Buc-ee's owner lives and wears his job, right down to his custom-made boots
'The rain didn't dampen anybody's spirits,' Arch Aplin III said when Monday's ribbon cutting for the new Buc-ee's travel center in Harrison County moved inside. 'It kind of made it more exciting.'
The grand opening had all the excitement of Black Friday, with big crowds, Mississippi merchandise and Buc-ee's food to discover.
Aplin posed for photos with customers and talked to employees, who thanked them for their jobs, before he met with the media.
Wearing his trademark cowboy hat, he had a Buc-ee's bandage on his hand and lifted his pant leg to show the Buc-ee's beaver logo on his cowboy boots.
Buc-ee's has had a huge impact on his personal life, Aplin said. His nickname is Beaver and the logo is a beaver, and so there's no separating himself from his business — 'Not that I would ever want to,' he said. 'You can just tell how much I love this, and I love meeting new people and the passion.'
The store in Harrison County is the 52nd Buc-ee's. Grand openings are the best,he said, but groundbreakings, like the one he presided over in September 2023 is his next favorite day of the year, Aplin said.
He graduated Texas A&M in 1980 with a degree in construction engineering and worked with his father's construction company before opening the first Buc-ee's in 1982.
Now he has cities and counties across the country vying for their own Buc-ee's, he said, and the jobs and economic development the travel centers provide.
Buc-ee's in Harrison County employs more than 200 people with a livable wage, and Aplin said that is one of the favorite parts of the company. Full time positions pay between $18 and $24 per hour, plus medical, dental and vision coverage plus other benefits and three weeks of paid vacation.
'It definitely enhances employment opportunities for this side of the county,' said state Rep. Richard Bennett. 'There's room for advancement in Buc-ee's.'
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