We recently held our Service Awards program, which was held the evening of October 9, under a tent on the grounds of Red Roof.  During this event, we celebrate the anniversary milestones of our associates as well as review the history and heritage of the company.  Celebrating service milestones is just one way we have of recognizing the associates who make our values come to life and our company so special.

During the event, we recognized associates celebrating 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 years with the Company.  These special associates are celebrating a service milestone during a year when Wawa is celebrating a milestone of 45 years in the convenience retailing business. We conducted the celebration under a big top tent at Red Roof, the location of our company headquarters, the former family home of George Wood which went onto become our corporate support offices, just shortly after we opened our first Wawa store in 1964.

I was proud and honored to be able to recognize over 100 award recipients that night whose efforts, along with their thousands of co-workers, have helped us succeed during these uncertain economic times. 

For me, the 45th Wawaversary gives us time to reflect on our evolution as a company and look back at how far we’ve come. As I’ve said before, Wawa’s history dates back to 1803 — first as an iron foundry, then as a dairy, and ultimately as a convenience store chain. And while the stores might look totally different today than what Grahame Wood imaged 45 years ago, we still embrace that same spirit of innovation and dedication to simplifying the lives of our customers.  Grahame would be proud of the changes and innovation but, he would be most proud of how we continue to keep true to our values, and how we continue to celebrate our Associates’ commitment to doing it just a little bit better for our customers.