Stephanie Stuckey a lawyer by trade, who spent 14 years in the Georgia House of Representatives and who was also appointed along the way by the mayor of Atlanta, as Atlanta’s ‘Chief Resilience Officer’, is sure showing how resilient she is. And how resilient her family business is!
Stephanie is now on the road herself promoting Stuckey’s Corporation – the iconic roadside stops famous for its pecan candies and souvenirs that her grandfather founded in 1937. She bought the company in 2019 for $500,000 and has been spearheading the brands big return. I caught her story on Linkedin and have been following her ever since. I just love how gritty and passionate she is about this. She’s having a ball on her road trips and I’m having fun watching her roll.
It’s a big year for brand comebacks as evidenced by news that other companies like Crocs and Claire’s have made significant comebacks in recent years after hitting a low point financially and culturally in the late 2010s . According to Retail Brew the top executives of both those companies pointed to strategic shifts that emphasized allowing customer feedback to guide decisions.“
Stephanie Stuckey, the 3rd generation CEO of the family business, is creating a great business comeback story too. She’s making Stuckey’s both profitable and a household name again! And doing a great grassroots job of it.
When Stephanie bought Stuckey’s, the company was operating at a deficit and had only 13 original free-standing stores in 10 states that still had the signature original teal roofs in addition to around 65 licensed Stuckey’s Express store-within- a -store locations.
In 6 months, she restored Stuckey’s to profitability, by shifting the focus from licensed Stuckey’s store locations to the company’s classic line of candies. She also expanded the brand back into manufacturing when she bought a pecan shelling and candy plant in Wrens, Georgia in 2021. Candy and nut sales have since increased to almost 50% of the company’s revenue as the brand expands to more national retail locations.
Stephanie is now taking road trips to promote pecans and the “great American road trip’ both a big part of Stuckey’s Corporation growth.
“I’m all over the country” she said, and here’s why I’m traveling. I am giving speeches, and I am attending trade shows. So, it’s not checking on stores per se because we don’t own or operate the original Stuckey’s that were still standing. We have the rights to those stores and to our name so they can they pay us a licensing fee, but we don’t own those stores. So really my trips are about I give speeches and I love talking to groups and sharing the Stuckey’s story. So, I speak at a lot of conferences, mostly corporate and associations and then I attend trade shows to get more retailers to sell our product and then wherever I go, part of the deal is usually my travels covered by the host of the event. My travel includes that I get a rental car so I will carve out an extra day. I’ll ask for that’s where I take a lot of road trips.”
“And then I’ll pull over and I’ll find out from our team where is there a store in the area that carries Stuckey’s products. So, there could be a little local ice cream shop that sells our candy, or we could reach off the chain so we’re in Hobby Lobby and at home. So I like to also stop at retailers that don’t carry our product and take photos and I evaluate what their back set looks like and then I’ll reach out to them and say I love your store by the way I was here here’s a photo of me at your store I would love to see you carry our product that’s what’s missing on your shelf and I’ve picked out a lot of accounts that way.”
“I’m road tripping, but I’m also hustling. We’re always hustling if we’re entrepreneurs.” Stephanie Stuckey
Stephanie hopes to eventually own a handful of Stuckey’s interstate stores to revive the original premise behind the company as a “roadside oasis” while continuing to build up the pecan side of the business to secure its future for another 85 years.
Speaking of pecans Stephanie shared a little a secret her grandfather taught her about how to open pecans.
“You get two pecans in your hand, and you squeeze them together and it will crack them.”
I’m stuck on enjoying watching this female entrepreneur bring her family brand back to life from the days when her grandpa started this as a roadside stand.
Stephanie has a new book out called “UNSTUCK” which is available on her website as well as Amazon for the same price, but if you buy it on the Stuckey’s website it’s autographed.
“The entrepreneurial journey is so much more fun if you bring others along for the ride” she said.
I’m along for her ride! And she did invite me along for the ride because I too am a lover of both female entrepreneurs who hustle and road trips. Told her, you bring the pecans, and I’ll bring some meatballs. Makes sense I think for a Georgia gal traveling with a NY gal. LOL
Speaking of NY, Stephanie hasn’t been here in 4 years and would love to do some ‘speaking and Stuckey’s business’ in NY.
Meet Stephanie Stuckey in this podcast of our live conversation on The Debbie Nigro Show. If you’d rather read than listen the audio transcript is below.
The Debbie Nigro Show on WGCH Radio. If you want to catch the show it airs Weekdays 11-12noon ET in the NY/CT area on 1490 on the dial. But you can listen from anywhere, just hit the ‘Listen Live’ button on WGCH.com. You can find podcasts of feature interviews on DebbieNigro.com. Sign up for the free ‘Risk It or Regret It” newsletter too. It’s fun, relevant and motivating.
AUDIO TRANSCRIPT:
0:00:00
Alright, I’m going to take, I’m going to get off this exit right now and go back to my original plan, which was to introduce you to a gal that I am fascinated with. We don’t know each other personally, but we do from communicating, both in digital form and then we’ve actually spoken on the phone. Her name is Stephanie Stuckey. Besides being cute as a button, she’s just a cute person to watch. She’s full of joy, she’s full of passion, and she’s full of smarts. She’s taken the family brand, Stucky’s Corporation, as the third generation CEO back to life. She’s joining me from the road right now. Hey, Stephanie.
4
0:00:37
Hey, Debbie.
1
0:00:38
I am so sorry I’m a few minutes late. My GPS was not working and I got lost. No. I am back on track now and on your show, which is where I belong.
2
0:00:48
Yes, you do. I love a girl who gets lost, who’s on a road trip. Where the heck are you now?
1
0:00:53
That’s the fun.
2
0:00:54
I know it’s the fun.
12
0:00:55
That’s the fun of it, right?
2
0:00:56
Where are you now?
1
0:00:57
Actually, I’m back in Atlanta, which is my home, because I had my book launch last night, but I leave early, early tomorrow morning for Las Vegas to give a speech and work a trade show. And it’s a fun trade show. It’s a trade show that caters to souvenir and tourist destinations. So, tour shops that all are fun roadside attractions, they’re going to be at this trade show.
2
0:01:21
Oh, that’s fantastic. I did catch your book launch last night, and that’s the picture I put up of you this morning. It says, Stuckey’s National Candy Award, Pecan Roll, first place winner. I love that you did this, and I love what you’re doing to revive your family brand. I think it’s very timely.
2
0:01:38
I was talking about a couple of other comebacks this morning that are in the news, Crocs and Claire’s stores, everybody had them like gone and now they’re cool again. So you’re cool again.
3
0:01:46
I love that.
2
0:01:47
Yeah, you’re just continuing your cool trip. What is the most exciting thing that you see happening that you are experiencing on the road reviving this brand? What turns you on every day?
1
0:02:00
Well, two things. I’ll say something that’s broad in general, which is just exploring the back roads of America is my jam. And getting lost and taking these unexpected turns and seeing places like Cuba, Missouri, which is a really fun town. They have the oldest continuously operating roadside motel on Route 66, the Wagon Wheel Motor Lodge in Cuba, Missouri. It’s also a town that’s known for its murals. And so everywhere you go in that town, all the buildings are painted with just beautiful works of art.
1
0:02:36
So I love that. I love seeing what places that you wouldn’t expect to offer something really fun, what they have to offer.
2
0:02:44
Me too, me too.
1
0:02:45
You know, Columbus, Georgia has the Lunchbox Museum, the world’s largest collection of lunchboxes. I absolutely love that place. Love it. Love it. Yeah, so there’s that and then there’s the other part which is more personal which is seeing people rediscover Stucky’s and how their eyes light up when I say, yeah, my grandfather started this company. He sold it and it was out of our family for decades and now we’re bringing it back. And they’re just excited to see but not just that our brain can make a comeback but like Crocs
1
0:03:16
and Crocs for sneakers is another one I love that’s made a comeback. We love PBR is one of my favorite comeback stories. I just people love a comeback. We love seeing these brands that were so
2
0:03:41
special and fell on hard times be
1
0:03:47
revived and it just gives everyone hope.
2
0:03:52
I agree. Everyone needs a little source of inspiration and for us you can have a
1
0:03:39
story of a comeback.
2
0:03:40
Yeah, as far as stories go, I think most people are drawn to been there, done that, had that, lost it, got it back.
11
0:03:47
Yeah.
2
0:03:48
That is really what you’re doing.
10
0:03:49
I love that.
1
0:03:50
I love that summary. I’m going to use that.
2
0:03:52
Oh, okay, you got it. So tell everybody just quickly, when your grandfather started this, how many stores there were? I mean, how did it start? Real quick.
1
0:04:02
It started as a roadside pecan stand during the Great Depression. There were no jobs to be had in rural Georgia in the 1930s, but one thing was plentiful and that was pecans. Georgia happens to be, and has been for 50 plus years, the number one place in the entire world for growing pecans. We grow a third of the world’s pecan production.
5
0:04:26
Wow.
1
0:04:27
So he just took what was plentiful and monetized it, right? I mean, what a great entrepreneur. And then he realized sitting in the sun on that roadside stand for hours and hours and motorists would pass by and they would ask, well, where’s the restroom? Where’s the gas station? And that light went on and he thought, okay, that’s what entrepreneurs do. You fill a need that people have, you solve problems. So he saved up the money, he grew the business the old-fashioned way by just working hard
1
0:05:00
and bootstrapping it and he built a store and then came another store and then came another store and it grew and it’s peak in the 1970s, the 368 stores in 40 states, we were the first roadside retail chain before Love’s or TA or Buc-ee’s, there was Stuckies.
2
0:05:16
Wow.
1
0:05:17
So it’s really an amazing story.
2
0:05:18
Yeah, it’s amazing. That’s why I’m drawn to it, drawn to you, and as a goof would be the story Stuck, like the pecan rolls. Do they stick to your teeth? That’s the only thing I’m concerned about now, Stephanie.
1
0:05:30
What’s the only thing you’re concerned about?
2
0:05:34
That the Stuckies will stick to my teeth. What’s going on with the pecan rolls? Are those sticky caramel in there? I know they’re delicious.
1
0:05:40
Okay, so we’re not going to change the ingredients, but actually dentists love us because we increase their visits, right? We have sugar, we have chocolate, we are a sweet indulgence, we are a treat-yourself moment. But we do have some product like our tea cans that are a little
9
0:05:59
easier on the teeth. I love pecans.
2
0:06:01
I was looking at how they grow.
3
0:06:02
They grow on a tree.
2
0:06:03
Have you ever been out there picking the pecans? I know you have a manufacturing plant right now, which is how you started to grow the company back. You went and said, okay, let’s just manufacture pecans. Let’s get our pecan rolls inside other existing franchise fast locations where people are stopping. That’s right. And that was brilliant.
2
0:06:11
So, have you been out there picking the pecans yourself? What’s going on? Okay, so we buy pecans. We buy pecans from the farmers. We buy pecans from the farmers. We buy pecans from the farmers. What’s going on?
1
0:06:27
Okay, so we buy pecans by the caseful, right? We buy thousands and thousands of pounds throughout the year. So pecan season for us, which is in the fall, you really don’t pick them, you have a tree shaker. And I have absolutely done that and it is so much fun and every pecan season I will go out to the Stucky Pecan Orchard which is small, it’s a hundred acres and I will stand under a tree while
1
0:07:12
the machine is shaking it and I’ll do a live, I’ve done live on TikTok and live on Facebook. That’s great. We’ll have a thousand people watching in the middle of the day which is kind of fun. Now I have an because and it’s not like you would think. I had this vision of beautifully
1
0:07:50
perfect pecans falling down from the heavens, right? Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. What you get are limbs and dirt and leaves and a squirrel or two.
2
0:08:06
I mean they’re shaking this tree and the stuff is falling and then they have the scooper and then they have a sifter
1
0:07:44
pieces of nut out, all the pieces of the shell out and to your table. There’s a lot that goes into it, but it’s fun. It’s fun to watch the shaking.
2
0:07:53
Can you eat a pecan direct from a tree?
8
0:07:56
Oh, 100%.
4
0:07:57
Oh.
1
0:07:58
And you know how you shell them if you just pick them off the ground?
6
0:08:00
How?
1
0:08:01
Well, a secret my grandfather taught me. You get two pecans in your hand
2
0:08:05
and you squeeze them together and it will crack them. I love that little secret tip on the Debbie Nigro show from Stephanie Stuckey. Here’s a hack. Here’s a pecan hack. Listen, I hate to interrupt you, but because you came in a little late on this segment, we have to go do a little business here. Do you have any time to stay for the next segment a little
1
0:08:24
bit or do you have to run a little? Oh, absolutely. And I’m so sorry I was late but yes I will stick around.
2
0:08:29
Okay we’re going to stick around with Stephanie Stuckey from Stuckey’s because I want you to hear her entrepreneurial vision for the company that she’s brought back to life from her grandfather’s beginnings and of course her dad and now she is the CEO third generation having spent a lot of time in
2
0:08:46
politics and she’s got a great education in law and then I guess decided you know what I just have to apply all this and go back into bringing the brand for my family back to life. I wish I had a brand to bring back to life. I’m so jealous. I’m a female entrepreneur rooting for you, Stephanie Stuckey, the chair and CEO of the Stuckey’s Corporation, famous pecan rolls and logs and all kinds of stuff, third generation,
2
0:09:08
bringing the brand back from the days when her grandpa started this as a roadside stand and I’m enjoying, really enjoying watching her entrepreneurial journey. She has a new book out as of last night actually I saw it Stephanie on LinkedIn which is why I was like oh wow and you said the entrepreneurial journey is so much more fun if you bring others along for the ride. So I’m along for your ride. Yes, thank you.
1
0:09:29
Thanks for being in the car with me and the best part of the road trip is the snacks,
2
0:09:36
right? Absolutely. You know I’m listening to the radio. I’ve actually told people if I’m not chewing the car doesn’t go. I
1
0:09:42
Love that
2
0:09:44
Yeah, so I need snacks and the P Okay, so now you have taken over this company from having been in in the world of politics And you know sort of straight-laced Living and and breathing every day now you’re dressing comfortable. You’re in a car. What kind of car are you driving on this road trip?
1
0:10:05
I drive a Chevy Equinox. I’m not sure how to pronounce that. Equinox. E-Q-I-N-O-X.
2
0:10:14
Yeah, Equinox. That’s a good one.
1
0:10:16
Equinox. Yeah, I’m, you know, I have trouble pronouncing things. Pecan, pecan, Equinox, Equinox.
2
0:10:23
It’s all good.
6
0:10:24
But it’s a company car.
1
0:10:25
I drive a Stuckey’s car. It’s the sales rep car. And I’m like a sales rep for Stuckey’s. That’s really my number one role. I’m what comes to more people for more money more often.
2
0:10:38
So everybody kind of knows where you are because the car says Stuckey’s. Is that it?
1
0:10:42
It did. I had a magnetic sign on the side and someone took it. I came back to my car after I’d been parking it one day and it was gone.
2
0:10:51
Well, they wanted the iconic…
1
0:10:52
Or another one.
2
0:10:53
They wanted it for memorabilia, because I heard a guy last night came up to you at the book signing with an old pecan log that he wanted you to sign.
4
0:11:00
Yes!
7
0:11:01
I love it!
1
0:11:02
It was still wrapped. I said, you know, you can probably still eat it.
6
0:11:06
I was joking.
1
0:11:07
We got a shelf life of a year, but that one’s like 20 years old.
2
0:11:11
That’s very funny.
1
0:11:12
I love that he had that old packaging. I have that old packaging. I thought I was the only one.
2
0:11:16
That’s so much fun.
1
0:11:17
I save all our old packaging. I have a little mini Stucky’s archive.
2
0:11:22
That’s fun. All right, so now you’re on the road. You’re back in Atlanta, but when you’re on the road going to these different locations, mostly down south or are you traveling around the country?
1
0:11:32
I’m all over the country and here’s why I’m traveling. I am giving speeches and I am attending trade shows. So it’s not checking on stores per se because we don’t own or operate the original Stuckey’s that were still standing. We have the rights to those stores and to our name so they can they pay us a licensing fee but we don’t own those stores. So really my trips are about I give speeches and I love talking to groups and sharing the Secchi story. So I speak at a lot of conferences, mostly corporate and associations and then I attend trade shows to get more retailers to sell our product and then wherever I go, part of the deal is usually my travels covered by the host of the event. My travel includes that I get a rental car so I will carve out an extra day. I’ll ask for that’s where I take a lot of road trips.
And then I’ll pull over and I’ll find out from our team where is there a store in the area that carries Stuckey’s products. So there could be a little local ice cream shop that sells our candy or we could reach off the chain so we’re in Hobby Lobby and at home. So I like to also stop at retailers that don’t carry our product and take photos and I evaluate what their back set looks like and then I’ll reach out to them and say I love your store by the way I was here here’s a photo of me at your store I would love to see you carry our product that’s what’s missing on your shelf and I’ve picked out a lot of accounts that way.
I’m road tripping, but I’m also hustling. We’re always hustling if we’re entrepreneurs.
I would be a good road trip partner for you because I’m a hustler and a road tripper, so we would have a lot of fun together. Let’s do it. Who goes with you on some of these trips? Anybody or are you traveling alone?
I have a couple of main road trip companions. My kids are always fodder. I have a 21 year old and an 18 year old. I am divorced, so there’s no spouse to go with me. But my best friend, who’s been my best friend for 30 years, she comes on a lot of road trips with me.
2
0:13:48
Oh, I can see it.
1
0:13:48
And my business partner, I have two business partners, and one of them likes to road trip and we will occasionally need to travel by car for a business trip. And so he he will come with me, usually for a day trip.
2
0:14:03
Very fun.
1
0:14:04
I’m open. I’m happy to do a road trip with other people.
2
0:14:08
So much fun. You’re going to Vegas.
5
0:14:10
Let’s get in the car.
2
0:14:11
You’re very funny. If you ever come up near the New York area, I’ll meet you. We’re going. You let me know.
I” haven’t been to New York in four years. If anyone is listening, and I’m sure you have a lot of listeners in the New York area, please, I would love to come up to New York. I just need someone to pay my way. So find me a conference where they need a keynote speaker and they’ll cover my cost and I’m there.
I’m broadcasting live from Greenwich, Connecticut to the New York area in Connecticut, Fairfield and beyond through the digital live stream all around the world. When this podcast of our conversation goes out, somebody else might hear you, Stephanie, and think you’re a good add to whatever they have planned. You’re going to Vegas. What is your talk called? I know that you speak as a keynote. So what is your talk title? Is there such a thing?
1
0:14:58
It varies. So I really tailor my talk to the audience. And it is not a cookie cutter speech. I have some elements and some stories that people really like to hear repeat in the different talks but every talk is unique. Everyone is curated to make sure I’m fitting the needs of the not only the audience but also the event. So for example I spoke to the American Bar Association. I’m an attorney and it was the women’s section and a lot of them are entrepreneurial and have solo law practices so it was geared towards female entrepreneurs and it was a lot about hustle and promoting sales and branding and Then another talk I gave a talk last week to a food marketing conference And I talked about branding for consumer packaged goods in the food space
1
0:15:51
Yeah, quite often. I’ll talk to groups that use family that are I’ve spoken to family business groups Yeah, family business institutes and an academic setting. I’ve spoken to about four colleges and universities that have a family business program and part of their lecture series, they all talk about the value of having a family brand and our story of losing the brand and getting it back
1
0:16:16
and how you reinvent the brand as a third generation leader. So again, there’s a lot in the Sexy Story that appeals to different people, but a lot of it is just a rebirth and come back, that story, and rural America, talk about exploring rural America and road tripping. So, lots and lots of fodder there for storytelling and for speech giving.
2
0:16:42
What I think is very timely is that you’re a female carrying on a family legacy, which which in the past has not always been a possibility, example being me. My father built roads and there just was no opportunity for a woman back in the day to carry on a family business like that. It just wasn’t cool. It wasn’t cool. So, I love that you are in that position and I love that you’re showing everybody else by example how you can take that step regardless of your background and go do what has ever been in your family legacy and bring it back to life if that need be or carry on
. So this is fun. I want to just tell everybody if there is such a thing are the products on the shelves anywhere in the Northeast your pecan, Stucky
1
0:17:32
pecan logs and pecan products? So we would love to be in more locations.
We are currently in Hobby Lobby and At Home nationwide. Okay. So those are our two best bets. Okay. And then there’s just a smattering of specialty retail stores across the country that want to pick up our brand. We love Ace hardware stores. So we have been in Costello’s Ace, which is in the New York area. They have not re-upped in a while so I need to reach out to them but if any of your listeners shop there interesting you ask Costello’s hardware that’s very funny no so Stephanie says she wants back in your stores because I love them those guys are awesome what would be also nationwide in the Navy commissary
1
0:18:21
US Navy active duty or veterans or families who have access to their XCOM stores. We’re in the Navy.
4
0:18:33
Alright, that’s very interesting.
1
0:18:34
Is it fun?
2
0:18:35
Yeah, it’s really fun.
1
0:18:36
Yeah, because we’re American-made and the Navy and the US military likes to support American-made brands. So we are for sale in their stores. I have an idea for you, but I’ll talk about that afterwards.
2
0:18:46
I’ve always got an idea for you, Stephanie.
1
0:18:50
I’ll take it.
2
0:18:51
Pecan log rolls, what is the resistance to why someone would not carry your Stuckey’s pecan log rolls in their store? What would be a negative? Just shelf space?
1
0:19:03
I honestly don’t know because our products sell. Here’s the great thing about Stuckey’s. Because we are a comeback brand, because we went away for decades, there are Sucky fans who are excited to see the brand back and they are looking for where they can purchase it other than having to go online. And so if you carry our product, especially in the Northeast where we don’t have a lot of shelf space, customers will show up, our fans will show up and we’ll give you lots of social media love. That’s the other thing is I will personally be out there hustling and telling folks you should go
1
0:19:47
to this local grocery store or this local convenience store in Connecticut that carries Stucky’s. Please go visit them. That’s where you can find our product and then people message me every single day asking, I’m in Greenwich Connecticut. I want to buy Stucky’s I love it.
1
0:20:02
And I want to be able to tell them to go to a local store as opposed to ordering online.
2
0:20:08
Yeah.
1
0:20:08
You know what, we love the online business, don’t get me wrong, but we like the convenience, we like the immediacy, we like people to be able to go into a store and pick up a log roll along with a cup of coffee or some of our pecan snacks. And you know, that’s how we’re gonna bring brand back just to be in more stores.
2
0:20:24
Yeah, I love the grassroots approach. And if you’re just tuning in to the Debbie Nigro Show, I’m talking to Stephanie Stuckey who is the third generation CEO of a family iconic business that got started on the road trips that people were taking with a road trip snack and now is being revived. I’m on your website just to let everybody else know what else you carry and I’m looking and my mouth is watering. The pecan shortbread cookies, you can send gifts to people, oh my gosh, pecan
2
0:20:53
gophers, pecan log rolls, and let’s see, oh you even have just fresh pecans, maple pecan multi-pack, honey roasted pecan, this is delicious stuff you’re selling, I can’t wait to get my hands on some to tell you the truth, I think you need to send me a little pecans.
1
0:21:09
You know what our number one seller is on the website? What? It’s the chocolate coated pecans, and they are absolutely delicious.
2
0:21:16
Who wouldn’t want that?
4
0:21:17
Right?
3
0:21:18
My gosh!
1
0:21:19
And my book is for sale on the website at the same price that you can get it on Amazon and if you buy it on the Stuckey’s website, it’s autographed.
2
0:21:28
Oh, that’s very cool. Stephanie Stuckey, I’m so glad we had this moment together. Like I said, I’m just a huge fan, been watching you road trip around the country, reviving the family brand, rooting for you, love your, I love your energy and I love your vision and I always root for the underdog to come back so I see a huge fabulous future for you of road tripping and great success. Thank you so much for your time. Thank you Debbie, let’s take a road trip together that would be so much fun. I’ll bring the snacks. Okay, I’ll bring the Yeah, pecan and meatballs! I would actually eat that. That sounds yummy. That’s the best part of road trip. You try stuff you normally wouldn’t try.
2
0:21:57
Yeah, pecan and meatballs! I would actually eat that. That sounds yummy. That’s the best part of road trip. You try stuff you normally wouldn’t try. You Georgia girls would like some Italian meatballs, I’m telling you. Alright, be safe. I’ll see you next time. Ciao!
Transcribed with Cockatoo
