Governors Cheer, Permits Fly—Guess Where

Buc-ee’s founder says his beaver-branded travel centers will keep chasing red states, and he’s not shy about telling blue states why they got passed over.

Quick Take

Buc-ee’s CEO Arch Aplin says the chain now favors “conservative, business-friendly” states for new locations
Aplin made the comments at the August 17 grand opening of Buc-ee’s first Arkansas store, alongside Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Senator Tom Cotton
The company has already expanded into more than a dozen states and has confirmed plans for at least seven more, including Kansas, Louisiana and Wisconsin
Site-selection experts say workforce quality, permitting speed and local government attitude matter as much as politics in these decisions

What Aplin Actually Said About Where He Wants To Build

Arch Aplin III, Buc-ee’s co-founder and chief executive, stood at a podium in Benton, Arkansas, and said the quiet part out loud. “When you find a conservative, business-friendly state with a phenomenal workforce, it makes a difference,” Aplin told the crowd at the chain’s 58th location. He added that “life’s too short” to build where people don’t appreciate the investment.

Aplin wasn’t talking in the abstract. He was standing next to Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Senator Tom Cotton, two Republican officials who showed up to celebrate a private company opening a gas station. That kind of political theater doesn’t happen by accident. It signals which governors get a phone call when Buc-ee’s is scouting land, and which ones don’t.

The Company Has Built An Empire By Picking Its Spots

Buc-ee’s isn’t some scrappy startup testing the waters. The chain began crossing Texas borders in 2018 and now operates dozens of locations across states like Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Colorado and Virginia. Confirmed expansion targets include Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin, with at least six states set to welcome their first Buc-ee’s soon.

Aplin’s comments echoed remarks he’s made before, contrasting states that “welcome growth, strong workforces, and family-oriented businesses” against places he considers less receptive to what the company brings. It’s a pattern executives rarely admit publicly, even when it shapes billions of dollars in real estate decisions behind closed doors.

Politics Isn’t The Only Ingredient In The Recipe

Buc-ee’s general counsel has described the company’s actual site-hunting checklist in less political terms. Jeff Nadalo says the chain looks first for heavy traffic volume, then for jurisdictions “friendly to business,” then for a strong available workforce. Land, highway access and permitting speed all factor in long before anyone checks a state’s voting history.

Site selection consultants surveyed nationally rank skilled labor, available land, responsive government and fast incentives as the top priorities for any company chasing expansion, regardless of industry. Those same factors happen to concentrate more heavily in states with lighter regulation and faster permitting, which often overlaps with states voters call conservative.

Why This Matters Beyond One Gas Station Chain

Aplin’s bluntness stands out because most corporate leaders dodge this topic entirely. Companies love to talk about “workforce” and “business climate” while carefully avoiding words like “conservative.” Aplin skipped the euphemism and said what plenty of executives think privately: some states roll out the red carpet, and others make you fight for every permit and parking spot.

That’s a lesson blue-state officials should sit with. When a company generating billions in annual sales says appreciation and cooperation matter more than population size or coastal prestige, it’s a warning shot. Businesses don’t owe loyalty to any state. They go where the workforce shows up, the permits move fast, and the welcome feels real.

Buc-ee’s plans keep growing regardless of the debate its CEO stirred up. New stores are lining up in red-leaning states from Kansas to Tennessee, while blue-state expansion talk stays notably quieter. Whether that pattern holds as the chain approaches a hundred locations will say a lot about which states actually compete for jobs and investment, and which ones just assume they’ll show up anyway.