Stephanie has gone from Miss Georgia Cherry Blossom to three decades of working as an attorney, state legislature and eventually Chief Resilience Officer of the City of Atlanta before taking over the Stuckey’s family business as CEO in November of 2019. She. She knew she had a fixer-upper on her hands. Since then, Stephanie has been learning from businesses that have managed to reinvent themselves after suffering a downfall and takes the time to share with us her experience and insights along her comeback journey.

Stuckey’s was founded Stpehanie’s grandfather as a roadside pecan stand in Eastman, GA, in the midst of the Great Depression. From these humble origins, he built a veritable roadside oasis of stores that were famous for pecan log rolls and kitschy souvenirs. At their peak, Stuckey’s included almost 370 stores nationwide, a candy plant, a billboard company, and a trucking operation. They reached the pinnacle when family vacations meant taking to the open road in a station wagon and stopping at fun attractions like South of the Border, Wig Wam Motels, and Stuckey’s.

Fast forward 35 years … Stuckey’s is still on America’s highways, albeit fewer stores (and many in need of some TLC). It’s back in family hands and on a comeback journey.