Arch Aplin III's net worth: Did Buc-ee's make him a billionaire?
Arch Aplin III's net worth in 2025 is estimated at over $400 million from the success of Buc-ee's. The iconic chain of convenience stores serves the driving public in Texas and other states across the United States.
Source: Twitter
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Arch Aplin III, nicknamed Beaver, built his first convenience store in Texas in 1982 and now co-owns over 50 Buc-ee's stores alongside his business partner Don Wasek.
- Buc-ee's worth has exceeded $500 million in 2025, as sales volume increases amid continued expansion beyond the Southern states.
- The Buc-ee's business motto, which has given them a competitive edge, is clean bathrooms, great customer service, and tasty food for travellers.
Arch Aplin III's profile summary
Full name | Arch 'Beaver' Aplin III |
Date of birth | 1958 |
Age | 66/67 years old (as of 2025) |
Place of birth | Lake Jackson, Texas, United States |
Wife | Joanie Aplin |
Children | Arch Hartwell Aplin IV, Anne-Elizabeth Brown, Katherine, Joshua, Lauren |
Parents | Arch Hartwell Aplin Jr., Mildred Hunt |
Siblings | Reginald Joseph Aplin, Wayne Aplin, MicheleAplin, Ollamae Aplin |
Education | Texas A&M University (Construction Science) |
Profession | Businessman, philanthropist |
Aplin III's Buc-ee's generates nine-figure annual revenues
The president and co-owner of Buc-ee's is estimated to have a net worth of over $400 million, according to various online sources, including an editorial of his alma mater, Texas A&M. Some sources label Beaver Aplin a billionaire, but he has yet to land on Forbes' billionaires list.
Buc-ee's earns more than an average convenience store in the United States. In 2016, Forbes estimated their annual revenue to be $275 million, with almost 60% of income coming from gas sales.
Their annual income, which relies on the volume of sales, is estimated to have reached between $500 million and $1 billion in 2025. Beaver and co-owner Don Wasek told Forbes that they use loans to finance the expansion and construction of their new stores. As a privately held company, Buc-ee's does not publish its financial reports.
Source: Original
Arch Aplin III built Buc-ee's from scratch
Beaver Aplin graduated from Texas A&M in 1980 with a degree in construction science and a plan to follow in his dad's footsteps. He briefly worked at Arch Aplin Jr.'s construction company.
Beaver started his entrepreneurial journey in 1982 at the age of 23 with the establishment of his first 3,000-square-foot convenience store in Lake Jackson, Texas. He opened the second store in 1985 alongside his business partner Don Wasek, who now owns 50% of the business.
As of 2025, Buc-ee's is a chain of over 50 convenience stores, most of which are in Texas. He has expanded into other states, including Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, Virginia, and Georgia.
He is building a store in Louisiana, where he learnt the tricks of the trade from his granddad Arch Aplin Sr., who operated a general store. Arch III handles Buc-ee's business construction, marketing, and expansion, while Don oversees operations.
Beaver's achievements landed him an induction into the Texas Business Hall of Fame in 2023. He is also the 2022 recipient of the McLane Leadership Business Award and previously received the M.B. Zale Visionary Merchant Award from the Texas A&M Centre for Retailing Innovation.
Source: Twitter
How Beaver Aplin's Buc-ee's became popular
Buc-ee's gigantic stores sell everything from their legendary Beaver Nuggets and fresh BBQ brisket sandwiches to gas, branded apparel, and home decor. They do not allow 18-wheelers at their gas pumps, offer no discounts, and maintain spotless toilets, which are a main attraction at their travel centres.
The stores are family and customer-focused with the long-term motto "Clean, Friendly, and In Stock." As he said in his 2025 interview with Texas A&M:
Building a brand is as much about your customer as anything. It's providing an exceptional experience that your customers can count on time and time again, and just doing it time and time again. It's not easy, but there's no secret formula to it.
Buc-ee's is also not planning to franchise or go public to avoid prioritising profits and to retain the quality of their services and products. They reveal on their website that independence allows them to "focus on the customers instead of the bottom line."
Source: Getty Images
Arch Aplin III has five children
The Buc-ee's owner and his wife, Joanie Aplin, have three daughters and two sons, including Anne-Elizabeth Brown, Katherine, Lauren, Arch Hartwell 'Hart' Aplin IV, and Joshua. Hart is an alumnus of Texas A&M University from the class of 2020, while Katherine Aplin is a children's book author.
In mid-2025, Katherine released the book, Buc-ee Goes to School, based on Buc-ee's beaver mascot. Beaver Aplin and his family still live in his hometown of Lake Jackson, Texas.
Source: Twitter
Arch Aplin III is involved in the community
The Buc-ee's founder is an active philanthropist, especially in Texas. In early August 2025, he donated $1 million to the Community Foundation of Texas Hill Country to help those affected by the deadly Kerrville floods that killed over 130 people.
The multi-millionaire is devoted to wildlife preservation and has served as the chairman of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission. He won the 2023 Friend of Wildlife Award. Arch is a lifelong member of the Coastal Conservation Association.
Aplin is one of the biggest supporters of his alma mater, Texas A&M University. He is a board member of the school's Association of Former Students. In 2022, Arch donated $50 million to the construction of the Aplin Centre, a laboratory for experimental learning in hospitality, food & nutrition, and retail.
Source: Twitter
Conclusion
Arch 'Beaver' Aplin III's net worth is well earned from his impressive achievements in the retail business for the past 43 years. Buc-ee's continues to live up to its standards as an iconic Texas brand.
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