Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Wawa celebrates grand opening
The new Wawa is the third in Caln Township
The new Wawa opened Thursday morning by celebrating with a ribbon cutting and a friendly competition that financially benefits two local nonprofit organizations.
Jason Guy, the general manager of the store, will lead a team of nearly 30 associates. He welcomed his team to the public and others who gathered at grand opening ceremony.
“We are here to serve you,” Guy said. “We are so excited to be open.”
The new store at 3710 Lincoln Highway in the Thorndale section of Caln Township is the 17th Wawa store to open this year. The Wawa, located at the corner of Route 340 (Marshallton-Thorndale Road) and Business Route 30, is the third Wawa in the township. Caln Board of Commissioners President Jennifer Breton welcomed the Wawa associates.
“Thank you for being such an important part of our community,” Breton said.
Wawa Area Manager Michael McClintock said they are looking forward to being a part of
what Wawa calls the “neighbor good” which includes the culture of Wawa associates and customers holding the doors open for others, in addition to Wawa’s commitment to “fulfill lives with fresh food and beverages.”
During the goose parade, McClintock explained the history of Wawa and the morals of leadership, teamwork, encouragement and more.
To celebrate the Caln Township grand opening, Wawa will offer free coffee to all customers at that location through Sunday.
Throughout the year, Wawa plans to bring the Wawa experience to more communities than ever before with the opening of 50 new stores and remodeling of 75 existing stores throughout its operating area in the Mid-Atlantic and Florida markets. With an estimated 40 jobs per store, Wawa will create thousands of new jobs opportunities for associates throughout 2018.
Wawa Director of Store Operations Marc Maiolino said some of the ways they give back to the community is through the Wawa Foundation and Hoagies for Heroes.
“We make sure people become a part of the community that we serve. We want to make sure that the community recognizes us and we recognize the community,” Maiolino said. “We are in partnership together. We want to focus on the community itself.”
The grand opening event concluded with a “Hoagies for Heroes” competition between members of the Caln Township Police Department and the Thorndale Fire Company to build the most hoagies. The three-minute competition ended in a tie of 21 hoagies. In a tiebreaker, the two team captains, Caln officer Drew Schiller and Thorndale Deputy Fire Chief Dan Donnachie, faced off in rock-paper-scissors, and Caln police won the trophy for bragging rights.
As part of the Hoagies for Heroes competition, Wawa presented a $1,000 check each to the Thorndale Fire Company and the Sambuco Foundation. Caln Police Sgt. Christopher Sambuco, 42, who served with the department for 15 years, passed away suddenly at home on April 12. The money from the foundation will assist his four children. Donations for the Sambuco Children’s Educational Fund can be mailed to P.O. Box 614, Broomall, PA 19008.
Additionally, through each of the grand opening celebrations this year, Wawa will donate a total of $100,000 to its national charity partners and charities selected by local police, firefighters and emergency responders, as a result of its Hoagies for Heroes hoagie-building competition.
Visit Daily Local News staff writer Ginger Rae Dunbar’s blog about journalism and volunteering as a firefighter at FirefighterGinger.blogspot.com.