SPANISH FORT — Representatives from the gas station and convenience store chain Wawa met at Prodisee Pantry last week to discuss plans for an expansion of the brand into Mobile and Baldwin …
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SPANISH FORT — Representatives from the gas station and convenience store chain Wawa met at Prodisee Pantry last week to discuss plans for an expansion of the brand into Mobile and Baldwin Counties.
The event featured several of the company's best-selling items, including chocolate chip cookies, smoothies and the award-winning maple coffee cake flavored coffee.
The first Wawa store opened in 1964 in Pennsylvania and has expanded throughout the United States since. In 2012, Wawa began diving into the southeast region when stores opened in Florida.
“After opening stores in Florida, we looked at a lot of places for expansion,” said Robert Yeatts, senior director for Florida store operations. “We wanted to choose somewhere with a sense of community.”
Baldwin County soon caught their eye and became a frontrunner for the chain’s Florida and Alabama expansion.
“We plan to open 40 stores within the next eight to ten years,” Yeatts said. “Each store takes around six to nine months to build, so we plan to open the first store in 2024.”
As of now, a final location is still being discussed, but Yeatts said that there are four main locations being considered in Baldwin County for the first Wawa in Alabama.
These sites include:
Each store will employ 140 contractors, 35 Wawa associates and will cost around $6.5 million to build.
Angelina Rosenburg, real estate manager for the expansion, said that there are plans to open seven total stores in the immediate market.
Director of Store Operations Steve Hasher said that one of the biggest benefits of the company is their core values and mission to serve the people in their community.
Wawa associates are eligible for a 401K plan, medical, dental and vision benefits and can take part in the “Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP),” among other benefits.
ESOP owns a 40% stock in the company and can directly share growth in the company.
“For the last two decades, our Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) is one of the most important and tangible ways we celebrate and reward the critical role our associates play, every day,” according to the official Wawa website.
Charlene Howell, area manager for Wawa, said that the company also takes part in various community partnerships and “The Wawa Foundation.”
The foundation partners with seven national organizations, including:
At the event, representatives from Wawa also announced a first donation of $6,000 to Prodisee Pantry, which will go towards packing 150 boxes of food for families in Baldwin County.
“Our goal is helping people get what they need at their own convenience,” Hasher said. “We don’t just care about hoagies, coffee gas or convenience. What we value most is how we can serve our customers and our communities in good times and bad, that is the true measure of success.”
