Here's what Springfield community leaders said at the Buc-ee's ribbon cutting on Monday
A 10-foot tall inflatable beaver, bearing a toothy smile, towered behind Arch "Beaver" Aplin III during the official ribbon-cutting ceremony for Springfield's new Buc-ee's on Monday morning.
Taking place on the west side of the 53,000-square-foot travel center — hours after the first frenzied customers stepped inside — the formal ceremony featured remarks from Springfield Mayor Ken McClure, Councilman Abe McGull, City Manager Jason Gage, Greene County Presiding Commissioner Bob Dixon, Springfield-Area Chamber of Commerce President Matt Morrow's and of course, Buc-ee's founder and CEO Aplin, more commonly known as "Beaver."
"I hope you like what you see today. I hope you're proud of what we brought to Missouri," Aplin said to a crowd during the ceremony. "I've (met) many people today who've traveled a long ways just to come here. Some, it's their first time seeing a Buc-ee's. Some, they're on the path of the goal to make every one of them. That doesn't go unnoticed."
Based in Texas, Buc-ee's is a quickly-growing travel center chain, featuring large convenient stores, 100-plus fuel pumps (120 to be exact in Springfield), branded merchandise, the "world's cleanest restrooms" and a wide array of different food, like brisket sandwiches, house-made fudge and kolaches.
Aplin told the News-Leader that he chose Springfield as Missouri's first city for a Buc-ee's because of its convenient location on Interstate 44 and widespread hiring base.
"We just felt like this was an ideal spot because of the size of the community, the quality of the opportunity of the people here to have to work here," he said.
More: Despite below-freezing temps, Buc-ee's fans gather at travel center for grand opening
In anticipation for the grand opening, Buc-ee's hired about 230 employees. Councilman McGull commented on the starting pay rates offered at the travel center, which range from $18 to $23.
"We take great pride in the opportunity to come to a community and offer a real, livable wage," Aplin said. "You can have a career here; it's not just your first job."
During his remarks at the ceremony, McClure said the Buc-ee's travel center is expected to bring in about $30 million in revenue annually.
Construction on the Springfield travel center began in August 2022. Following the center's grand opening, Springfield will begin the process of two rounds of reimbursement to the Texas-based company. Over a 20-year period Springfield will reimburse Buc-ee's $9.2 million for public infrastructure improvements tied to the project.
Aplin established the first Buc-ee's gas station in Clute, Texas in 1982. Still there today, the location was initially only about 3,000-square-feet and featured two gas pumps, Aplin told the News-Leader. The first Buc-ee's travel center, larger in size with more offerings, was opened in 2003. Today, the company is preparing to open locations throughout the country, in states including Arizona, Wisconsin, Virginia and Colorado.
Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretacrossphoto. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Community leaders gather for Buc-ee's ribbon-cutting ceremony
