Wawa celebrates grand opening of new store in Voorhees
VOORHEES — Wawa employees, community members, Wally Goose (the chain's fluffy, big-bellied mascot), local police and fire officials gathered Thursday to celebrate the opening of Wawa's Store No. 8462 on Burnt Mill Road.
The crowd of around 100 people cheered with plastic goose-hand clappers, some sporting custom blue "Goose vibes only" T-shirts they'd received for free at the event.
"Here we are, day one," said store manager Jared Hunt. "We feel good?"
The crowd applauded.
Hunt started off pumping gas part time in college at a Wawa in Woodstown two decades ago before working his way up the Wawa ladder. He's managed Wawas in South Jersey for the last five years, first in Deptford and then Somerdale, he said.
"It's amazing to be here," said Hunt.
Ruth and Robert Hunt, his parents, attended the grand opening to support their son. "We're very proud, and we've gotten a lot of unsolicited positive comments (about Jared)," said the father.
As part of the store opening, Wawa honored a member of the community with a Wawa-swag-filled gift bag. The recipient was middle school theatre teacher Gabrielle Horvitz, who was nominated by one of her students.
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There was also a "Hoagies for heroes" competition, a Wawa tradition, during which two teams of law enforcement officials faced off to build and wrap as many hoagies as possible in three minutes.
One team had Voorhees police; the other, fire.
"It's not a beauty contest!" the commentator shouted as teams frantically stuffed rolls with deli meat, lettuce and tomato.
The fire team narrowly won with 21 hoagies, compared with police who made 20. Both teams received checks of $1,000 toward charities of their choice.
Post ribbon-cutting, the spiffy Wawa was already buzzing with customers eager for mid-morning refreshments.
Know of a new retail store opening near you? Send us a tip at IKoyama@gannett.com.
Isabel Koyama is a community storytelling reporter covering South Jersey for the Burlington County Times, Cherry Hill Courier Post and the Vineland Daily Journal. She holds a master's degree in investigative journalism from Arizona State University. Reach her at IKoyama@gannett.com. Follow her on twitter @ox_fur_comma.
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This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: New Wawa now open in Voorhees
