Meet Joseph Bickham of Fuel City

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joseph Bickham.

Joseph, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am a native Texan through and through. My family is all native Texans too, we love this State. I was born in Kessler Park area and shortly thereafter my family (Dad, Mom and my two older brothers and I) all moved to Lake Highlands where my mom had been raised. Some of the fondest memories and most formative times I recall from those early years were working with my dad in his home inspection business from about the time I could walk.

I learned how to climb on roofs to check for damage and crawl under houses to inspect the foundation, but most importantly I learned how to work, and how to make work an enjoyable part of life instead of drudgery. In high school the most amazing thing happened; I met my future wife, McCall Benda. We are now married, living in Lake Highlands with a 2-year-old son, Holt, and another boy on the way, baby Boone.

In high school, I quit working my other jobs, lifeguarding, and commercial moving, to start working for McCall’s dad, John Benda. John is a well-known Dallas entrepreneur and founder of Fuel City. At the time there was only the Dallas Fuel City on Riverfront and I-35E. Over the next few years and sometimes during college I was exposed to all different aspect of the business and began to fall in love with the energy, challenge, and excitement these Mega-Texas-TacoShop-Travel Centers. Many years later I joined John’s team full time and we have been having fun growing the business together.

Fuel City is now in Dallas, Mesquite, Haltom City and Saginaw. All within the DFW metroplex. Over the last few years, we have expanded our food concepts and strived to be innovative in our space. So far everything is going really well and we are blessed to be so well received as a Texas-Landmark destination.

Has it been a smooth road?
Ha, well… No road is ever smooth for long and if it is. Then you should probably make a turn somewhere and try a new route. Challenges are growth opportunities and I feel that I have had my fair share, and I am grateful for each one. My parents divorced when I was 13 and there were periods of time where I did not have good direction and leadership in my life. Many things started to turn around for me when I received a scholarship to a small private school here in Dallas.

The academics were rigorous and the professors were terrific, it was truly a turning point and gift for me. The structure helped order my otherwise unstructured life and the schools philosophy and approach to learning helped cultivate a deep respect for Learning and education. Today I reflect on this time as a pivotal season in my development–one that left me as a life-long-learner, always hungry for new challenges and increased knowledge.’

I 100% self-financed my college education at Baylor University where I studied business and philosophy. During school, I was privileged to participate in work-study programs, keep a full-time job at a local restaurant, hold numerous leadership positions in my service fraternity and founded a business called HandyBears that performed moving/handy-man repair services. It was a busy time, at one point I lived in my truck… bumpy roads.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Fuel City – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Fuel City is not my business, I am blessed to be a part of it and do everything I can to contribute as much as I can. I have worked my way up to become the President of the company, which means… I do whatever needs doing, which most of the time is an awful lot.

At Fuel City we like to consider ourselves to be more than a Travel Center; we are a destination. We have been coined a Texas Landmark by some and ‘Texas in a nutshell’ by others. From the beginning, John had the idea to create a place that was unlike any other, an exciting mixture of fantastic food, upbeat atmosphere and a place to get everything you need without it being a hassle. Most convenience stores are frequented because they are simply ‘that’: a convenient place to stop and get items that you need.

But at Fuel City, we take pride in our customer service, our products and try our darnedest to create an experience that transcends the mere convenience of the visit. Our taco program has been locally and nationally recognized for its quality and authenticity. We have a longhorn ranch with live native Texas animals (and some exotics too). We have a world-class car wash that provides an innovative flex service that is part detail/part express wash. We are 24/7/365 and at various times during the week have live music and events.

But for me, the most rewarding part of the business is that we provide a safe, fun and productive place to work for over 300 of our team members.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Dallas, TX is a melting pot of ideas and people. It is exciting to the all the growth and development of people with Dreams. The same reason I love this city is the same reason it gets to me sometimes, the number of people and thus… the traffic. Traffic is becoming a way of life and as my wife says, “I am not IN traffic, I AM traffic.” But all in all, it is good that so many people want to live in DFW so the traffic is just a consequence. The continued road and highway improvements help, I am glad as a city we continue to invest in infrastructure to support continued growth.

Pricing:

• Fuel City Tacos are just $1.62
• You can get a famous Fuel City Car Wash for $5

Contact Info:

• Address: 801 S Riverfront Blvd Dallas, TX 75207
• Website: www.FuelCity.com
• Phone: 214-426-0011
• Email: JBickham@FuelCity.com
• Instagram: Fuel City Tacos
• Facebook: Fuel City

Image Credit:
Fort Worth Star Telegram, Acosta Photography

Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.