The City of Leeds held a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday to celebrate the opening of Texas based mega-travel center Buc-ee’s. This will be its second store in the State of Alabama in the City of Leeds.

Leeds Mayor David Miller characterized the selection of Leeds as the next Buc-ee’s site as a game changing win for the City.

“We have worked toward this end for the past several years and being able to finally say “It’s here” is most gratifying,” says Miller.

Buc-ee’s is the premier travel center chain in the country and by far the most sought after by municipalities. Buc-ee’s has 38 locations, primarily in their home state of Texas. This will be the second location in Alabama, with the first being in Robertsdale on I-10.

“We chose this location because it is between two major metropolitan areas, it has good visibility, and a community we will be able to work with,” said Buc-ee’s owner Arch “Beaver” Aplin III, whose nickname “Beaver” is the logo for the company.

“We appreciate being brought into the Leeds community and family.”

Buc-ee’s will have more than 100 gas pumps, 54,000 sq. ft. retail store, over 200 employees and numerous restrooms. According to Aplin, they will begin hiring for the 200 full-time positions approximately three months prior to their opening, which is scheduled to be in Fall 2020.

Buc-ee’s boasts a unique selection of travel related and outdoor merchandise as well as a huge variety of food and snack items. They are especially not a truck stop and do not even allow big trucks on the property.

“Our philosophy is to run an incredible facility and exceed customer’s expectations,” Aplin said. “I think people traveling and people in the community will approve.”

Mayor Miller added, “in addition to all the superlatives about the store itself, we found that the Buc-ee’s ownership and staff were delightful, down-to-earth folks to work with as we forged our agreement. Adding Buc-ee’s to the list of premier sites such as Barber’s Motorsports, Bass Pro Shops, The Shops of Grand River and the soon to come Southern Museum of Flight at the I-20, 140 exit makes this a true Alabama and regional destination. We welcome Buc-ee’s to the stellar line-up of attractions around the City of Valor.”

Ground clearing for the location off of Exit 140 is scheduled to begin in fall 2019 and it will take approximately one year for construction to be complete.

“We strive to make [our store] a real experience,” Aplin said. “We are trying to capture travelers and the community and give them a ‘wow’ experience.”