New Wawa
The Pennsylvania-based fuel and fresh food chain is poised to build a Wawa store at the intersection of State Road 56 and Trout Creek Road, west of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard. The new Wawa will be near Tijuana Flats and The Shoppes at New Tampa. Company representatives met with Pasco County planners on July 31 for initial discussions on the project, according to county records.
A conceptual plan filed with the county shows a store of about 6,100 square feet and 16 fueling stations.
According to Wawa’s website, the business began in 1803 as an iron foundry in New Jersey. In the early 1900s, owner George Wood moved into dairy farming. His grandson, Grahame Wood, opened a store in 1964, selling dairy products. Today Wawa has about 645 locations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware Virginia and Florida, with about half selling fuel.
The goose adopted for the Wawa logo is based on the Native American word for the Canada goose. The dairy farm also was in a rural area of Pennsylvania known as Wawa.
Business expansion
Jim Browne Automotive recently bought Marler’s Body Shop, at 9130 Gall Blvd., in Zephyrhills, and opened a new facility – Jim Browne Collision Center. The former Jim Browne Pasco Body Shop, located behind the former Pasco Motors, is now vacated as part of the business consolidation to the new location. The new location, which opened Aug. 3, has 25,000 square feet of repair facilities.
For information, call the collision center at (813) 779-8816.
Chamber mixer at Skydive City
Join the Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce for a social mixer at Skydive City, 9241 Sky Dive Lane in Zephyrhills, on Aug. 20 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Watch skydiving and snack on hors d’ oeuvres. Raffle tickets and drinks will be available for purchase.
For information, call the chamber office at (813) 782-1913, or email .
Breakfast network
East and Central Pasco Marketing Mania will take place Aug. 27 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., at the Commons at Pretty Pond, at 38130 Pretty Pond Road in Zephyrhills. A continental breakfast is provided. Please RSVP.
The event takes place every last Thursday of the month. Locations may change periodically.
For information, call (813) 779-4501.
New physician
Bayfront Medical Health Group will hold a ribbon cutting for Dr. Paul Chakola, who specializes in pulmonology disease and critical care, on Aug. 27 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., at 38152 Medical Center Ave., in Zephyrhills.
For information, call (352) 521-1593, or visit BayfrontDadeCity.com.
Breakfast meeting
The Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce will hold its monthly breakfast meeting on Sept. 1 from 8 a.m. to 9:15 a.m., at Pasco-Hernando State College, third floor conference center, Room B-303, at the Porter Campus, 2727 Mansfield Blvd., in Wesley Chapel.
Cost for chamber members is $15 in advance (register online by 3 p.m., Aug. 28). At the door, the cost is $20 for members and non-members.
For information, call (813) 994-8534, or email . Visit the website at WesleyChapelChamber.com.
Annual banquet
The 29th Annual Pasco Economic Development Council Banquet will be Sept. 3 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., at Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel. Registration deadline is Aug. 27. Sponsorships are available. More than 700 local and Tampa Bay business and community leaders attend each year.
The event includes an awards ceremony, an industry trade show and a brief report on economic development progress. Channel 10 reporter and news anchor Tammie Fields is the emcee.
For information, contact Suzanne Renczkowski at (813) 926-0827, ext. 226, or email .
Networking women
WOW, Women of Wesley Chapel, will meet on Sept. 4 from 7:45 a.m. to 9 a.m., in the second floor conference room at the Health and Wellness Center, Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel. The breakfast sponsor is Valerie Rudmin, owner of Everlasting Beauty.
For information, contact the chamber at (813) 994-8534, or visit WesleyChapelChamber.com.
Adventure park opens
TreeHoppers Aerial Adventure Park will open Sept. 5, at 27839 Saint Joe Road in Dade City. Come climb and zipline through eight different color-coded courses designed for beginners through advance adventurers. The courses offer 100 unique elements for ages 5 through adult. No reservations are required. Group rates are available. The park will be open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
For information, call (813) 381-5400, or visit TreeHoppers.com.
