Headquartered in Lubbock: Bahama Buck’s

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“How lucky are we that we are putting on one of the biggest parties every day and we are the hosts,” said Blake Buchanan, owner of Bahama Buck’s, an international tropical shaved ice company on a mission to bless guests with a refreshing tropical experience that creates a mini vacation in every cup.

Sitting down at the headquarter office with Blake and his partner Eric Lee was like catching up with old friends. It’s easy to understand where the ethos behind this shaved-ice empire originates after speaking with the visionaries behind the counter. Renowned for its strong company culture that spans across 113 locations, with nearly 100 in the works, they both agree a successful business starts with the employees. Its core values of being flavorful, friendly, and fun, Blake and Eric emphasize a servant-leadership style at Bahama Buck’s.

“When you build a culture around serving others, it’s contagious,” Blake said. “We’re identifying people that really want to serve others and in the hospitality world that is a big plus.”

This is no small feat. In fact, according to Blake and Eric, it takes consistent communication, investing in its employees and fostering a welcoming environment where team members have opportunities for growth. This manifests as Bahama Bucks University (BBU), a training program for managers and staff from across the country to come to Lubbock each quarter for comprehensive training sessions and tame-building activities. The program is designed to ensure consistency and excellence across all Bahama Bucks’ locations. Participants receive hands-on experience and classroom training, covering everything from operational procedures to customer service. Upon receiving a “bachelor’s degree” from BBU, the company also offers advanced training for managers, internally named a master’s degree in Snow cone-ology, providing a clear pathway for career advancement within the company.

Eric attributes the continued success of their company to the opportunities offered to their employees across the country. “That’s how we’ve been able to keep the vibe and the culture alive. Everyone knows the mission, the vision and where we are headed. It creates great alignment. We can get some big wins off of that,” he said.

Not only does the team at Bahama Buck’s foster an environment for its members to flourish, but it also recruits hardworking, skilled and top-quality people from the available workforce in Lubbock. Partnerships with Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University have afforded the pair many applicants that go on to have successful careers within the company.

“That’s the beauty of being here in Lubbock and housing our headquarters here,” Blake said. “Lubbock has a strong hiring market and economy. We’ve never had a hard time filling positions.”

Eric added that people around the nation at other shops are super interested in headquartered jobs here for a plethora of reasons, starting with the heightened sense of community found in the Hub City.

“This is where we wanted to raise our families and have our business headquartered. And, you know, we had a lot of community support. We’ve just been really blessed to be in Lubbock. You don’t find that everywhere,” he said.

After graduating from Texas Tech University in the early 90s, Blake and his wife, Kippi moved to Phoenix, Arizona. In 1993, he called Eric and pitched opening their second location and establishing a headquarters for their growing business there. He laughs saying they should have been millionaires serving shaved ice in the desert. “We were two country boys in the big city, and we cut our teeth out there,” he said. “We learned a lot of good lessons.” One being they were starting over in a new market, which presented many challenges. After 10 years of grit and hard work, Blake, Kippi and Eric decided to bring the headquarters back to their roots here in Lubbock and begin to franchise.

“Lubbock is a great town,” Blake said. “It is very entrepreneur-friendly. It is very, very business-friendly. So, we absolutely love doing business in Lubbock. This is our home. Once we got back to Lubbock, man, it was game on.”

Over two decades later, Bahama Buck’s has grown to an international level with no plans of slowing down or leaving the city. Rooted in providing a tropical party experience to all, Bahama Buck’s began with a desire to bless customers and partners with more than just a product. This approach has fostered a contagious culture of hospitality that resonates with both employees and customers. Their vision transformed into a passion for service, guiding their franchising efforts and product development.

If you have a dream, that is the start of why you are doing what you are doing,” Eric said. “That why is going to become very important as you face challenges and don’t give up.”

Blake, effortless riffing off his business partner of over 30 years, added, “When you find your passion, you can put it together with your why, your purpose.”

This ideology served as a compass during low-tide years that brought forth financial challenges. When asked what advice they would give to young entrepreneurs, Blake started by saying seriously to run out of money.

“This is where innovation happens because we didn’t have the resources and were heavily restricted. When your box gets small, it drives that entrepreneurial, problem-solving creative thinking.”

Their philosophy to pursue dreams passionately and adapt creatively when faced with challenges led them to create their own syrups. Blake shares the story of one of their first challenges after being open one year when their syrup supplier informed them that their demand was too high, and she could no longer supply them. This setback forced Blake and Eric to innovate. Going back to the drawing board, or in this case their kitchen table, and leveraging resources and support from Texas Tech University along with their network of friends, Eric, or the Willy Wonka of syrup as Blake calls him, began experimenting with extracts, oils and food colorings. Through this process of trial and error, they developed their own unique flavors, which eventually became one of their biggest competitive advantages. The homemade flavors, developed with passion and creativity, are now considered superior to any others in the market.

“We looked up a couple of decades later, like, oh my gosh. This is our secret sauce,” Blake said.

Described as a beautiful mistake, this unique challenge forced them to find an answer. Today, Bahama Buck’s creates over 100 trademarked syrups with what they count as nine billion flavor combinations, some of which include partnerships with major brands like Red Bull and Coke, that are exclusive to their business.

“Don’t be afraid of making mistakes,” Eric said. “You can pivot and turn the mistake into a beautiful new way of doing business. Have a desire, a dream of doing something – then go after it.”

The energy surrounding their passion for what they do was palpable. Recounting years’ worth of stories highlighting their business successes and setbacks provided a look behind the curtain, which showcased strong business relationships, open-minded collaboration and a warehouse that might still smell like pickles (Taste the pickle syrup and you will understand…)!

Bahama Buck’s decision to headquarter its operations in Lubbock, Texas, is a testament to the city’s supportive business environment and the company’s deep connection to the area. With the help of a strong community, a thriving workforce pool, and their rich culture, Bahama Buck’s continues to grow, bringing a taste of tropical paradise to more people each day.

Bahama Buck’s success story serves as a beacon for local entrepreneurs in Lubbock and nationwide CEOs alike, demonstrating that with grit and passion, a homegrown business can achieve international success in Lubbock, Texas. For more reasons why you should set up your headquarters in Lubbock, visit lubbockeda.org.