Wave of Wawas headed toward Tri-State generates excitement among loyal followers
LEADING THE WAY. WELL, SOME DEVELOPING NEWS TONIGHT. A WAVE OF WAS HEADED STRAIGHT FOR THE GREATER CINCINNATI AREA. RIGHT NOW, FOR THOSE WHO ARE WONDERING WHAT IS A WAWA? WELL, SOME SAY IT’S GOING TO BE A GAME CHANGER. SOME SAY IT’S AN INNOVATION. YEAH. SO IT’S REALLY ABOUT TO CHANGE THE CONVENIENCE STORE LANDSCAPE IN A WAY THAT WE’VE NOT SEEN HERE LOCALLY IN WLWT NEWS FIVE’S BRIAN HAMRICK LIVE NOW WITH THE STORY. AND SO, BRIAN, I KNOW THIS IS GENERATING A WHOLE LOT OF EXCITEMENT AND MORE EXCITEMENT. PROBABLY THAN ANY OTHER CONVENIENCE STORE WOULD. YEAH, SHEREE, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT HEARING THIS. WAWA IS AN OJIBWE WORD. IT MEANS WILD GOOSE. IT ALSO DESCRIBES THE KIND OF CHASE YOU’D BE ON IF YOU WENT LOOKING FOR ONE AROUND CINCINNATI TODAY. BUT THAT’S ABOUT TO CHANGE. THERE ARE 60 COMING TO THIS AREA FOR, INCLUDING ONE RIGHT HERE IN HEBRON, ANOTHER ONE NOT FAR AWAY ON GRAVES ROAD. THERE’S ONE GOING ON, UH, DOWN IN, UH, LAWRENCEBURG. AND THAT DOESN’T EVEN COUNT ALL THE WORKS THAT’S BEEN DONE ON THE STORES FOR OHIO. IT’S A GATHERING POINT FOR COMMUNITIES. IT MIGHT BE CLASSIFIED AS A CONVENIENCE STORE OR EVEN A GAS STATION, BUT WHAT YOU DON’T REALLY EXPECT FROM EITHER IS WHEN THE PLACE CALLED WAWA IS DESCRIBED AS A CULT. THERE’S TRUTH TO THAT. UM, IT’S, UH, YOU KNOW, WE’VE GOT SOME PICTURES AND THINGS OF FOLKS THAT SEND IN THAT WHERE THEY’VE GOTTEN A TATTOO OR THINGS LIKE THAT. PATRICK WATERMAN IS REAL ESTATE PROJECT ENGINEER FOR WAWA IN OHIO AND PARTS OF KENTUCKY AND INDIANA. HE KNOWS THE TRUE FANS OF WAWA ARE PRETTY GAGA. IT HAS AN ELVIS LIKE FOLLOWING. THERE ARE A LOT OF FOLKS ON THE EAST COAST THAT HAVE, YOU KNOW, IT’S PART OF THEIR DAILY LIFE. THEY LOVE IT. YOU KNOW, THEY COME SOME PEOPLE 2 OR 3 TIMES A DAY FOR FUTURE SITES IN THIS WAVE OF WAS ARE ALL OVER. THERE ARE 60 STORES COMING ACROSS THE TRI-STATE AT COLERAIN TOWNSHIP IS GETTING TWO, BUT DESPITE THE POPULARITY, NOT EVERYONE IS HAPPY ABOUT IT. I WAS SICKENED THAT MY QUIET, SECLUDED STREET WOULD BE DESECRATED BY THE REZONING AT THIS COLERAIN TOWNSHIP PUBLIC HEARING. SOME SAID NAH, NAH TO WAWA HERE, BUT THE ADMINISTRATION PASSED A ZONING. WE WERE EXCITED. CERTAINLY WHEN WE HEARD WAWA WAS DOING THIS MASSIVE MIDWEST EXPANSION AND WHEN THEY CHOSE COLERAIN TOWNSHIP, CERTAINLY WE WERE HAPPY. DAVID MILLER IS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR FOR COLERAIN TOWNSHIP. HE EXPECTS IT TO BE A GOOD FIT. AND EVEN THOUGH THE CULT LIKE FOLLOWING ISN’T FOR EVERYONE, EVEN THE GUY IN CHARGE HERE, I’M NOT GOING TO BE GETTING A WAWA TATTOO, BUT WAWA IS ABOUT TO MAKE ITS MARK ON THE TRI STATE. YEAH, AND HERE’S A GOOD INDICATOR OF THE COMMITMENT THEY HAVE TO THIS AREA. THEY’RE ALSO BUILDING A KEY LINK IN THERE SUPPLY LINE. IT’S A BAKERY FOR ALL THEIR STORES IN THE AREA. THEY’RE PUTTING THAT IN FLORENCE. THAT’S GOING TO BRING 200 JOBS ALONG SOON.
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Wave of Wawas headed toward Tri-State generates excitement among loyal followers
A wave of Wawas is about to hit the tri-state, and some can’t wait for the convenience stores to open. There are people so loyal to the Wawa stores that it’s been described as having a cult-like following.“There's truth to that,” said Wawa project engineer Patrick Warnement. “We've got some pictures and things of folks that people send in, they’ve got a tattoo or things like that.”Warnement heads up the projects in Ohio, parts of Kentucky and Indiana. “There are a lot of folks on the East Coast that it’s part of their daily life. They love it. They come two, three times a day for breakfast, lunch, coffee, gas, whatever they need,” Warnement said.There are about 60 planned for the tri-state over the next 10 years. Some are already under construction. The list of when and where the new stores are opening is quickly expanding.The most recent revealed is that a Wawa is planned for Lawrenceburg, Indiana.In Kentucky, There are plans for one along North Bend Road next to the Hebron Fire station and not far away on Graves Road. Zoning has also been approved for a Wawa at Mt. Zion Road and Dixie Highway. Meanwhile, Florence will be the site of the new Bakery Express facility, which is a key part of the Wawa supply line and will employ about 200 people.In Ohio, there’s a long list, but Silverton just received a zoning change application. Another new location is at the old Red Roof Inn on Pfeiffer Road. Colerain Township is getting two Wawas.Not everyone is happy about it. At a public hearing in Colerain Township some spoke out against the convenience store coming there. “I was sickened to hear that my quiet, secluded street would be desecrated by the rezoning for automotive fuel services,” said one woman who spoke.However, the township passed the zoning required.“We were excited, certainly when we heard Wawa was doing this massive Midwest expansion. And when they chose Colerain Township, certainly we were happy,” said Colerain Township development director David Miller. “We think it's going to be a great partnership for Colerain Township.”
CINCINNATI —
A wave of Wawas is about to hit the tri-state, and some can’t wait for the convenience stores to open.
There are people so loyal to the Wawa stores that it’s been described as having a cult-like following.
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“There's truth to that,” said Wawa project engineer Patrick Warnement. “We've got some pictures and things of folks that people send in, they’ve got a tattoo or things like that.”
Warnement heads up the projects in Ohio, parts of Kentucky and Indiana.
“There are a lot of folks on the East Coast that it’s part of their daily life. They love it. They come two, three times a day for breakfast, lunch, coffee, gas, whatever they need,” Warnement said.
There are about 60 planned for the tri-state over the next 10 years. Some are already under construction. The list of when and where the new stores are opening is quickly expanding.
The most recent revealed is that a Wawa is planned for Lawrenceburg, Indiana.
In Kentucky, There are plans for one along North Bend Road next to the Hebron Fire station and not far away on Graves Road. Zoning has also been approved for a Wawa at Mt. Zion Road and Dixie Highway. Meanwhile, Florence will be the site of the new Bakery Express facility, which is a key part of the Wawa supply line and will employ about 200 people.
In Ohio, there’s a long list, but Silverton just received a zoning change application. Another new location is at the old Red Roof Inn on Pfeiffer Road.
Colerain Township is getting two Wawas.
Not everyone is happy about it. At a public hearing in Colerain Township some spoke out against the convenience store coming there.
“I was sickened to hear that my quiet, secluded street would be desecrated by the rezoning for automotive fuel services,” said one woman who spoke.
However, the township passed the zoning required.
“We were excited, certainly when we heard Wawa was doing this massive Midwest expansion. And when they chose Colerain Township, certainly we were happy,” said Colerain Township development director David Miller. “We think it's going to be a great partnership for Colerain Township.”
