make sure no "fires" cropped up overnight, he gets out of bed, slides on his running shoes and embarks on his daily five-mile run.

"It's my time to process things. It keeps my sanity," Ursini said of his morning jaunts. After returning home, he spends some time playing with his children, ages 3 and 8 months. To get going this early, the non-coffee drinker turns to soft drinks or other beverages to get his caffeine fix, though he admits "loving" the smell of fresh-brewed coffee.

Ursini arrives at The Pantry's headquarters in Cary around 8 a.m., and immediately checks in with his assistant, Pat Cross, to make sure there are no major issues to address. He scans his e-mail briefly before embarking on his day, which varies depending on the day of the week and other projects coming online at the time.

The director joined the company in January 2005 as a district sales manager in Orlando. Prior to that, he spent 12 years with Winn-Dixie. He came to the company through his current boss, Brad Williams, senior vice president of operations, who convinced him to join the small-box retailer.