- April 26, 2024
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Wawa opened its doors on Thursday, Oct. 17, celebrating with a ribbon cutting and confetti canons. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Wawa employees Ed Taft, Randi Mott and General Manager Jason Smith welcome visitors to the new store during the Wawa grand opening on Thursday, Oct. 17. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
City Commissioners Troy Kent and Susan Persis pose with Wally Goose during the Wawa grand opening on Thursday, Oct. 17. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Ormond Beach Police Chief Jesse Godfrey, Sgt. Michelle Willis and Officer Cierra Devane dance with Wally Goose during the Wawa grand opening on Thursday, Oct. 17. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Ormond Beach Mayor Bill Partington speaks during the Wawa grand opening on Thursday, Oct. 17. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Ormond Beach Police Chief Jesse Godfrey, Officer Cierra Devane, Sgt. Mike Pavelka, Officer Rafael Medina and Sgt. Michelle Willis build hoagies under pressure on Thursday, Oct. 17. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
The Ormond Beach Police and Ormond Beach Fire Department teams compete in the Hoagies for Heroes contest during the Wawa grand opening on Thursday, Oct. 17. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Ormond Beach Firefighter Carrie Davis tries to distract OBPD with a donut on a fishing pole during the Hoagies for Heroes contest. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Firefighters Ethan Wilson, Dale Kelly, Jeremiah Ingraham and Travis Taft rapidly build hoagies. They won the contest. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Firefighters Ethan Wilson, Dale Kelly, and Jeremiah Ingraham are hit with lettuce by the OBPD team during the Hoagies for Heroes contest. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Ormond Beach Police Chief Jesse Godfrey, Officer Cierra Devane, Sgt. Mike Pavelka, Officer Rafael Medina, his donut, and Sgt. Michelle Willis. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Firefighter Jeremiah Ingraham grabs a handful of lettuce to throw at OBPD during the Hoagies for Heroes Contest. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Steve Hasher, director of operations, crowns the winning Hoagies for Heroes team during the Wawa grand opening on Thursday, Oct. 17. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
The Ormond Beach Fire Department reigns victorious over OBPD. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Ormond Beach Fire Chief Richard Sievers, firefighters Travis Taft, Jeremiah Ingraham, Ethan Wilson, Dale Kelly, Carrie Davis and Nick Nates. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Wawa employee Randi Mott hands out free drink samples during the Wawa grand opening on Thursday, Oct. 17. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Wawa celebrated the grand opening of its Ormond Beach store — along with two others across the state, marking over 200 stores in the state — with free coffee, $2 gasoline, a dancing goose and hoagies.
The store officially opened its doors on Thursday, Oct. 17, over two years after Granada Pointe's rezoning and development order was approved. A ceremony was held outside the building, which was attended by city officials, community leaders, curious onlookers and Wawa staff. Several first responders were also there, as Wawa hosts a Hoagies for Heroes contest at each of its grand openings to recognize every day heroes in the community and support their organizations.
“We’re grateful to be part of this community," said Steve Hasher, Wawa director of operations in Florida. "When we open this store, our goal and our purpose as well is to build lives every day. We plan to do that.”
Wawa has added 40 jobs to the community, which according to the company website, may range in pay from $10-$28 an hour depending on position. The store also donated $1,000 each to the Ormond Beach Police Department, the Ormond Beach Firefighters Charities and the Boys and Girls Club.
Hasher said the store's opening wouldn't have happened without the support of community leaders, saying they have been a "vital part of our expansion efforts.”
The development of Granada Pointe and the new Wawa were a controversial subject in the community once the land was clear-cut, and played a role in various city commission candidate platforms in the 2018 election. The gas station is the first business to open in the 32 acre multi-parcel development which had to be rezoned to a Planned Business Development to come to fruition.
Ormond Beach Mayor Bill Partington welcomed Wawa into the community, saying he's heard many residents say they love the gas station's drinks, hoagies and gasoline prices.
“We are very excited about having Wawa in Ormond Beach," Partington said.
Store General Manager Jason Smith, an Ormond Beach resident, said he and his team were proud to be part of the Wawa family.
“Ormond Beach, this is your Wawa as much as it is ours," Smith said. "We look forward to welcoming you, our new friends and our new neighbors, every day.”
This story was updated at 10:50 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 18, to correct that the store is not the 200th. There were three store openings on Oct. 17, across the state, all scheduled for the same time, but Wawa celebrated its 200th store opening in Naples.
