Ethel Stephanie Stuckey (born December 25, 1965) is an American businesswoman and former politician from Georgia. She is currently the CEO of Stuckey's Corporation.[1] Stuckey served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1999 to 2013.[2][3]
Stephanie Stuckey | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Georgia House of Representatives from the 85th district | |
| In office January 10, 2005 – January 14, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | John P. Yates John Lunsford |
| Succeeded by | Karla Drenner |
| Member of the Georgia House of Representatives from the 56th, Post 1 district | |
| In office January 13, 2003 – January 10, 2005 | |
| Preceded by | Nan Orrock |
| Succeeded by | Kathy Ashe |
| Member of the Georgia House of Representatives from the 67th district | |
| In office January 11, 1999 – January 13, 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Polak |
| Succeeded by | Mike Coan James Mills |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 25, 1965 Eastman, Georgia, US |
| Alma mater | University of Georgia (BA, JD) |
| Occupation | CEO of Stuckey's |
Early life and education edit
The daughter of former Georgia Congressman Williamson Sylvester Stuckey, Jr., spent her early life in Washington, D.C. Stuckey attended the University of Georgia and earned a B.A. in French in 1989.[4] In 1992 Stuckey earned a J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law.[5]
Career edit
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.[6]
After 14 years in the Georgia House of Representatives, Stuckey announced in 2012 that she would not seek re-election, instead taking a position as Executive Director of GreenLaw, an environmentally focused law resource center in Atlanta, Georgia.[2]
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.[7][8]
In late 2019, Stuckey purchased Stuckey's Corporation - the iconic roadside stop famous for its pecan candies and kitschy souvenirs that her grandfather founded in 1937 - for $500,000 and became the third-generation CEO of the family business.[9] 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 original teal roofs in addition to around 65 licensed Stuckey's Express store-within-a-store locations.[10]
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 January 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.
In addition to a modest store growth and candy manufacturing and sales, Stuckey shared how promoting pecans and supporting the vision of the "great American road trip"[11] are also a vital part of Stuckey's Corporation growth. As a result, Stuckey hopes to eventually own a handful of Stuckey’s interstate stores to revive the original premise behind the company as a “roadside oasis” while continuing to build up the pecan side of the business to secure its future for another 85 years.[12]
References edit
- ^ "Column: Stephanie Stuckey becomes CEO of her family's famous roadside chain - SaportaReport". 2020-09-12. Archived from the original on 2020-09-12. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
- ^ a b "Benfield Takes Job With Environmental Group, Won't Seek Re-Election | Decatur, GA Patch". 2020-09-12. Archived from the original on 2020-09-12. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
- ^ "Representative Stephanie Benfield". 2020-09-12. Archived from the original on 2020-09-12. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
- ^ "Alumni Spotlight: Stephanie Stuckey Benfield (J.D.'92) | www.law.uga.edu". 2020-09-12. Archived from the original on 2020-09-12. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
- ^ Communications and Public Relations, Office of (2013-08-01). "August 2013 E-newsletter Alumni Spotlight: Stephanie Stuckey Benfield, Executive Director for GreenLaw (J.D.'92)". Profiles of Members of the Law School Community.
- ^ "Rep. Stephanie Stuckey-Benfield" (PDF). www.house.ga.gov. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ^ "Stephanie Stuckey Benfield named new director of sustainability for the City of Atlanta". SaportaReport. 2015-04-16. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
- ^ "Stephanie Stuckey: Atlanta's Chief Resilience Officer to Speak at College of Environment and Design | News & Events | College of Environment + Design". 2020-09-12. Archived from the original on 2020-09-12. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
- ^ Gustafson, Deni (2022-04-26). "Ep: 63 Stephanie Stuckey on Buying Back the Family Business". THE LION GROUP. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
- ^ "Stuckey's, the once-beloved road trip staple, tries to stage a comeback". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
- ^ Retold, Retail. "Retail Retold - EP 045: Stuckey's Roadside Chain in Unadilla, GA with Stephanie Stuckey". Google Podcasts. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
- ^ Furchgott, Roy (2022-06-11). "The Pralines, Pecan Log Rolls and Nostalgia Fueling the Stuckey's Revival". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-06-12.