Area residents have a much shorter drive for Wawa’s famous hoagies, coffee and gas this month. The company’s 144th Florida store opened at 13323 Boyette Rd., at the intersection with FishHawk Blvd. and Bell Shoals Rd., on May 17 with specials for shoppers, fun, games and donations to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) and Hillsborough County Fire Rescue (HCFR).
“We are so excited to be here and become part of the community,” said Area Director of Store Operations Dave Filano. “We are looking forward to turning customers and community members into friends.”
The grand opening celebration for the 6,119 sq. ft. store included a Hoagie for Heroes hoagie building competition where the HCSO and the HCFR faced off to see who could build the most hoagies in three minutes. Each group received $1,000 from Wawa to charities of their choice.
“At Wawa, when we open a new store, we celebrate our commitment to not only fulfill lives with our fresh food and beverages, latest store designs and expanded offerings, but also our commitment to the community and our new neighbors,” said Filano.
The store, which is the sixth to open in Florida this year, will be lead by Riverview resident Store Manager Kelly Brennan. “One of our main goals is to make life simpler for our customers,” said Brennan.
Wawa, which was named after a rural area in Pennsylvania and is a Native American word for the Canada goose, is open 24 hours, seven days a week. Each store is company owned and operated and nation-wide serves more than 600 million customers annually.
Speaking at the store grand opening, State Representative Jake Rayburn welcomed Wawa to the community.
“My goal recently has been to foster an environment that allows businesses to grow,” said Rayburn. “We know how much Wawa supports its community, so it is great to see it grow and prosper.”
For more information on the store, call 437-2608 or visit www.wawa.com.
