Stuckey’s CEO details turnaround during visit to Roanoke College

SALEM, Va. (WDBJ) - Hit the highway today, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a Stuckey’s in Virginia.

There is only one original Stuckey’s location still operating in the state, and it’s on the Eastern Shore. But at one time, the Georgia-based chain had more than 360 stores across the country.

“So before there was TA, Pilot, Love’s, Buc-ees, there was Stuckey’s,” said the company’s CEO Stephanie Stuckey. “We were founded in 1937 as a roadside stand by my grandfather and built from that into a nationwide chain.”

Stuckey didn’t grow up in the company. It was sold before she was born. But in 2019, she had the opportunity to buy the business.

“I bought it because of the people who remember shopping at our stores, because of those decades of memories, because of the brand value that’s still there. And it’s absolutely still there, because we are profitable and doing great.”

We spoke with Stuckey Thursday afternoon on the campus of Roanoke College. She is the latest speaker in a lecture series hosted by Pi Lambda Phi Fraternity in conjunction with the Center for Leadership and Entrepreneurial Innovation.

She told us she’s running an 87-year-old startup, with big plans to rebuild the Stuckey’s brand.

More than 5,000 stores across the country now carry Stuckey’s products. Stuckey said she hopes the company can one day own a handful of stores again.

Stuckey was scheduled to talk about her entrepreneurial journey at 7:30 p.m. on the Roanoke College campus. The event at the Cregger Center is free and open to the public.

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