Wawa Celebrates Grand Opening of New Stafford, VA Store as Part of 2022 Day Brighteners Tour
New Store Reflects Wawa’s Commitment to Brighten More Lives in More Ways through New Jobs, New Growth and New Reasons to Celebrate Community Day Brighteners with a Call for Nominations

Media Contact: public.relations@wawa.com
Website: https://www.wawa.com/

STAFFORD, VA – December 9, 2022 – Wawa, Inc. today announced the grand opening of its newest store located at 1172 Garrisonville Rd., Stafford, VA 22556 on Friday, December 9th. To mark the occasion, Wawa hosted an exciting grand opening celebration and outdoor ribbon cutting beginning at 9:00a.m. Prior to the celebration, the new store opened at 8:00 a.m., when Wawa began distributing limited-edition, Wawa “Goose Vibes Only,” t-shirts for the first 100 customers who walked through the door! Wawa will also provide free coffee to toast the community and brighten days from 12/9 to 12/18.

About Wawa’s 2022 Day Brighteners Tour

With officials, charity partners, customers and Associates in attendance, Wawa’s grand opening celebration will introduce the community to the new store team and celebrate the role they play in making their communities a better place. Throughout the year, each grand opening celebration will be part of Wawa’s 2022 Day Brighteners Tour, an initiative designed to celebrate the customers, Associates, local heroes and community organizations that brighten our days.  The tour will also mark Wawa’s ongoing commitment to growth, with plans to open 41 new stores and create more than 2,500 new jobs through the year.

During each grand opening, Wawa will have a special Day Brightener ceremony which will include:

  • Associate Day Brighteners: Wawa will recognize associates who go above and beyond in creating positive moments for customers
  • Community Day Brighteners: Wawa will celebrate a local individual or organization making a bright impact in the community
  • Local Hero Day Brighteners: Wawa will acknowledge local everyday heroes who brighten the community through protecting and serving and host a signature Hoagies for Heroes acknowledgement and check presentation to each department’s charity

 The grand opening of the Stafford, VA location is the 38th to open this year out of the 40 total stores projected to open across Wawa’s operating area in 2022.

“At Wawa, our core purpose is fulfilling lives every day and since our first store opened, we’ve believed that we all have a role in making this world a better place,” said Chris Gheysens, Wawa’s President and CEO. “Our store teams and Associates deliver experiences and emotional connections with customers that go beyond what traditionally happens in a retail environment. Simply put, they help make their communities happier and more connected. This year, we’re excited to toast all the incredible Day Brighteners and kick off this one-of-a-kind tour with a stop at each new store to show our “Goose Gratitude” to associates and customers whose little acts of kindness make a big difference in our communities.”

About the December 9th Grand Opening Ceremony

Friends and neighbors were invited to count down the exciting moment to when the doors opened for the very first time at 8:00 a.m., followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9:00 a.m., with Wawa mascot Wally Goose, oversized scissors, red ribbon, confetti and fanfare.

Honoring Community Day Brighteners
As part of the Day Brighteners Tour, Wawa will acknowledge its store team and shine a light on an Associate who has gone above and beyond to make good times better or challenging times more bearable in the store or community. In addition, Wawa would like to recognize a member of the community who has made a positive impact in the community (i.e. individual that volunteers time at a local food pantry, provides meals to first responders, organizes a toy drive, etc.) at the grand opening celebration with a special “day brightener” gift basket. General public are invited to nominate someone in their community by submitting a heartwarming story of day brightening HERE.

Wawa will also recognize local first responders with its signature Hoagies for Heroes hoagie-building competition. Local first responders from Stafford County Sheriff’s Office and Stafford County Fire Rescue will compete to see who can build the most hoagies in three-minutes. Wawa will conclude the Hoagies for Heroes competitions by presenting checks for $1,000 to each department’s charity of choice.

To stay up to date on the festivities, RSVP to Wawa’s Facebook event HERE.

About the Stafford, VA Store

Katelyn Mozingo will serve as general manager of the new Stafford Wawa store, leading a team of approximately 50 associates, all of which are new positions brought to the area through the development of the store. Associates in these full- and part-time positions will not only receive competitive salaries with hourly starting rate of $15 and health benefits, but once eligible, will participate in Wawa’s employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). Wawa Associates own 40% of Wawa through the ESOP. More information and current job opportunities can be viewed at: www.wawa.com/careers

The store is fully equipped with built-to-order fresh food kitchen featuring its signature hoagies (80 million hoagies sold annually) and newest food innovations such as the ever-popular, customizable burger,  award-winning Wawa coffee (195 million cups sold annually); the Sizzliä, Wawa’s hot breakfast sandwich; Wawa’s new line of specialty beverages (hot, cold, iced and frozen); Wawa Bakery; and Wawa’s beverage line of dairy products, juices and teas, plus packaged goods, fuel services, among other amenities. In addition to the store-level experience, customers can access their Wawa favorites through mobile ordering, curbside pickup, delivery options and its newest Catering Online offer where customers can order favorite Wawa foods for their upcoming events at: www.wawacatering.com.

About Wawa’s Core Purpose

Wawa’s core purpose is Fulfilling Lives, Every Day. It captures Wawa’s special place in the world and recognizes Wawa’s higher calling beyond convenience and satisfaction.  It inspires Wawa associates to create meaningful personal connections and make a real difference in the lives of customers, communities and each other, every day.

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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 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. Forbes.com Ranks Wawa as #29 of America’s Largest Private Companies in 2021 and #12 on Forbes 100 Halo List in 2022. For more information, visit us on www.wawa.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat at @wawa.