Sapp Bros. Truck Stops Inc., which opened its first truckstop in Omaha, Neb., in 1971 is celebrating 35 years in business during its annual Customer Appreciation Days in August.
Each Sapp Bros. location offers a “Coffee Break Reader,” that informs visitors of special events and special sales.
The company is celebrating with a limited “35th Anniversary” coffee cup shaped like the corporate icon water tower in Omaha. The cup is available to drivers who purchase 2,000 gallons of diesel fuel. In addition, each of the 15 Sapp Bros. locations will be giving away a 32-inch color TV in drawings to be held in September.
The Omaha truckstop opened in 1971 followed by Council Bluffs, Iowa, in 1978. Following that opening were Fremont, Neb., in 1982 (rebuilt in 1996); Cheyenne, Wyo., in 1983; Odessa, Neb., in 1984; Denver, Colo., in 1986; Peru, Ill., and Columbus, Neb., in 1987 (rebuilt in 2005); York, Neb., Ogallala, Neb., and Sidney, Neb., in 1989; Clearfield, Pa., in 1996; Junction City, Kan., in 1999 and Nebraska City, Neb., in 2001.
The four Sapp brothers – Bill, Dean, Ray and Lee – along with three sisters, were raised during hard times in the 1930’s in southeast Nebraska. Their father, Hurless, went broke in the cattle business and then worked government projects. The family moved nearly once a year from one small, rented farm home to another because their mother Emily believed that the farm life was better for raising kids.
“Sapp Bros.” became a business name for the first time in 1960 when the four boys pooled their funds to buy the Ashland, Neb., Ford dealership. Lee had his own business called Snow Crop, which was a frozen food distributorship. He was joined by Dean in 1954.
Ray and Bill were making a living selling insurance in Lincoln at that time. Between what they had and what they borrowed, the four brothers invested $25,000.
The brothers bought 54 acres at the northwest corner of I-80 and Hwy 50 in 1966 but didn’t build on it until 1971. They have sold some of the property to fast food restaurants, a motel and a convenience store.
The familiar coffeepot sign is an old water tower taken from the South Omaha Armour plant. The brothers found out that they could save a great deal of money on property insurance if they could pump 500 gallon of water a minute for an hour. The 100,000-gallon tower made that possible.
Bill Sapp had the idea to make it look like a coffee pot. Now all of the other truckstop locations have a sign resembling the original coffeepot.
