The collaboration marks the next step in the relationship between two deeply rooted Texas institutions, connecting retail, hospitality, entrepreneurship and the Aggie experience.
By Marty Toohey, Texas A&M University Division of Marketing and Communications
Texas A&M University and Buc-ee’s, the iconic chain of travel centers, are launching their first co-branded merchandise, beginning with a T-shirt available at select Buc-ee’s locations and at the Barnes & Noble bookstore on Texas A&M’s College Station campus.
Texas A&M University and Buc-ee’s are launching new co-branded merchandise that celebrates the connection between one of the nation’s most iconic travel center brands and the university where its founder first began building his entrepreneurial foundation.
The first item, a Texas A&M and Buc-ee’s T-shirt, will be available Aug. 4. It will be offered only at 20 Buc-ee’s locations around Texas and at the Barnes & Noble bookstore on Texas A&M’s College Station campus.
The launch builds on the deepening relationship between Texas A&M and Buc-ee’s founder Arch “Beaver” Aplin III ’80, whose connection to the university extends from his time as a student to his $60 million contribution to the Aplin Center, now under construction in the heart of campus.
“As an Aggie, it’s special to see Buc-ee’s and Texas A&M come together in a way that celebrates both brands,” Aplin said. “Buc-ee’s has always been about creating experiences people enjoy and remember, and Texas A&M has always felt like home. This is the next step in bringing those two things together.”
Earlier this year, Texas A&M became the first university to bring Buc-ee’s products to campus, offering more than 45 of the brand’s most popular items at on-campus locations. The new co-branded merchandise collection extends that relationship beyond campus and into select Buc-ee’s locations, giving Aggies and Buc-ee’s fans another way to celebrate the connection.
“Buc-ee’s was built by an Aggie who turned hospitality, retail and customer experience into something people go out of their way to be part of as they travel across Texas and our nation,” Texas A&M University President Susan Ballabina said. “Now we get to showcase how that story connects back to Texas A&M, to our students and to the kind of real-world learning environment we have the opportunity to build through the Aplin Center.”
Aplin opened the first Buc-ee’s in Lake Jackson in 1982. What began as a single convenience store has become one of the most distinctive retail and hospitality brands in the country, known for its customer experience, branded merchandise, food, clean restrooms and beaver mascot.
At Texas A&M, that entrepreneurial story is also becoming part of the student experience. The Aplin Center will bring together academic programs and industry partners to create a first-of-its-kind, hands-on learning environment for students studying hospitality, retail, food innovation, merchandising, marketing and customer experience. The co-branded merchandise launch offers an early glimpse of the kind of creative, real-world partnership the center is designed to inspire.
The co-branded apparel will be available at the Buc-ee’s locations in Bastrop, Baytown, Denton, Ennis, Fort Worth, Hillsboro, Katy, Lake Jackson, Luling, Madisonville, Melissa, New Braunfels, Pearland, Royse City, San Marcos, Temple, Terrell, Texas City, Waller and Wharton. Future product releases planned to coincide with Texas A&M’s 150th anniversary celebration and beyond and will be announced at a later date.