The Wawa Culture . . . Dedicated to the Everyday Lives of Our Associates, Customers and Communities
Two centuries ago, our company started a journey that began with an iron furnace operated by David Wood that transitioned through time to a textile business, then to a Dairy, and in 1964 to a retail business - the Wawa people know today. While the scope of the business has changed along the journey, the way we do business has remained the same because of our culture and values.
One of our founding principles is to be a good neighbor. Committed to enriching and improving the neighborhoods we serve, Wawa associates regularly team up with charitable organizations to build better communities and help our neighbors fly higher each year.
In 2008 alone, Wawa, our customers and our associates helped dozens of local and national charitable organizations raise over $5 million in donations. We are a proud supporter of numerous charitable organizations and programs such as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Komen Race for the Cure, the American Red Cross, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, local Feeding America Foodbanks and so many more. In addition, Wawa Associates and customers rise to the cause to help communities in times of crisis raising more than $1.5 million in 10 days for the survivors of Hurricane Katrina.
At Wawa, we are keenly aware that there are times when our own associates require help and care to deal with any number of life events and issues. That’s why we created Internal Care, a department entirely dedicated to supporting associates during life milestones, whether they be times of crisis or celebration, both in and out of the work place. Internal Care allows Wawa to provide a greater level of support for our associates in more ways than ever before. Through the work of Internal Care, we’ve found that with many of our associates who seek help, there is an overwhelming need for financial assistance. In response to this need, Wawa has established a new, associate-driven charity called the Wawa Associates In Need Fund, which provides financial support to Wawa associates who are experiencing some type of financial difficulty or crisis.
Our dedication to people starts at the top. Howard Stoeckel, Wawa President & CEO, can commonly be heard saying, “I work for 16,000 associates and the millions of valued customers who support our stores.” For those of us who work at Red Roof (our corporate office), our most important job is to simplify the lives of our store associates – so they, in turn, are able to simplify the lives of their customers.
To learn more about our culture, and Howard Stoeckel’s insights on the latest company happenings, events and news please visit Howard’s online journal "Bird's Eye View".