Celebrity

When people hear the name Don Wasek, they may not immediately recognize it. Mention Buc-ee’s, though, and the picture changes. The smiling beaver, enormous travel centers, endless rows of snacks, brisket sandwiches, fuel pumps and famously clean restrooms have become part of the American road-trip experience. Behind that brand is a businessman who has spent decades away from the celebrity spotlight. Don Wasek is a co-owner and longtime business figure behind Buc-ee’s, the Texas-born convenience and travel-center company that grew from a small roadside operation into a nationally recognized retail phenomenon. Wasek has generally maintained a much lower public profile than his business partner, Arch “Beaver” Aplin III, making basic questions about his life surprisingly difficult to ans...