Adrian Cortes Enables the Massive Expansion of Wawa

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If you’re wondering what makes fans of East Coast-based convenience chain Wawa so passionate, you should know that passion is just as adamant inside the organization as out. Adrian Cortes spent a decade of his youth working the registers, food service, and frontlines as a service lead while pursuing his degree in architecture. While he would leave Wawa to perfect his craft, he had a feeling he would find his way back.

“I had gained a completely new skill set,” the now manager of architectural design explains. “I thought I could help drive the business from a different perspective. I had retail and design experience under my belt already, but at Wawa, I truly understood the pain points of associates because I had stocked those shelves and taken out the trash.”

It’s a wild time to be building at Wawa. The East Coast staple is in the most massive growth of its existence, aiming to nearly double its store count between 2023 and 2030, including venturing into seven new states: Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina.

“It’s nice to see the fandom for the brand extending to new areas,” Cortes says. “Any time I’m at an event or conference wearing my Wawa hat, I get stopped by people either telling me how excited they are that we’re coming to their neighborhood or mad that we haven’t made it [to their state] yet.”

And while the COVID-19 pandemic posed numerous challenges for every organization, it inspired a willingness in the Wawa team to understand formats, test, and fail or learn quickly. The brand experimented with things elements like drive-throughs using app integration which led them to adapt to new circumstances and find success.

“My team is focused on using architecture and good design to help the business move the needle,” Cortes says. “It was something we were already working on when COVID hit, and we were able to put those plans into high gear and use some new technology implemented with our app to make the drive-thru process as easy as possible.”

That’s not the only new design that may be coming to a Wawa near you. While Wawa is most readily known as a neighborhood convenience store, the company is in the process of designing and prototyping travel centers for more transient customers. Cortes says the desire isn’t to mirror other businesses but instead to utilize Wawa’s strengths differently with professional and family travelers in mind.

“How can we cater to transient individuals, families, or professional drivers and help be their wings throughout the day?” Cortes asks. “We hear they want our food and store experience, so how can we tailor it to that customer segment? We don’t want to try and be something we’re not, but we can also help evolve this brand.”

According to Cortes, one of his team members claimed that Wawa’s travel center design may not be a brother or sister to its more traditional convenience store family, but one belonging to the next generation. The DNA is there, the experience is there, but Wawa has some new capabilities that should make travelers excited to stop.

“Collaborating with Adrian Cortes and Wawa was a big ask. Wawa boasts an incredibly loyal clientele, and our goal was to translate the essence of Wawa into the travel center space, ultimately enhancing the overall customer experience,” says Austin Burns, director of sales and marketing at Paragon Solutions, a retail design firm. “By melding modern design concepts with a profound understanding of Wawa’s existing brand and their diverse and dedicated customer base, it contributed to the creation of an environment that not only captivates but also deeply resonates with Wawa’s audience. It’s about more than just aesthetics; it’s about crafting experiences that leave a lasting impression and foster unwavering loyalty.”

For Cortes, his team is a big part of Wawa’s future. Cortes is certain his team can punch well above their weight, despite their small size. Transitioning to leadership hasn’t always been easy for the manager. Even when he was waiting on customers in his teens, Cortes was always the one making the moves and getting things done. If he had to take out the trash, he wanted to be the best to take out the trash on the Eastern seaboard. That mentality can be hard to delegate, and the process has taken time.

“I’ve learned that giving my team ownership of projects gives them a sense of pride,” the manager says. “It wasn’t always in my nature to hand something off to someone else and let them run with it, but they often have great ideas. I try to be a democratic leader and make sure I’m removing whatever roadblocks I can for them.”

To build that team, Cortes says he focused more on the personality and outlook than some kind of other-worldly technical performer. The technical parts of the work can be taught, but the soft skills and cross-collaborative style of working is a much harder skill to have to learn from scratch if one is unaccustomed to working that way.

“This organization has always thrived on thinking differently,” Cortes says. “My team has great diversity across the board in experience and approach, and if someone thinks a job can’t be done, that’s where we come in. I almost love to hear, ‘It can’t be done,’ because then it becomes my mission.” His focus is on discovering how.

Cortes is a native of Camden, New Jersey, right across from Philadelphia. Growing up wasn’t easy, and the future designer was conscious that his surroundings weren’t particularly safe. Opportunities were few, but Cortes already had the drive in him.

“I almost love to hear, ‘It can’t be done’ because then it becomes my mission.”

Adrian Cortes

“Growing up in a Hispanic family, I think I connected with Wawa because there was such a family atmosphere,” Cortes explains. “This was an organization that felt like it had the same kind of values that I grew up with. While I left [briefly] to gain design and architectural experience, coming back to help Wawa chart its course and continue to innovate felt natural for me.”

Whether it’s updating their existing stores or creating something entirely new in a new state or location, Cortes and his team are focused on the future of Wawa and wherever that may lead.

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