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**Texas A&M Launching $250M Retail and Hospitality Learning Hub: The Aplin Center**
Texas A&M University is set to begin construction on a groundbreaking $250 million learning facility, made possible in part by a generous $50 million donation from Buc-ee’s CEO, Arch “Beaver” Aplin. Named the Aplin Center, the three-story, 211,724-square-foot building will serve as a hub for education and innovation in the fields of hospitality, retail, and food and nutrition sciences. It will also feature a state-of-the-art welcome center for visitors to the campus.
Designed by architecture firms DLR Group and Pickard Chilton, with Manhattan Construction serving as the general contractor, the Aplin Center is scheduled to break ground in October and is targeted for completion in 2028.
The facility will house modern teaching labs and real-world venues dedicated to hands-on learning in viticulture and enology, fermentation, coffee roasting, product development, sensory evaluation, meat and food science, and hospitality operations.
In addition to academic and research spaces, the Aplin Center will include a new, full-service Visitor Center complete with a 170-seat theater, a 70-seat multipurpose room, support spaces for campus ambassadors, staff offices, a restaurant and café, and a VR 360 sensory classroom.
The Aplin Center represents a major step forward for Texas A&M’s educational and community outreach missions, enhancing its presence in hospitality and retail innovation.
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