POLITICS
Buc-ee's CEO Arch Aplin tells his side, but records don't back it up
Jane Park Mia Hilkowitz Kevin Grasha
Cincinnati Enquirer
Aug. 7, 2026Updated Aug. 8, 2026, 12:36 a.m. ET
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- Buc-ee's is suing a small Ohio store named Beaver's Mini Mart over trademark concerns.
- Buc-ee's CEO Arch Aplin told a TV station that and a local mayor that the mini-mart sought a federal trademark, but records show it actually was a state trade name filing.
- The owner of Beaver's Mini Mart says his store's sign has been up since 2019, before Buc-ee's came to the area.
The founder and CEO of Buc-ee's, in trying to explain why his Texas-based chain is suing a mini-mart near a newly opened Buc-ee's in Ohio, appears to have created more confusion than he intended.
In an interview with a Dayton TV station and in a call to the mayor of Huber Heights – where Buc-ee's opened its first Ohio store in April – Buc-ee's CEO Arch Aplin accused the mini-mart of trying to file a trademark for "Beavermart" and said that Buc-ee's was only trying to defend its trademark.
In an Aug. 7 Facebook post that has more than 6,000 comments, Huber Heights Mayor Jeff Gore said Aplin told him that the owner of Beaver's Mini Mart in Beavercreek filed to trademark "Beavermart" at the federal level months before Buc-ee's announced its Huber Heights location.
But the store's owner, Vik Boparai, did not file for a federal trademark. In October 2025, he filed standard documents with the state to use the trade name, "Beavers Mini Mart," records show.
Mini-mart owner says sign dates to 2019
In a statement, Boparai said he did that at the request of his bank, "so that our bank would continue to allow us to deposit credit card payments under our business name."
He said the business's current sign was installed in 2019, long before any mention of Buc-ee's opening a location in Huber Heights.
"It is that simple," he said. "We hope Buc-ee's will drop their lawsuit soon."
The Enquirer asked Gore if he had verified the trademark filing or if he had spoken to Boparai since posting on Facebook. The mayor declined through a spokeswoman to comment beyond what he said in his Facebook post.
Buc-ee's says it tried to contact mini-mart owner
An attorney for Buc-ee's, Jeff Nadalo, said in an email that the name of Boparai's business "conflicts with a federally registered trademark held by Buc-ee's."
Nadalo said Buc-ee's tried to contact Boparai by FedEx twice, in March and April, but didn't get a response. Buc-ee's then tried to deliver correspondence to Boparai, in person, at the Beavercreek store on June 11 but again didn't receive a response, he said.
The lawsuit was filed July 28. It prompted social media backlash, a rebellion from local businesses and condemnation from politicians, including Ohio's governor.
View Gallery - Beavercreek sees surge of people fighting Buc-ee's, see photos
Buc-ee's sues Beaver's Mini Mart
The Texas-based gas station chain is under fire for suing Beaver's Mini Mart, a small corner store that has existed in Beavercreek, Ohio, for more than two decades.
In the lawsuit, Buc-ee's said its customers may be confused by the mini-mart's logo, which features a smiling beaver standing tall next to the store's name in a red-letter font. Buc-ee's locations also feature a smiling, cartoon beaver on signs and merchandise.
Beaver's Mini Mart is about a 20-minute drive from the Huber Heights Buc-ee's.
'Trademarks exist for a reason'
According to Gore, Aplin said he had no issues with the mini-mart using the Beaver logo. He was more concerned about the possibility of Beavermarts emerging and violating Buc-ee's trademark and opening Beavermarts across the country, Gore said in his Facebook post.
Boparai said in the statement that Beaver's Mini Mart has four employees and is one of five stores operated by his family.
"We could never have anticipated this situation developing and could not have imagined the support from the entire community," he said.
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