Stephanie Stuckey hit rock bottom while sitting in her car in the parking lot of a Stuckey’s in Arkansas.

She was coming off a divorce and she’d just spent her life savings to buy Stuckey’s, a once-proud business that her grandfather had founded in the 1930s, growing it from a humble pecan-selling stand to a thriving roadside convenience chain with stores in 40 states. But after years of mismanagement under different ownership, Stuckey’s was, as Stephanie sat there in her vehicle, on the brink of ruin, reduced to a few sputtering locations.

Stephanie Stuckey shared that success starts with embracing change and challenges, and then evolving.

Nothing symbolized the situation more than the state of that particular Stuckey’s, with the gaping hole in its roof and the appearance of a store that had already shuttered. Stephanie began to cry – big mascara-running tears.

It was her worst moment – and her best. Because from there, the former trial attorney and Georgia state representative, who was venturing into entrepreneurship for the first time, was determined to embrace the challenge of resurrecting Stuckey’s and making it a profitable brand again. And over the ensuing five years, that’s exactly what she did.

“Sometimes it takes hitting rock bottom to find that solid foundation upon which you can rebuild,” Stephanie said.

Creating Connections

Stephanie’s keynote kicked off Day Two of exhibits at the ASI Show Orlando 2025. Her story resonated deeply with the room full of promotional products pros, many of them operating or working for family-owned businesses striving to prosper in a highly competitive marketplace.

From the ashes of the old Stuckey’s, Stephanie and her dedicated team have built something new, transforming the business model from a convenience chain to a brand that manufactures and sells products that folks once loved to buy at Stuckey’s in its heyday, including candy and the brand’s famous pecan log roll. Since Stephanie bought the company in 2019, revenue has increased 400% to $10 million and the firm is profitable again.

Promotional products have been key to the evolution, as they help Stuckey’s tell its brand story, creating a tangible connection with people.

“Stories are more memorable than facts,” Stephanie stated. “The most powerful way to connect with other people is through storytelling and branding. And that’s what this industry does, you sell stories that build connections.”

“Every one of us experiences challenges. It’s how you respond to them that matters.” Stephanie Stuckey, Stuckey’s

Embrace Challenges & Evolve

Stephanie shared that the reason she bought Stuckey’s, despite its near destitute state, is that her grandfather was her hero. She didn’t want his final legacy to be what the business had become.

Interestingly, it was her grandfather who set an example that Stephanie would act on to transform the business back to viability. Throughout his time successfully running Stuckey’s, W.S. Stuckey faced countless setbacks. However, rather than cling to the past and hope for the best, he took them head on, looking for ways to evolve to grow the business.

Stephanie found the same courage that day in Arkansas. And it was in that – the staring reality in the face and vowing to do what needed to be done to overcome the challenges – that Stuckey’s return from the near-dead commenced.

Stephanie encouraged promo pros to do the same – to meet daunting challenges and even exciting but anxiety-inducing opportunities with positivity and determination. That’s where the seeds of success are sown.

“Every one of us experiences challenges,” Stephanie said. “It’s how you respond to them that matters.”

Stephanie Stuckey, chair of Stuckey’s, talks with ASI Media’s Christopher Ruvo about how embracing change/challenges, creativity and purpose are the keys to success in business – and life.

Creativity Is the Blueprint for Transformation

Responding in the right way centers, in part, on getting creative.

What makes you and your business truly special? What can you offer that others don’t? And what are the main needs and desires of your customers that you’re uniquely positioned to fulfill?

Give thoughtful consideration to questions like that and come up with good answers. Then use the information as a basis for putting your creativity to work, developing your brand story and bringing it to life through everything from the service and solutions you provide to how you market.

“Create an experience for your customers,” said Stephanie. That’s what she did with Stuckey’s. “We don’t just want to sell pecan log rolls; we want to tell a story. We want our customers to connect with us emotionally.”

Operate With a Sense of Purpose

“Every traveler is a friend.”

W.S. Stuckey didn’t just say that phrase during his time of building Stuckey’s into a great success. He lived it, ensuring that a sense of kind welcome pervaded his stores. The ethos was most poignantly embodied by the fact that Stuckey’s was never segregated, even during the days when segregation was an institution in parts of the United States.

“Stuckey’s has always been a welcoming oasis,” said Stephanie. “People knew they would be seen and respected.”

W.S. Stuckey, founder of Stuckey’s and Stephanie’s grandfather.

The way Stephanie views things, the fact that her grandfather tied his brand to his personal purpose of kindness, goodness, warmth and respect is the fundamental reason that Stuckey’s survived the decades of mismanagement under different ownership. It’s also an important reason many folks who grew up with Stuckey’s have been keen to re-embrace the brand in its new incarnation – a sense of nostalgia over a time and place that was inviting and happy and imbued with hospitality for all.

“It’s the real reason Stuckey’s is still around,” Stephanie said.

She encouraged promo pros to take a similar approach: Build your business on purpose and then be true to it. You never know the positive ripple effects that will have.

Stephanie shared how when facing a tough re-election campaign, a Georgia state rep, a prominent African-American preacher in her district, endorsed her – a major win for the candidate in what was a majority African-American district. He did so because of the man her grandfather had been – one whose doors were always open to everyone. A man who thought of every traveler, regardless of color, as a friend.

“What matters is how we treat people,” Stephanie said. “If you get your purpose right, success will follow.”