Big Gas Giant Shuns Blue Roadblocks

Buc-ee’s founder Arch Aplin just told the country, in plain language, which states he wants his beaver-branded gas stations in — and which ones he’s happy to skip.

Quick Take

Buc-ee’s CEO Arch Aplin said the chain now favors “conservative, business-friendly” states with strong workforces
He made the comments at the August 17 grand opening of the company’s first Arkansas store, alongside Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Senator Tom Cotton
Buc-ee’s already operates in more than a dozen states and has announced plans for at least seven more, including Kansas, Wisconsin and Ohio
Site-selection experts say workforce, land, and permitting speed usually drive these calls, and welcoming local leaders often line up with faster, cheaper builds

What Aplin Actually Said

Arch Aplin III did not hint or dance around it. Speaking at the ribbon-cutting for Buc-ee’s 58th store, in Benton, Arkansas, he told the crowd that “when you find a conservative, business-friendly state with a phenomenal workforce, it makes a difference”. He added that “life’s too short to try to build in places that people don’t appreciate what you’re bringing”. That is about as direct as a chief executive gets.

Aplin was not talking in the abstract. Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Senator Tom Cotton stood next to him at the event, a visual as much as a verbal endorsement of the state’s approach to business. Aplin has made similar comments before, praising states that “welcome growth, strong workforces, and family-oriented businesses” while contrasting them with places he called less receptive. The message lands the same way each time: red-state leadership gets credit, blue-state friction does not.

A Company Still Growing Fast, Just Choosier About Where

None of this is happening while Buc-ee’s slows down. The chain has opened new locations in Arizona and Ohio already this year and has announced plans to land in at least six more states before 2026 ends. Kansas, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Louisiana are all on the list, alongside stores already confirmed for Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky and beyond. Buc-ee’s now runs stores in more than a dozen states total.

The pattern in Aplin’s public remarks is consistent across multiple events. At a separate address, he told an audience “we’re growing, we’re building in a lot of places,” before repeating that conservative, business-friendly states make the difference. It is not one offhand line at one ribbon-cutting. It is a talking point he keeps returning to, which suggests it reflects real strategy rather than a slip of the tongue.

Why Executives Frame It This Way

Company leaders often describe location decisions in political shorthand, even when the underlying math is more complicated. Site-selection consultants surveyed by researchers at the University of North Carolina ranked skilled labor, available land, and “responsive state and local government” among the top factors companies weigh, each cited by nearly all respondents. Permitting speed and tax climate consistently show up near the top of those lists too.

Buc-ee’s general counsel Jeff Nadalo has described the company’s actual scouting checklist in similar terms: traffic volume first, then “jurisdictions that are friendly to business,” then workforce quality. None of that requires a partisan label to work. But when a governor and a senator show up to cut the ribbon, and the CEO praises the state by name on stage, the political framing writes itself — and it costs the company nothing to say out loud.

The Practical Effect on Blue States

Calling out “conservative, business-friendly” states as preferred ground sends an unmistakable signal to the states left off that list. Wisconsin’s Oak Creek project has already shown how much local zoning support and infrastructure cooperation matter to a build moving forward without delay. When Aplin frames welcoming leadership as a competitive advantage for a state, he is also telling slower-moving or less receptive local governments exactly what it will take to get a Buc-ee’s of their own.

For conservatives watching the trend, this looks less like politics for its own sake and more like accountability finally showing up in a corporate boardroom. A company built on Texas hospitality and no-nonsense management rewarding the states that roll out the welcome mat, while passing on the ones that pile on red tape, tracks with basic common sense. Businesses go where they are wanted and where government gets out of the way.

Buc-ee’s has not announced it is pulling back from any particular state, and Aplin’s comments do not name specific blue states by name. What he has made clear, repeatedly and on the record, is which conditions win his company’s investment going forward. Governors and legislators paying attention now know the price of admission.