Arch “Beaver” Aplin shows that dreaming big pays off

Because that’s not the point. “I’m not in this for a number. We’re just having fun, enjoying ourselves, providing our services and doing what we do for the community. I really don’t know, but it’s probably around 55.” 

He’s close: There are currently 54 locations across Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, Missouri, South Carolina and Colorado. 

What started in 1982 with a small convenience store in Lake Jackson, Texas, has become one of the most beloved brands in Texas. Today, Buc-ee’s has reached near icon level among customers, from its pristine bathrooms to its wide array of branded products, to its instantly recognizable beaver mascot and quirky billboards. 

And it all started with a Texas-sized dream, lots of determination and a cartoon.

A Brand Built Around a Beaver

Aplin has built a brand that doesn’t take itself too seriously. “My brand, my logo, is a cartoon, buck-tooth beaver with the baseball cap on,” he said. “So just how serious can you be with that kind of logo in your marketing? The logo that I created that first day we opened the store was this approachable, friendly cartoon beaver, obviously, because my nickname is Beaver. It’s kind of a fun-loving logo that we just rolled into our marketing and advertising.”

But while his marketing may be light-hearted, Aplin, a first-generation Aggie, is serious about his dedication to creating a space where customers feel taken care of. “We’re quite serious about the business operation. Producing the product and the experience for our customers.

“We are very serious about the quality of the product that we make available to our customers, whether it’s consumable products or in the operation and the location picking and the design and the development. We take that very seriously, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously on the marketing. We have fun with it.”

From Aggie to Texas Icon

Before he started Buc-ee’s, Aplin studied building construction (now called construction science) at Texas A&M University. “My dad was a home builder. So I grew up in a construction family,” Aplin said. “I picked A&M for its building construction degree. It’s changed names a few times, but back then, it was called building construction. It had a deep dive into the construction industry, and so it kind of made sense to me.”

I just remember feeling like I was in the right place. You leave high school, and all you’ve known is home. It’s a big world. It’s a little bit scary. It’s a whole lot exciting. I just instantly felt like I was just kind of back at home, even though I wasn’t in Lake Jackson.

He was also the first in his family to attend Texas A&M (though not the last — his brother Reginald ’86 and son Arch “Hart” IV ’20 are also Aggies), but he says as soon as he was on campus, he felt a connection to the university and the people he met. “I just remember feeling like I was in the right place. You leave high school, and all you’ve known is home. It’s a big world. It’s a little bit scary. It’s a whole lot exciting. I just instantly felt like I was just kind of back at home, even though I wasn’t in Lake Jackson.” 

From incredible faculty to lifelong friendships, Texas A&M made a lasting impact on him.

“I have many friends who date back all the way to my college days. I graduated in 1980, and I still have many friends that I met at A&M.”

Aplin has kept his Aggie ties strong since he graduated and has been recognized not only for his business acumen but for his community service. He was recently named a 2025 Distinguished Alumni of Texas A&M, is an Outstanding Alumnus of the College of Architecture and received the M.B. Zale Visionary Merchant Award from the Texas A&M Center for Retailing Innovation, which is part of Mays Business School. He was also honored by the Mosbacher Institute at The Bush School of Government and Public Service with the McLane Leadership in Business Award.

He even served for many years on The Association of Former Students Board of Directors. “It was really inspiring to see what former students do to contribute, and what The Association does with those contributions from former students to enhance Texas A&M and the A&M experience.”

Building a Texas-Sized Dream

When Aplin graduated from Texas A&M in 1980 with a degree in building construction, he thought he would be building skyscrapers. That didn’t pan out, so he pivoted and decided to build something a little closer to the ground — a single-story convenience store with a mission based on a simple premise: “providing a clean, friendly and in-stock experience for customers.” That mission hasn’t changed since the first Buc-ee’s opened in Lake Jackson in 1982.

After 43 years, Aplin still selects each Buc-ee’s location and attends every groundbreaking and store opening. And when he can, he visits the travel centers.

But he leaves the day-to-day operations of each location to others. “​​Our operations team is so good. I mean, the stores are so well run. Once we get one established, once we decide on the location and the design, we get it done, we get it built and we get it open.

“Building a brand is as much about your customer as anything. It’s providing an exceptional experience that your customers can count on time and time again, and just doing it time and time again. It’s not easy, but there’s no secret formula to it.”

With over 50 locations, Aplin has clearly found the formula for success. However, at the heart of his success remains a focus on the customer experience. “​​The thing that I enjoy the most is when I get to see the faces of customers: new customers and customers that we’ve had, sometimes for decades. But when I get to see the smile on their faces, when I get to see the reaction when they walk into a store for the first time … I probably get as much enjoyment as anything out of watching their faces.”

A Force for Good

In addition to creating one of the most recognizable brands and chains of travel centers in Texas, Aplin has also taken time to give back. 

Most recently, after the devastating Kerrville floods this past summer, Buc-ee’s donated $1 million to the Community Foundation of the Hill Country to help people affected by the flood. The gift was presented during the Lend a Hand segment of The Today Show with Al Roker. Roker noted that it was the largest donation they have received in the segment’s 23-year history.

Buc-ee’s also supported a relief concert called “Applause for the Cause,” headlined by former student Robert Earl Keen ’78, on Aug. 28 in New Braunfels. The concert raised an estimated $3 million for flood victims. 

Aplin has also supported his alma mater, setting a foundation for the future where experiential learning in hospitality, retail and food nutrition sciences will naturally intersect with a different kind of customer base: prospective students and visitors to Texas A&M’s main campus.

Aplin’s long career has been based on a mix of business prowess and treating people well, whether it be his customers or employees. People are at the heart of what he does, and much of the foundation of that was shaped by Texas A&M and the Core Values instilled in every Aggie.

For him, three words come to mind when he thinks of the university: camaraderie, integrity and respect. “These three words get back to more of the Core Values and what seems to be deep in the DNA of most Aggies when they spend some time there.”

Aggies in College Station are getting a taste of Buc-ee’s as 45 of the brand’s most popular products are being sold at three locations on the main campus: Aggie Express Commons, Aggie Express Hullabaloo and Creekside Market through Aggie Dining.