Two-time Emmy and three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Stephanie Stuckey. The Chair of Stuckey’s. A pecan snack and candy company based in Wrens, GA. She is also the author of “Unstuck: Reviving an American Icon.” Stuckey’s growth lies in their partnership with almost 5,000 retailers nationwide that sell their delicious pecan snacks and candies.
Questions About the Company’s History and Legacy:
Questions About Branding and Marketing:
Questions About Leadership and Vision:
Questions About Partnerships and Community:
It all started with a borrowed Model A Ford and a $35 loan
With that, W.S. “Sylvester” Stuckey, Sr. founded Stuckey’s as a roadside pecan stand along Highway 23 in Eastman, GA in 1937. With that Ford that he retrofitted to haul pecans and the loan (from his grandmother), W.S. drove around the countryside and bought pecans from local farmers to sell at his stand, along with local honey and souvenirs. His wife, Ethel, added her delicious homemade candies – southern delicacies like pralines, Divinities, and our iconic Pecan Log Rolls.
Through grit and determination, the Stuckeys grew the stores from these humble beginnings to a roadside empire. At its peak in the 1960s, the little pecan company had become an integral part of the American road trip. It boasted 368 stores in over 30 states, each offering kitschy souvenirs, clean restrooms, Texaco gas, and of course, our famous candies.
Stuckey’s also owned a candy plant in Eastman to allow for larger production of sweet treats, a trucking company, and a sign company that produced the 4,000 Stuckey’s billboards that dotted America’s highways. Stuckey’s merged with Pet Milk Co. in 1964 to add capacity and capital for the company to grow.
Decline and Rebound
W.S. Stuckey, Sr. died in 1977, the same year that Illinois Central Industries, a Chicago conglomerate, bought Pet Milk Co., and they began to close Stuckey’s stores across the country. Stuckey’s fell into a decline until 1984 when W.S. “Billy” Stuckey, Jr., son of the founder and a five-term Congressman from the 8th District of Georgia, acquired Stuckey’s and began to turn the company around.
Under Billy’s helm, the Stuckey’s Express concept – or a store within a store – was launched, and the company expanded to over 115 franchises in 17 states. The Eastman candy plant continued operations