The Wawa Way: How a Funny Name and Six Core Values Revolutionized Convenience

by Howard Stoeckel, Bob Andelman (With)

Overview

Wawa, a family business with a history in dairy and manufacturing, expanded into retail in 1964, offering a friendly, personal alternative to supermarkets. Since then, the convenience store grew into a well-known company that competes against the biggest industry players in the world in three areas -- fuel, convenience, and food -- all while maintaining their personal approach and small business mentality. Now, almost 50 years later, Wawa has opened its first store in Florida and has begun to play on the national field. How did it happen? What are the reasons for their success? Why have they been able to go up against the big guys with nothing more than homegrown talent?

With a mixture of personal history and business advice, Howard Stoeckel discusses the last 50 years of Wawa's growth, development, and expansion. It's the story of how a small company with a funny name made a big difference, and all it took was a little goose sense.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780762453177
Publisher:	Running Press Book Publishers
Publication date:	04/15/2014
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Howard Stoeckel began his career with Wawa in 1987. He held many positions throughout the company before taking the role of Chief Executive Officer from January 2005 to December 2013. Along with sitting on the Board of Directors of Amerigas Propane, Inc. and Rider University Board of Trustees, he is a frequent guest speaker at business conferences.

Bob Andelman is the author or co-author of sixteen biographical, business, management, self-help, and sports books. He has been a regular correspondent for Business Week, Newsweek, and the St. Petersburg Times at different times in his career. Since February 2007 he has also produced and hosted the extremely popular Mr. Media® online TV/radio interview show.

Table of Contents

Foreword Richard J. George, PhD 8

Introduction: Share of Heart 12

1 "What Is a Wawa?" 20

2 Birth of a Family Business 26

3 Coining the Convenience Concept 34

4 Learning to Fly 44

5 Private and Shared Ownership 60

6 Servant Leadership 78

7 Our Six Core Values 88

8 Surviving the Dark Days 120

9 Winning Share of Heart 136

10 Community as Family 152

11 The Bird's-Eye View 164

12 Expanding Wavaland 200

Epilogue: Where We Go from Here 216

Afterword: Perspective Richard D. Wood Jr. 227

Acknowledgments 233

The Wawa Timeline 236

The Wawa Foundation 239

Quote Credits 240

Editorial Reviews

05/15/2014
The cult of Wawa lives on. Five decades ago the first Wawa market opened in Folsom, PA. Now the company has more than 600 convenience food stores/fuel centers in six states and is expanding into Florida. It has more than a million Facebook fans, people get married at the stores and get tattoos of its logo, and its aficionados convinced Philadelphia to declare an annual Wawa Hoagie Day. Stoeckel (former CEO of the company) here commemorates the 50th anniversary of the brand's founding and covers its history from humble beginnings in 1964 through the current day, including stories from the founders and numerous photographs. The company's six core values and a leadership style focusing on employee ownership with a strong sense of corporate social responsibility are major topics. Written in a light, conversational tone, though, this is a quick, engaging read. VERDICT A must-have for Wawa devotees and recommended for others interested in a behind-the-scenes look at an East Coast retailing legend.—Susan Hurst, Miami Univ. Libs., Oxford, OH

Library Journal

★ 04/21/2014
Wawa stores, found in the mid-Atlantic states and Florida, inspire impressive customer loyalty. Recently retired Wawa CEO Stoeckel, writing with Andelman, pays fond tribute to this unique organization in a lively history that marks the company's 50th anniversary. Part convenience store, part restaurant, Wawa occupies a unique space in the market, with core values that can inspire any organization. From valuing people and delighting customers, to doing the right thing, and embracing change, these principles are less a corporate dictate and more a way of life. How Wawa operates flies in the face of common corporate practices, from their servant leadership model to their ownership structure, which consists of private ownership and shared ownership among the founding family and employees. In chronicles of the up's and down's of the company, what emerges is the organization's commitment to staff and customers. Corporate histories are seldom engrossing and even less frequently do they touch an emotional chord, but that's exactly what the books does. Wawa fans, and general business readers, will relish this empowering story. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"Corporate histories are seldom engrossing and even less frequently do they touch an emotional chord, but that's exactly what the books does. Wawa fans, and general business readers, will relish this empowering story."
—Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW

"The cult of Wawa lives on...The company's six core values and a leadership style focusing on employee ownership with a strong sense of corporate social responsibility are major topics. Written in a light, conversational tone, though, this is a quick, engaging read. VERDICT A must-have for Wawa devotees and recommended for others interested in a behind-the-scenes look at an East Coast retailing legend."
—Library Journal

From the Publisher