Stuckey’s CEO Stephanie Stuckey Shares the Story of Rebuilding her Family’s Brand

RCB President Chuck Redden exchanged flags with Stephanie Stuckey, who is a member of the Rotary Club of Atlanta.

This week the Rotary Club of Birmingham welcomed guest speaker Stephanie Stuckey, Stuckey’s CEO. She shared how she traded in a successful career in law and politics to purchase the company founded by her grandfather in 1937.

“I loved my grandfather,” Stuckey said. “Maybe I don’t have an MBA. Maybe I didn’t have a background in running a company. Maybe I’d never even run a lemonade stand. But I read his papers every single night and I read his story and I learned how he built the company from nothing and that’s what taught me how to revive his company.”

Stuckey described how she has rebuilt and reimagined the iconic brand that fell into decline under a series of corporate owner, including scaled production of Stuckey’s branded snacks and sweets in retail stores and online.

“We are a story of resilience. Every great thing that he achieved was the result of a crisis where he almost went bankrupt and had to reinvent himself and he had to be resilient.”

“Maybe I can’t run a lemonade stand, but I can run Stuckey’s.”

About Stephanie Stuckey
Stephanie Stuckey is CEO of Stuckey’s, known for generations as a highway oasis serving up pecan log rolls and kitschy souvenirs. Founded in 1937 by her grandfather, W.S. Stuckey, Sr. in Eastman, Georgia, Stuckey’s grew into over 350 stores nationwide by its peak in the 1970’s. The company was sold in 1964 and sadly declined for decades under a series of corporate owners. Fortunately, Stuckey’s is now back in family hands. Stephanie purchased the company in November of 2019.

Along with her business partner, R.G. Lamar, Jr., who serves as President, the Company acquired a pecan snack and candy plant in Wrens, GA in January of 2021. They are now scaling production of the Stuckey’s branded snacks and sweets – including the iconic pecan log roll – to be sold in almost 5,000 retail stores nationwide. Stuckey’s also operates a distribution center, a fundraising business, a corporate gift program, and has an online store.

Stephanie received both her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Georgia. She worked as a trial lawyer, was elected to seven terms as a state representative, ran an environmental law firm, served as Director of Sustainability for Atlanta, and taught as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Georgia School of Law.  Stephanie purchased Stuckey’s in November of 2019 and assumed the role of CEO. Stephanie’s achievements include being named one of the Most Admired CEOs of 2022 by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, 100 Most Influential Georgians by Georgia Trend Magazine and a graduate of Leadership Atlanta. She serves on the corporate board for Bealls, a Florida-based retailer with more than 550 stores.

The Stuckey’s story has been featured recently in the New York Times Sunday Business Section, the TODAY Show, and The Washington Post.

When she’s not running Stuckey’s, Stephanie enjoys traveling by car to explore the back roads of America and pulling over at every boiled peanut stand and the World’s Largest Ball of Twine.