“At Wawa, our core purpose is to go beyond filling orders to fulfill lives, every day, and that has never been stronger than now as our 900 stores unite together to provide support in the form of food, fuel, food donations, funds and the one-of-a-kind Wawa experience that delivers care and hope no matter the circumstances,” said Chris Gheysens, President & CEO, Wawa. “As a new store opens, we will continue to provide comfort and a sense of normalcy in the safest way possible, while listening to what our friends and neighbors need most throughout these challenging times.”

About Opening Day
On Thursday, June 18, the new store opened to the public at 8:00 a.m. with an official ribbon cutting outside of the store with associates standing 6 feet apart to adhere to social distancing guidelines. The store will employ approximately (40) associates and provide with competitive pay, benefits and an opportunity to stock through the company’s ESOP (Employee-Stock-Ownership-Plan) after completing one year of service. Led by Wawa General Manager, Jenny Toledo and Area Manager Dan Holland, the team is committed to maintaining a healthy and safe environment while working to meet the needs of customers.

About Wawa’s Virtual Grand Opening:
The company will mark this official milestone by showcasing its community support through a virtual video experience shared through social media on opening day and available HERE. B-roll video highlights are available HERE to download and include: store footage, safety measures, interviews and ribbon cutting. More specifically, the clips include:

• Springfield Mayor Chris Capodice welcoming Wawa to the neighborhood by personally congratulating the team and building the first ceremonial hoagie!
• Wawa launching its Lending a Helping Hoagie initiative which will donate $1,000 from the new store’s first week of sales to Community Food Bank of New Jersey to relieve hunger in the immediate area, demonstrating its commitment to serving others in need.
• In recognition of Healthcare Heroes, The Wawa Foundation presents the Local Hero Award with a $1,000 contribution to Overlook Medical center, part of Atlantic Health System to express our gratitude to their commitment to serving our community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Wawa acknowledging local community first responders from Springfield Police Department and Springfield Fire Department including donations to local charities serving the community.
• First-ever social distancing ribbon cutting with store associates standing 6 feet apart in front of the new store to signify the official start of serving the community.

About Wawa, Inc.
Wawa, Inc., a privately held company, began in 1803 as an iron foundry in New Jersey. Toward the end of the 19th Century, owner George Wood took an interest in dairy farming and the family began a small processing plant in Wawa, PA in 1902. The milk business was a huge success, due to its quality, cleanliness and “certified” process. As home delivery of milk declined in the early 1960s, Grahame Wood, George’s grandson, opened the first Wawa Food Market in 1964 as an outlet for dairy products. Today, Wawa (www.Wawa.com) is your all day, every day stop for freshly prepared foods, beverages, coffee, fuel services and surcharge-free ATMs. Wawa stores are located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida and Washington, D.C. The stores offer a large fresh foodservice selection, including Wawa brands such as custom prepared hoagies, freshly-brewed coffee, hot breakfast sandwiches, specialty beverages and an assortment of soups, sides and snacks.

About Wawa’s Commitment to Safety
Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, Wawa stayed focused on serving as an essential provider as safely as possible. During that time, Wawa made several key changes to ensure it has the safest, most convenient store environment. The changes include launch of The Wawa Clean Force, a dedicated and trained sanitizing swat team working at each store every day with one job: keeping Wawa stores clean, sanitized and safe. Additional protections and policies include masks and gloves for all associates; clear plastic safety guards at check out and food-service counters; even more frequent hand washing standards; and wellness temperature checks for associates before each shift. For customers, social distancing with friendly visual markers and more hand-sanitizer stations have been added in common areas.

In 2018, Wawa was recognized in Forbes as one of The Best Employers for New Grads and one of The Best Employers for Women, and as the Top-Rated Workplace for Veterans by Indeed. In 2019, Wawa was designated by Forbes as a Best Employer for Diversity.

Media Contact:
Lori Bruce
Public Relations Manager
Wawa, Inc.