See you there! This annual event is Wednesday, Oct. 18, 5:30 pm at Parker's on Ponce, 116 E Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur 30030.

 

 

Decatur Mayor Patti Garrett introduced CEO Stuckey to Rotary.
 
In small towns across the south, the iconic Stuckey's roadside shop was a long-time symbol of nostalgia. For years, its distinctive pecan log rolls and kitschy souvenirs drew travelers from across the country. However, over time, the Stuckey's charm faded, and the stores fell into disrepair.

 

 

 

With the gift of her father’s papers which she read in detail each evening, Stephanie found key secrets to her father’s success which became her roadmap to reinvigorate the brand:

 

1. Adapt: During the Great Depression, Stuckey’s became the first roadside retail chain providing iced water, bathrooms and a place to stop and rest. When the WWII came, sugar was rationed so they had to adapt and began making candy for the troops.

 

2. Be Resilient and Bounce Back Stronger: Road trips were huge after the war, but then the interstate highway system emerged. There were no conveniences on the interstate system, so Stuckey’s moved to the super highways.

 

3. Have a Purpose – Every Traveler is a Friend. Show Respect. The most important lesson! Grandfather treated everyone with respect even during the Jim Crow era. 

 

Stuckey worked as legislative aide and attorney to Georgia Senator Mary Margaret Oliver while building her own practice. In 1998, Stuckey ran her first successful political campaign representing DeKalb County in Georgia's House of Representatives until 2013.

In 2015, Stuckey was appointed by Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed to be Director of Sustainability for the City of Atlanta and then to the position of Chief Resilience Officer.

 

In late 2019, Stuckey purchased Stuckey's Corporation, founded by her grandfather in 1937, for $500,000, and became the third-generation CEO of the family business. She stated that the motivating factors for purchasing the company were an emotional attachment to the family brand along with the desire to make Stuckey's both profitable and a household name again. At the time she purchased Stuckey's, the company was operating at a deficit and had only 13 original free-standing stores in 10 states that still sported the signature sloped teal roofs in addition to around 65 licensed Stuckey's Express store-within-a-store locations.

Within six months, Stuckey restored Stuckey's to profitability, thanks in part to a shift in focus from licensed Stuckey's store locations to the company's classic line of candies. She also expanded the brand back into candy manufacturing with the purchase of a pecan shelling and candy plant in Wrens, Georgia in 2021. Candy and nut sales have increased to almost 50% of the company’s revenue stream as the brand expands to more national retail locations.
 

 

 

 

 

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