'Life's too short': Buc-ee's CEO won't build in blue states that 'don't appreciate' the brand

Texas gas station chain Buc-ee’s is eyeing more conservative states as part of its expansion across the country, with its CEO saying at a recent store opening that “life's too short to try to build in places that people don't appreciate what you're bringing.”

CEO and co-founder Arch “Beaver” Aplin III said at the opening of a new Buc-ee’s in Benton, Arkansas, “We have a lot of opportunities. We're growing. We're building in a lot of places, but when you find a conservative, business-friendly state with a phenomenal workforce, it makes a difference.”

“I'm starting to realize life's too short to try to build in places that people don't appreciate what you're bringing versus a place like this, where people do appreciate what you're building,” he continued in a video shared by Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. 

He said that conservative, business-friendly, family-oriented concept “works so much better if it trickles down from the very leadership” in local, state, and national government. “What we found when we got here into Benton was a business-friendly town, they said let’s roll up our sleeves and let’s go get a Buc-ee’s built.” 

The August 17 opening of the Buc-ee’s in Benton was attended by Governor Sanders and Senator Tom Cotton, as well as fans waiting hours for the grand opening, with some even camping overnight. 

The cult favorite now has 58 locations across the United States, and has a major expansion planned through 2031, per the Daily Mail. The chain expects to open its first stores in Louisiana, Kansas, and Wisconsin by 2027, with more stores planned in Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Kentucky, and South Carolina. 

The chain features travel centers with hundreds of gas pumps, sprawling parking lots, and large stores with Buc-ee’s merch as well as food such as brisket and Beaver Nuggets.