What My Grandfather Taught Me About Market Research, with Stephanie Stuckey, Stuckey’s Corp.
Stephanie Stuckey: [00:00:00] My grandfather really believed in people, and built the company based on trusted relationships, and he was less interested in whether somebody had an academic background that fit the business needs because, I think, he had to drop out of law school at the University of Georgia because it was during the depression, he couldn’t afford to finish. So he was largely self-taught with a lot of his business practices. And so, he looked for people who just had grit, and determination, and were hard workers. And so, he hired good people, he trained them up, and he believed in them, and he supported them.
Stephanie Stuckey: [00:00:42] A great example of his business method is how he ran his franchise operations. They were mostly husband and wife teams, they actually lived in the stores, they made a modest upfront investment, but my grandfather largely invested in the stores, and he told them, “If you’re not profitable, I’m not profitable, and I will buy the store back from you if you’re not profitable within a year.” So, he believed in them, and he empowered the store franchise owners to really be successful. And so, they had ownership shares in their stores.
Stephanie Stuckey: [00:01:19] The other thing he did was anyone who worked at Stuckey’s – so, he had a billboard company, he had a trucking company, he had a candy manufacturing plant at our peak – almost all of his employees had some ownership interest in the Stuckey’s stores. And so, that not only gave them ownership, but it made them work even harder because they were part of the brand. And so, that’s something I really value about my grandfather. And then, I will tell one anecdote that I love to repeat-
John Ray: [00:01:49] Please.
Stephanie Stuckey: [00:01:50] … about how he really just did shoe-leather learning. He was boots on the ground, he would go to his stores, he would observe how people shopped. He was an undercover boss well before that show ever came about. And he just observed and he learned by doing. And so, the story I like to tell is the way he figured out how far apart to space the stores, he would get in his pickup truck, and he would get a cup of coffee, he would drink it as he was driving. And when he needed to use the facilities and pull over, that’s how far apart he would space the stores. So, it’s that kind of just learn by doing and real practical stuff.
Stephanie Stuckey: [00:02:31] I was actually talking to some professionals and the roadside convenience store business, and they said, “Well, we’ve got all these metrics we use, and we figure out how long it takes between gas tanks, like you need to fill up every 300 miles based on having a full tank of gas.” And I said, “My grandfather’s method is so much better than that.” Anyone who’s ever traveled with kids knows you do not pull over when the gas tank is empty. You pull over when your kids need to use the restroom.
John Ray: [00:03:05] Yes, they’re in control.
Stephanie Stuckey: [00:03:06] So, I think that’s just common sense learning that I really take from my grandfather.
Stephanie Stuckey, CEO, Stuckey’s Corporation
Stephanie Stuckey is CEO of Stuckey’s, the roadside oasis famous for its pecan log rolls. The Company was founded by Stephanie’s grandfather, W.S. Stuckey, Sr. as a pecan stand in Eastman, Georgia in 1937 and grew into over 350 stores by the 1970’s. The company was sold in 1964 but is now back in family hands and poised for a comeback.
Billy Stuckey, son of the founder and former U.S. Congressman, reacquired Stuckey’s in 1985. Stephanie took over in November of 2019 and, under her leadership, Stuckey’s has purchased a healthy pecan snack company, undergone a rebranding, added three new franchised stores, expanded its B2B retail customer base, ramped up its online sales with a new website and will soon acquire a pecan processing and candy manufacturing plant.
Stephanie received both her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Georgia. She has worked as a trial lawyer, elected to seven terms as a state representative, run an environmental nonprofit law firm that settled the largest Clean Water Act case in Georgia history, served as Director of Sustainability and Resilience for the City of Atlanta, and taught as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Georgia School of Law.
Stephanie’s achievements include being named one of the 100 Most Influential Georgians by Georgia Trend Magazine and a graduate of Leadership Atlanta. She is active in her community and serves on many nonprofit boards, including the National Sierra Club Foundation, EarthShare of Georgia, and her local zoning review board.
Connect with Stephanie on LinkedIn and follow Stuckey’s on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Listen to the complete North Fulton Business Radio interview with Stephanie here.
The “One Minute Interview” series is produced by John Ray and in the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link.
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