Wawa reaches ten stores in Georgia and celebrates milestone at newest store in Leesburg
Store growth milestone equates to 350 jobs and $43,000 to local community partners and first responder beneficiaries
October 30, 2025 (Wawa, PA) – Wawa, Inc. today marked the milestone in the company’s history – the grand opening of its tenth store in Georgia, located at 1384 US Hwy 82 W Leesburg, GA 31721.
To mark the occasion, Wawa was joined by local officials, heroes and community members for a ribbon-cutting ceremony, parade of Wawa history and a “Hoagies for Heroes” charitable hoagie building competition recognizing local everyday heroes serving their communities.
To mark the milestone, The Wawa Foundation announced a grant of $2,500 to Feeding the Valley Food Bank to support hunger relief initiatives.
“We are humbled by the warm welcome from our friends and neighbors in Georgia and are excited to celebrate our tenth store milestone in Leesburg.” Said Brian Schaller, President of Wawa.
“This growth also allows us to extend our commitment to being a good neighbor through partnerships with Special Olympics, the USO, Children’s Hospital of Georgia and Feeding America Food Banks and support local first responders through our Hoagies for Heroes competitions.”
Fulfilling Lives Georgia
Since opening its first store in the region in November 2024, Wawa has expanded to eight cities in eight counties in Georgia. Each store employs an average of 35 associates, with more than 350 long-term jobs created as a result of expansion in Georgia.
In conjunction with ten grand openings in the region, Wawa and The Wawa Foundation have contributed more than $23,000 to support Special Olympics Georgia Unified Sports programs, USO morale programs at Fort Stewart, Second Harvest of South Georgia, Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia and Feeding the Valley Food Bank hunger relief efforts and Children’s Hospital of Georgia child life programs. Each grand opening celebration also featured Wawa’s signature “Hoagies for Heroes” hoagie building competition with local first responders competing to see who can build the most hoagies in 2-minutes with Wawa making contributions to charities selected by each departing, resulting in $20,000 in support of local organizations.
About Wawa’s Expansion in Georgia
Over the next 5-8 years, Wawa plans to build and open more than 26 stores in Georgia, at the pace of 3 to 4 stores per year. To build each store, Wawa will invest approximately $7.5 million and employ, on average, 140 contractors and local partners. Once open, each store will employ an average of 35 associates, with Wawa expecting to create 900 long-term new jobs.
About Wawa, Inc.
Wawa, Inc., a family and associate owned, privately held company, began in 1803 as an iron foundry in New Jersey. Toward the end of the 19th Century, owner George Wood took an interest in dairy farming and the family began a small processing plant in Wawa, PA in 1902. The milk business was a huge success, due to its quality, cleanliness and “certified” process. As home delivery of milk declined in the early 1960s, Grahame Wood, George’s grandson, opened the first Wawa Food Market in 1964 in Pennsylvania as an outlet for dairy products. Today, Wawa is your all day, every day stop for freshly prepared foods, beverages, coffee, fuel services and surcharge-free ATMs. Wawa stores are located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia and Washington, D.C., with more than 1,100 locations to date. The stores offer a large fresh foodservice selection, including Wawa brands such as custom prepared hoagies, freshly-brewed coffee, Sizzli hot breakfast sandwiches, hand-crafted specialty beverages, a dinner menu including burgers and an assortment of soups, sides and snacks. Forbes.com Ranks Wawa as #24 of America’s Largest Private Companies.
About The Wawa Foundation
The Wawa Foundation is an extension of Wawa’s commitment to making the world a better place by fulfilling customers’ lives every day. The Wawa Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation founded by Wawa, Inc. to support the company’s charitable giving and philanthropic activities – and ultimately to help build happier, stronger communities. The Wawa Foundation focuses its support on organizations committed to health, hunger and everyday heroes through local, regional and national grants and in-kind donations. Since 2014, Wawa and The Wawa Foundation have donated more than $190 million to causes supporting health, hunger and the heroes who serve our communities every day.
Copyright 2025 South Georgia News. All rights reserved.
