Wawa will also be saluting local heroes at the celebration through [image-nocss] a charitable hoagie building contest between the North Coventry Police Department and the Norco Fire Department.
"As a company that understands what it means to be available 24/7, service and dedication are values Wawa holds in the highest regard, so we would like to wholeheartedly thank our Soldiers for their unfaltering commitment to protecting us all," said Howard Stoeckel, Wawa's president and CEO. "We feel honored to support their valiant efforts through this exciting grand opening celebration."
On December 18, at 10:00 AM, Wawa will officially commence the grand-opening ceremony with a salute to the men and women of the armed forces currently serving in Iraq. Wawa executives, store associates and Wawa's mascot, Wally Goose, will be on hand to share in and celebrate the grand opening festivities.
The national anthem will then performed by the ROTC Color Guard led by Captain Marc T. Stanley, USN (Ret.) and Senior Naval Science Instructor at Owen J. Roberts High School. At the conclusion of the anthem, Wawa will present the $500 check to the Toys for Tots foundation on behalf of LCP Christopher Mest, (Pottstown general manager Joelle Mest's son) who is a MP with the Marine Wing Support Squadron 472 out of Willow Grove. The Toys for Tots check will be accepted by Major Brooks, a retired marine who now works with the group.
Immediately following the check presentation, the Hoagies for Heroes hoagie building contest will begin. Each team will be challenged to build as many hoagies as they can in the traditional Wawa way in three minutes. Wawa will contribute $1,000 on behalf of the charity of the winning team's choice and $500 on behalf of the runner-up's choice.
"I feel lucky to be a part of a company that has a special relationship with the men and women of the armed forces, and know first hand, how much this donation will mean to my son and all the troops," said Mest. "Our local heroes and troops abroad deserve to be recognized everyday, and I thank Wawa for making them a meaningful part of the exciting community celebration."
The Pottstown location features Wawa's new store design prototype, including 4,600 square feet of retail space and additional gasoline facility, as well as new in-store graphics, colors, restroom design and merchandising features. Mest will lead a team of nearly 30 associates, a number of which are new positions brought to the area through the development of the store.
The Pottstown store offers customers numerous Wawa brands such as Wawa coffee (195 million cups sold annually); the Sizzlia, Wawa's hot breakfast sandwich; a full-service deli; Wawa Bakery; Wawa's built-to-order hoagies (70 million sold annually); and Wawa's beverage line of dairy products, juices and teas.
Wawa's branded gasoline operation includes eight gasoline dispenser sections that can fuel 16 cars at once and offers customers easy access to the lot while not interfering with the convenience store.
Wawa operates more than 560 stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.
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