There’s a mascot hanging around campus. He’s a sticker on the surface of computers. He’s a thermos sticking out of the pocket of a backpack. He’s worn on t-shirts and hats. His name starts with a B, and his open-mouthed smile brings joy to Creighton students wherever he goes.
His name is Buc-ee the Beaver, and he’s officially coming to Gretna, Neb.
Founded in 1982 in Texas, the Buc-ee’s chain of gas stations has since grown to include 11 other states besides the Lone Star State itself. And now, the Buc-ee’s corporation is looking to turn that number up to 12.
“Buc-ee’s is so much more than a gas station,” according to Creighton student Evan Miller, a self-proclaimed “Buc-ee’s enthusiast.”
“It’s just like one of those big cultural kind[s] of staples. Like, if you’re going to go on a road trip somewhere, you’re going to stop at a Buc-ee’s,” he said.
Miller is from Dallas, Texas, and he and his dad have made a point to go to Buc-ee’s whenever they could, using the excuse of cheaper gas to sneak away from the rest of their family. Once they arrive at the store, Miller said that the first thing he heads towards is the barbeque section in the back.
“The last time I was at Buc-ee’s, I kind of ate like three of their barbecue sandwiches before even leaving the parking lot,” he said.
Buc-ee’s has more than just southern cuisine, however. Sweatshirts, water bottles and plushies of Buc-ee himself are woven between stacks of high-calorie trail mix and energy drinks that would otherwise make Buc-ee’s a regular truck stop. Miller said he’s gotten a few pairs of pajamas during his many trips to the “Disney World of gas stations.”
All of that is what Creighton students have to look forward to when the Buc-ee’s corporation officially opens its most northern location – in Gretna, Neb. – although right now, that opening is pretty far down the line.
Gretna Mayor Mike Evans was the first one to break the news that Buc-ee’s was coming to his city. Over email, he elaborated more on how much progress has been made in that regard. Right now, they have the land they want to build under contract and are currently confirming that everything is ready to begin. Mayor Evans said that the process is going very well.
“We expect they will likely have all the information they need and close on the property this spring or early summer,” he wrote.
From there, they can begin construction on the whole project, which Evans estimated that they will complete in the next 18 months after they close.
According to Evans, this isn’t the first time that Buc-ee’s and Nebraska had been in conversation.
“A couple developers had reach[ed] out to Buc-ee’s about locating in Nebraska as early as 2023. Those talks were ultimately not productive, and Buc-ee’s moved on to opening stores in other states.”
Those other states include Ohio, where Bucc-ee’s is opening a location in Huber Heights in April of this year.
Part of the reason why previous talks fell through was that Buc-ee’s wasn’t prioritizing Nebraska, or even “had any intention to locate in our state anytime soon,” wrote Evans. But that all changed in 2024 when legislation was passed to allow for the designation of a Good Life District in Gretna.
Good Life Districts are simple. They’re designated zones across the state where the cities that they encompass can keep 50% of the sales tax revenue to reinvest in local infrastructure.
Their explicit goal, according to the city of Gretna website, is to promote “unique Nebraska projects that will attract new industries and employment opportunities and further grow and strengthen Nebraska’s retail, entertainment and tourism industries.”
Besides Buc-ee’s, the Good Life District in Gretna has attracted other large tourism-oriented projects, including Woodsonia Real Estates’ plan for a 125-million-dollar outdoor amphitheater.
Once the Good Life District legislation was explained to the Buc-ee’s corporation, they became interested, according to Evans.
“Even more than the incentives, Buc-ee’s [was] very impressed with the metropolitan Omaha area and the potential this location offered them … [even though] a lot of people have an inaccurate idea of what Omaha and Nebraska have to offer,” wrote Evans.