Buc-ee's

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Buc-ee's
TypePrivate
Industry
Founded1982; 40 years ago (1982)
FoundersDon Wasek
Arch "Beaver" Aplin III
Headquarters
Lake Jackson, Texas
,
U.S.
Number of locations
40[1]
ProductsFuel, convenience food, etc.
Websitewww.buc-ees.com

Buc-ee's is a chain of convenience stores and gas stations with locations in Texas, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.[2] Additional locations are currently under development in Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and South Carolina.[3][4] Plans for an additional location in North Carolina were shelved in early 2021.[5] The company is owned by Arch "Beaver" Aplin III and Don Wasek, and has its headquarters in Lake Jackson, Texas.[6]

History[]

Co-founders Don Wasek and Arch "Beaver" Aplin opened their first store as partners in Clute, Texas in 1982 (it is still open). Aplin formed the name Buc-ee's by combining his childhood nickname; the name of his Labrador Retriever, Buck; as well as the appeal of Ipana toothpaste's animated mascot, Bucky the beaver.[7][8] Aplin was born in Southeast Texas, with his father originating from, and grandparents residing in, Harrisonburg, Louisiana.[9]

Buc-ee's expanded and opened its first travel center in Luling, Texas, in 2001. Buc-ee's are large stores with fuel pumps that range from 80 to 120 fueling positions for gas and diesel (some stores include Ethanol Free and DEF) and a large selection of jerky, pastries, fresh sandwiches, tacos, Dippin' Dots, fudge and other items.

In 2012, Buc-ee's opened its largest travel center in New Braunfels, Texas, on Interstate 35. The New Braunfels location is the largest convenience store in the world at 68,000 square feet (6,300 m2).[10] The store features 120 fueling positions, 1,000 parking spots, 64 ice freezers, 83 toilets, 31 cash registers, four Icee machines, and 80 fountain dispensers. It also offers tubing and water gear for enjoying the nearby Guadalupe River. The New Braunfels, Texas store was named the 2012 "Best Restroom in America" by Cintas.[11]

After significant expansion in the Greater Houston area and Central Texas, the first Buc-ee's in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex opened in Terrell, Texas, on June 22, 2015. The travel center is located three miles west of Tanger Outlets on Interstate 20.

In September 2015, it was announced that at least part of Buc-ee's corporate operations would move to office space at Pearland Town Center. The "partial headquarters" would house legal and human resources departments of the company. The space was to be ready by the early part of 2016,[12]

The second Buc-ee's in the Metroplex opened on May 23, 2016. The store is located in far northern Fort Worth, across the street from Texas Motor Speedway.[13] The third DFW location opened in Denton, Texas, on October 29, 2018.

Buc-ee's broke ground on another North Texas location in Melissa, Texas, on February 5, 2018. The store is located off New Davis Road and U.S. Highway 75. The store opened April 29, 2019.[14][15]

In June 2018, Buc-ee's approached landowners in Texarkana, Texas, with interest in acreage off Interstate 30 and State Line Ave., for a future store site. The company has the option to buy the property, but as of yet, has not exercised that option.[16][17]

In late 2018, Buc-ee's announced a deal with Tooshlights to put special indicator lights in bathrooms to alert customers to which stalls are occupied or not. This is similar to the indicator lights used at some parking facilities that tell drivers which parking spaces are available and which are not. The Katy and Temple Buc-ee's stores would be the first to get the special bathroom indicator lights.[18]

Expansion outside Texas[]

On March 8, 2016, Buc-ee's announced a possible first location outside of the state of Texas would be located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.[19] The location was expected to open in early 2017; however, on October 4, 2016, Buc-ee's announced that the plans for the Baton Rouge location had been terminated.[20][21]

On April 12, 2017, Buc-ee's announced that it would open their first convenience store/gas station outside of Texas in Daytona Beach, Florida, located on the north side of LPGA Boulevard across from Tanger Outlets, just east of Interstate 95 and immediately west of Stonewood Grill & Tavern (formerly Vince Carter's).[22] Construction began in summer 2018.[23] However, delays in the project pushed the construction date to sometime in 2021. Since the announcement of the Daytona Beach location, Buc-ee's also announced a new location to be built near St. Augustine, Florida.[24] The St. Augustine location opened first on February 23, 2021, and the Daytona location opened on March 22, 2021.[25]

Inside of a Buc-ee's, Terrell, Texas

In January 2018, Buc-ee's broke ground on what became its first location outside of Texas, in Baldwin County, Alabama.[26]

And in June 2019, Buc-ee's broke ground on a second Alabama location, to be located along Interstate 20 in Leeds, not far from Barber Motorsports Park.[27][28]

Buc-ee's broke ground on its first store in Georgia in Warner Robins near the interchange of Interstate 75 and Russell Parkway on November 18, 2019. Buc-ee's chose Warner Robins as the location of its first Georgia store for its central location between Atlanta and Florida,[29] its fast population growth as well as the presence of Robins Air Force Base. The Warner Robins location opened on November 18, 2020, exactly one year to the date of ground breaking, and brought 200 jobs to the area.[30] Buc-ee's opened a store at the World Golf Village in Northeast Florida in February 2021, bringing about 250 jobs to the area.[31] Buc-ee's opened its second Georgia store in Calhoun at exit 310 on Interstate 75 and SR-53 (Union Grove Road) approximately halfway between Atlanta and Chattanooga, Tennessee in August 2021, filling 175 jobs.[32]

Buc-ee's in Terrell, Texas

In July 2020, Buc-ee's announced plans to build its first store in Kentucky. The store will be located in Richmond on Interstate 75, with a planned opening in mid-2021. The new store will be the farthest north for the chain to date.[33]

In February 2021, Buc-ee's abandoned a planned expansion into North Carolina in Orange County. Locals in the community of Efland, where the convenience store chain planned to build, cited environmental concerns such as increased traffic congestion and potential pollution of a nearby protected watershed as their reason for opposing Buc-ee's.[34]

With its first Kentucky store having just broken ground for construction, in April 2021 Buc-ee's purchased land off Interstate 65 in Smiths Grove, Kentucky, about 10 miles (16 km) north of Bowling Green and just south of Mammoth Cave National Park.[35]

In June 2021, Buc-ee's announced plans to break ground on June 15 for a new travel center located at 2045 Genesis Road off of Interstate 40 in Crossville, Tennessee. This will mark the first Buc-ee's location in the state of Tennessee. Buc-ee's Crossville will occupy more than 53,400 square feet (4,960 m2) and offer 120 fueling stations just outside its store with snack, meal, and drink options for travelers. The new business plans to bring at least 175 new jobs to the location.[36] It's been cited as one of the best places to stop on a road trip. [37]

In January 2022, they announced that a new location will open in Springfield, Missouri, in 2023 off Interstate 44[38]

Lawsuits[]

In recent years, during the company's rapidly growing success, Buc-ee's has filed numerous lawsuits against other convenience store chains, most of them based in Texas, for trademark and trade dress infringement.

In 2014, Buc-ee's filed a lawsuit against Texas based convenience store chain "Frio Beaver".[39] Frio Beaver, a company with a logo also depicting a beaver in a yellow circle with a black outline, was accused of copying the iconic Buc-ee's beaver head logo, which the company is widely known for in Texas.

In 2016, Buc-ee's sued "Choke Canyon BBQ", another Texas convenience store, for copyright infringement and trade dressing.[40] Choke Canyon uses a logo of a grinning alligator in the middle of a yellow circle, which Buc-ee's claims is an attempt by the chain to resemble the Buc-ee's logo. Choke Canyon is also calling their new stores "Bucky's".[41]

In 2017, Buc-ee's again filed a lawsuit for breaking an agreement, this time against a Nebraska-based convenience store chain known as "Bucky's".[42] The two companies had agreed to remain in their respective states and expand only to states where the other did not operate.

There was also a non-logo related lawsuit filed in 2013 against "Chicks", a convenience store located in Bryan, Texas, for trade dressing by allegedly copying Buc-ee's mega convenience store designs and layout.[43] The case was settled out of court.[39]

Buc-ee's also lost a Texas Employee Retention Agreement case on an appeal in 2017. A year after a trial court ordered a former employee to pay Buc-ee's close to $100,000 in damages and attorney's fees for breaching a "Retention Agreement," a Texas court of appeals reversed the decision and ordered that Buc-ee's take nothing on its claims against the former employee. The court reasoned that the contract violated Texas' employment-at-will doctrine. It could only be valid if it met the requirements of an actual non-compete agreement, but as this did not meet Texas requirement for non-compete, the contract was not enforceable.[44]

References[]

  1. ^ Purser, Becky (November 18, 2020). "It's finally open. Take a look inside the new Buc-ee's location in Warner Robins". Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  2. ^ Olivia, Pulsinelli (April 26, 2017). "Buc-ee's announces plans for southeastern U.S. expansion". Houston Business Journal. Archived from the original on March 11, 2018. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  3. ^ "Buc-ee's to break ground on first South Carolina store". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  4. ^ "Buc-ee's is coming to Tennessee; what you need to know about the home of the 'friendliest beaver'". WKRN News 2. June 8, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  5. ^ Parker, T. J. (February 10, 2021). "Buc-ee's pulls out of plans for North Carolina location". ABC13 Houston. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  6. ^ "Made In Texas: The Buc-ee's Success Story". TexasMonthly.com. February 26, 2012. Archived from the original on June 23, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  7. ^ Abrahamsen, Elizabeth. "10 Things You Didn't Know About Buc-ee's". Wide Open Country. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
  8. ^ "The History of Ipana". buckybeaver.ca. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
  9. ^ Benson, Eric (March 2019). "Buc-ee's: The Path to World Domination". Texas Monthly. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  10. ^ Bustillo, Miguel (September 12, 2012). "Roadside Stopper: Can Something Be Too Big in Texas?". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  11. ^ "Buc-ee's New Braunfels Bathroom is America's Best - EON: Enhanced Online News". businesswire.com. Archived from the original on August 23, 2013. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  12. ^ "PEDC Welcomes Buc-ee's to Pearland" (Press release). Pearland Economic Development Corporation. September 17, 2015. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
  13. ^ Cokely, Kevin (May 19, 2016). "Buc-ee's Fort Worth to Open Monday | NBC 5 Dallas–Fort Worth". Nbcdfw.com. Archived from the original on June 27, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
  14. ^ Smith, Stan. "Melissa Buc-ee's officially opens". www.kxii.com. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  15. ^ "Buc-ee's breaks ground in Melissa". kxii.com. KXII-TV. Archived from the original on February 19, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  16. ^ Weaver, Jim (June 12, 2018). "Has Buc-ee's Got Their Sights Set On A Texarkana Location? Maybe". KKYR.com. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
  17. ^ "Texas chain eyes KOA properties, manager reports". Texarkana Gazette. June 12, 2018. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
  18. ^ Solomon, Dan (December 4, 2018). "Buc-ee's is Bringing Something Called 'Tooshlights' to its Bathrooms". Texas Monthly. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  19. ^ Boone, Timothy (March 12, 2016). "Popular Buc-ee's convenience store chain coming to Baton Rouge". Baton Rouge Advocate. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
  20. ^ Boone, Timothy (October 4, 2016). "Buc-ee's drops plans for Baton Rouge location, citing 'critical mass'". Baton Rouge Advocate. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
  21. ^ "Popular convenience store Buc-ee's pulls out of plans for Louisiana location". WWL-TV. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
  22. ^ Park, Clayton (April 12, 2017). "Texas-sized Buc-ee's to put 1st Florida gas station in Daytona". The Daytona Beach News-Journal. Archived from the original on April 14, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
  23. ^ "Daytona Buc-ee's mega convenience store to start construction by summer".
  24. ^ Korfhage, Stuart (February 26, 2019). "Buc-ee's in Daytona, St. Augustine still on track". Daytona Beach News-Journal. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  25. ^ Park, Clayton (January 27, 2021). "Signs go up for Daytona Buc-ee's as opening draws nearer". The Daytona Beach New-Journal. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  26. ^ "Buc-ee's building begins in Baldwin". gulfcoastnewstoday.com. Archived from the original on March 16, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  27. ^ "Buc-ee's groundbreaking tomorrow in Leeds". St. Clair News-Aegis. June 25, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  28. ^ Gray, Jeremy (January 25, 2021). "Buc-ee's opens in Leeds: Second Alabama location draws thousands". AL.COM. Retrieved January 26, 2021 – via MSN.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  29. ^ Pulsinelli, Olivia (November 12, 2019). "Buc-ee's to expand to new state". Houston Business Journal.
  30. ^ Lawler, Suzanne (November 13, 2020). "First look: Check out the inside of the Warner Robins Buc-ee's before it opens". 13WMAZ. Retrieved January 26, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  31. ^ "Florida's first Buc-ee's travel center opens to large, excited crowd".
  32. ^ "Buc-ee's opening new north Georgia location, bringing 200+ jobs". WSB-TV. August 23, 2021. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  33. ^ Six, Taylor (July 27, 2020). "Buc-ee's to come to Richmond". Richmond Register. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  34. ^ Rosenthal, Abigail (February 9, 2021). "Buc-ee's might not be as beloved as we all thought". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  35. ^ Sergent, Don (April 20, 2021). "Texas-based Buc-ee's looks to put travel center in Smiths Grove". Bowling Green Daily News. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  36. ^ Harris, Alivia. "Buc-ee's celebrates first store in Tennessee with groundbreaking ceremony". www.wvlt.tv. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  37. ^ "Business Insider".
  38. ^ KMBC 9 News Staff (January 12, 2022). "Buc-ee's, a Texas based gas station, is bringing a 100-pump travel center to Missouri". KMBC. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  39. ^ a b "Beaver wars: Buc-ee's takes on rival store in Beaver logo dispute". chron.com. Archived from the original on July 29, 2017.
  40. ^ "Buc-ee's is suing a rival chain for copying its beaver logo - All Ablog Austin". statesman.com.
  41. ^ http://www.buckysexpress.com/location/houston
  42. ^ "Buc-ee's sues Bucky's for trying to expand into Texas". houstonchronicle.com. Archived from the original on July 29, 2017.
  43. ^ "Chicks Hatching Plot to Be Like Buc-ee's?". cspdailynews.com. Archived from the original on July 29, 2017.
  44. ^ "Buc-ee's Loses Texas Retention Agreement Case". texasemploymentlawblog.com. Archived from the original on April 26, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2018.

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