VIP customers, state and local officials and charity partners mark the start of construction on Wawa’s new convenience retail store in Huber Heights on Chambersburg Road Tuesday morning, Sept. 10.
Submitted photo | Wawa Inc.
HUBER HEIGHTS — Wawa convenience retail store broke ground in Huber Heights on its new store Tuesday morning, Sept. 10.
The business, of which the new one in Huber Heights is being constructed at 4949 Chambersburg Road, is a privately held, family and associate-owned chain of more than 1,060 convenience retail stores currently operating in eight states and Washington, D.C. The event welcomed VIP customers, state and local officials and charity partners to mark the start of construction on Wawa’s first stores in the Miami Valley.
“We are thrilled to begin construction on our Huber Heights store officially launching our expansion in the Miami Valley and getting us closer to bringing the unique Wawa experience to new customers in more new markets,” said Joe Collins, Wawa director of store operations, in the press release. “We look forward to continuing to spread our wings in Ohio and can’t wait to get started serving our new friends and neighbors.”
According to Wawa, over the next six to nine months, the company plans to have several Ohio stores under construction in Cincinnati, Liberty Township, Fairfield, Mason, Huber Heights, Tipp City, Miami Township and Wilmington. In 2025, Wawa projects opening 11 stores in Ohio. Over the next five to eight years, Wawa plans to build and open 6-10 stores per year in Ohio, with expectations to open up to 60 stores in the state. Wawa currently has more than 20 sites under contract across Ohio counties including: Allen, Butler, Clermont, Greene, Hamilton, Miami, Montgomery, and Warren. To build each store, Wawa will invest more than $7.5 million and employ, on average, 140 contractors and local partners. Once open, each store will employ an average of 35 associates, with Wawa expecting to create 2,500 new, long-term new jobs as a result of expansion in Ohio.
As part of the groundbreaking, Wawa and The Wawa Foundation announced contributions to local community partners. The FoodBank received a grant of $10,000 from The Wawa Foundation Fly Beyond Fund, a signature initiative to fight food insecurity and support programs providing good, nutritious food to build healthy habits and help kids thrive. The funds were part of a $1.5 million key issue grant awarded to food bank partners in Wawa’s operating area. In honor of Feeding America Hunger Action Month, Wawa also announced a grant to match individual donations (up to $5,000) made to The FoodBank during September.
“The Wawa Foundation is thrilled to provide a Fly Beyond grant to our Dayton food bank partners for programs providing consistent access to nutritious and healthy meals for kids,” said Elizabeth Simeone, president of The Wawa Foundation, in the release. “We are also excited to inspire others to support the mission and work of The FoodBank by providing a $5,000 match for individual donations made during Feeding America Hunger Action Month.”
The Wawa Foundation announced a $2,500 grant to The USO Midwest in support of holiday events for families at Wright-Patterson AFB and announced its commitment to Special Olympics Ohio to support Polar Plunges in the greater Dayton region and Miami Valley in 2025 with a sponsorship, volunteers and in-kind donations from the Wawa Community Care coffee truck.
Wawa Inc. 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 in Pennsylvania 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, North Carolina, Alabama and, D.C. with more than 1,060 locations to date. The stores offer a large fresh food service selection, including Wawa brands such as custom prepared hoagies, freshly-brewed coffee, hot breakfast sandwiches, hand-crafted specialty beverages, a dinner menu including burgers and an assortment of soups, sides and snacks. Forbes.com Ranks Wawa as #20 of America’s Largest Private Companies, #1 in Convenience Category for America’s Best Customer Service by Newsweek.
Visit www.wawa.com/hello to stay up to date on local events.
