CRANBERRY TWP. — For years, Pittsburgh-area residents have wondered when Wegmans would finally come to the region.
On Thursday morning, surrounded by excavators, construction workers, local officials and the family that has relocated here to help lead the new store, the answer became tangible.
Wegmans Food Markets officially marked the groundbreaking of its first Pittsburgh-area store at Cranberry Springs, a 115,000-square-foot grocery store expected to employ approximately 450 people and open in fall 2027.
But for Wegmans Cranberry Store Manager Tom Jeppi, Thursday represented something more personal.
“It’s finally here,” Jeppi told those gathered for the ceremony. “It’s great to be here. There’s a lot of positive energy out there.”
Jeppi, a 20-year Wegmans employee who previously managed the company’s Raleigh, North Carolina, location, has moved to the area with his wife, Christine, and their two sons to lead the Cranberry store.
And the family is not simply waiting for the store to be built.
They are becoming Western Pennsylvanians.
450 Jobs and a 115,000-Square-Foot Store
The Cranberry store will include many of the departments for which Wegmans has become known, including fresh produce, seafood, meat, bakery, deli and specialty cheese, along with a selection of wine and beer.
“It’s going to be massive,” Jeppi told The 228 Times in an interview before the ceremony.
The prepared-food offerings will include subs, pizza, salads and specialty sandwiches, along with prepared meals designed to be taken home and heated.
Hiring is expected to begin in early 2027, with approximately 450 employees eventually working at the store. Jeppi said the majority will be hired locally.
For Jeppi, however, managing those employees won’t be about sitting at the top of an organizational chart.
Asked whether he viewed himself as the conductor of an orchestra, Jeppi offered a different description.
“I would consider myself to be a partner,” he said.
Jeppi said he doesn’t view management as a hierarchy with the store manager at the top and part-time employees at the bottom.
Instead, he said Wegmans needs to stay close to the employees “who are the closest to the work and listen to them.”
That will be particularly important as the company enters a new market.
“A lot of these employees are going to be right here from this area,” Jeppi said. “We need to be thoughtful and listen to them because we’re in a completely new area.”
More Than Another Grocery Store
For Butler County Chief of Economic Development and Planning Mark Gordon, Wegmans’ decision to build its first Pittsburgh-area store in Cranberry sends a larger message about what is happening throughout southern Butler County.
Standing at the construction site, Gordon pointed to the residential development surrounding it — new homes, townhomes and single-family houses.
The store will create jobs and generate tax revenue, Gordon said, but its significance extends beyond those numbers.
Wegmans’ reputation, he said, is likely to draw shoppers from outside Butler County as well.
“For them to pick this site, the first site in Western Pennsylvania, that speaks volumes as well,” Gordon said.
He also credited Cranberry Township officials and staff for creating an environment capable of attracting investments such as Wegmans.
“They are the critical piece behind this, and people don’t see that,” said Gordon.
From Campground to Regional Destination
Cranberry Township Board of Supervisors Chairman Bruce Hezlep used Thursday’s ceremony to put the transformation of the property into perspective.
He recalled when the land that now makes up Cranberry Springs was part of a KOA campground and largely undeveloped.
Today, the area includes the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, hotels, restaurants, healthcare facilities, residential development and other businesses.
“This area has turned into world-class development,” explained Hezlep.
Hezlep said the development’s importance is also tied to how it connects with surrounding neighborhoods through pedestrian pathways.
“This is going to create a walkable, connected community where people can live and walk to Wegmans to do their grocery shopping,” he said.
Cranberry Township Supervisor Karen Newpol described the location another way.
“It’s surrounded by its customers,” Newpol told The 228 Times.
Newpol, who previously shopped at Wegmans while spending summers in Erie, said Cranberry residents who have never experienced the store are “going to be in for a treat.”
The store, she said, will give residents another opportunity to shop without leaving the community.
“You can shop, work and play in your community right where you live,” noted Newpol.
Wegmans Moves West
Gary Fechter, senior vice president and regional manager for Wegmans Food Markets, opened Thursday’s ceremony by calling the groundbreaking an important milestone for the company.
“We’re thrilled to become part of Cranberry and to begin construction on our very first store in the Pittsburgh region,” Fechter said.
Gary Fechter, senior vice president and regional manager for Wegmans Food Markets, welcomes guests to Thursday’s groundbreaking ceremony in Cranberry Township.
Wegmans currently operates 114 stores in nine states. The Cranberry location represents a significant move westward for a company that already has 19 Pennsylvania stores but has never operated in the Pittsburgh market.
Jeppi said Wegmans views itself differently than a traditional supermarket chain.
“People would refer to us as a grocery store, but we refer to ourselves as a people company that just so happens to sell food,” he told The 228 Times.
The company plans to establish relationships with local organizations, schools and businesses, and Jeppi said Wegmans will also look for opportunities to work with local suppliers through its “Near Our Stores” program.
A New Store — and a New Home
For the Jeppi family, Wegmans’ expansion into Western Pennsylvania has already meant a major life change.
Christine Jeppi said the family arrived from Holly Springs, North Carolina, about two weeks ago and is temporarily staying in Harmony after purchasing a home in Zelienople.
They have spent some of their first days exploring their new surroundings.
“The first impression is the people,” Christine Jeppi told The 228 Times. “They’re just wonderful. They’re loving, they’re welcoming and very supportive.”
She described her husband as someone with high expectations — both for himself and for the people he leads.
“His perspective is that as a boss, he’s trying to build people,” she said, explaining that when an employee advances, the benefits extend to that employee’s spouse and family.
That philosophy surfaced repeatedly in Tom Jeppi’s comments Thursday.
But his most personal remarks weren’t in his prepared speech.
As Jeppi neared the end of his remarks, he stopped and told the audience he was going off script.
He thanked his two sons for having the courage to make the move to Western Pennsylvania and acknowledged the sacrifice that came with leaving their previous home.
Then he turned to Christine.
“To my wife, my rock, my soulmate, you are the true heartbeat of our family, and we would not be who we are without you,” Jeppi said.
Wegmans representatives and local officials turn the ceremonial first dirt for the company’s 115,000-square-foot Cranberry Township store, expected to open in fall 2027.
Construction will continue for more than a year before the first customers walk through the doors in fall 2027.
But for Wegmans, and for the family that will help introduce it to the Pittsburgh region, the move to Cranberry has already begun.
