Roofer in North Charleston, SC

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Buc-ee’s, the popular gas station brand, filed a federal lawsuit against a North Charleston-based apparel company alleging trademark infringement of the Buc-ee’s beaver logo.

The Texas-based Buc-ee’s filed the suit against Born United.

Buc-ee’s operates a chain of travel centers and convenience stores across nine states, including South Carolina. A “significant and growing portion” of the company’s business involves making, distributing and selling clothing prominently featuring the Buc-ee’s trademarks, the lawsuit, filed last Tuesday, states.

Born United sells clothing and other merchandise bearing patriotic themes and slogans and operates under the slogan, “Bringing brands together that stand for freedom,” the suit alleges. Court documents state it offers its own private label products as well as merchandise from third-party brands like Grunt Style, Palmetto State Armory, Nine Line Apparel, and others.

Buc-ee’s’ lawsuit claims Born United has sold apparel, accessories and gear through its retail stores and website with a logo infringing on the Buc-ee’s trademark. Those items include a t-shirt, shorts and a patch.

The lawsuit alleges the sale of the infringing products continued even after Buc-ee’s sent a cease-and-desist letter, demonstrating what it calls “willful infringement and bad faith conduct.”

The lawsuit seeks a court order to stop Born United from selling any more of the merchandise as well as damages, profits from the sale of the items and attorney fees.

The suit says Buc-ee’s was first founded in 1982, with a handful of valid trademark registrations since 2007.

The products online at Born United’s website have since been taken down. However, as of Monday afternoon, there was a shirt with the beaver logo in the store window.

In a statement, Born United’s founder said the company is open to speaking with Buc-ee’s about the matter.

“We love and respect Buc-ee’s, and we are happy to discuss any concerns that they might have. Born United stands for God, Freedom, and Country. We are strong supporters of our veteran, military, and first responder community,” Founder & Owner of Born United Cameron Bechtold said.

There's no denying the popularity of barbecue in South Carolina, but it wasn't until the past few years that Charleston saw an explosion in restaurants serving smoked meats. Now there are plenty of establishments to quell cravings, whether that be for pulled pork, flame-kissed chicken, or fatty brisket.

New to the map: Easton Barbecue Co. Locations are listed geographically from north to south.

Read More

Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.

Jackrabbit Filly owners Shuai and Corrie Wang and chef de cuisine Brandon Olson opened King BBQ to bring Chinese barbecue with a Southern twist to the Lowcountry. Open for lunch and dinner, the restaurant serves chopped pork noodle bowls, ginger scallion kielbasa, five-spice duck, soy-braised collards, shrimp toast sliders, “trashy fancy cocktails,” and more.

Slow-cooked brisket and whole hog meet Puerto Rican flavors at Palmira Barbecue. Pitmaster Hector Garate has been popping up around the Lowcountry for several years, but now he has a permanent address in West Ashley.

Pitmaster John Lewis brought brisket perfection to Charleston by way of Austin, and it's been a hit since day one. Don't miss the fatty brisket, green chili corn pudding, or the super-moist turkey slices. Bring friends to help with the leftovers. If the line is long, grab a margarita from the bar first.

When James Beard Award-winning pitmaster Rodney Scott opened his whole hog barbecue restaurant in North Central, Charleston reached full pulled pork frenzy. Lines are out the door every day for the smokey delights that made Scott famous in Hemingway, South Carolina. The ribeye sandwich is often overlooked but should be tried at least once.

Home Team BBQ has multiple locations for maximum smoked meat consumption. The dry-rubbed wings with Alabama white sauce are addictive, as are the frozen boozy Gamechanger cocktails. The daily specials are always a hit, like juicy Lucy burgers or giant pastrami sandwiches.

Swig & Swine has a top-notch selection of bourbons, beer, and barbecue in all three of its locations. Most folks hit up this restaurant for the great variety of options available on the menu. Pulled pork, wings, and sausages are just a few of the smoked varieties offered.

Head out to Hollywood to try smoked meat masterpieces from Buxton Hall protégé Joel Easton. Open Thursday through Sunday, Easton puts out wood-smoked pulled pork, brisket, and ribs. For something a bit different, check out the specials, like cheesesteak eggrolls, pastrami, and meatball subs.

Jackrabbit Filly owners Shuai and Corrie Wang and chef de cuisine Brandon Olson opened King BBQ to bring Chinese barbecue with a Southern twist to the Lowcountry. Open for lunch and dinner, the restaurant serves chopped pork noodle bowls, ginger scallion kielbasa, five-spice duck, soy-braised collards, shrimp toast sliders, “trashy fancy cocktails,” and more.

Slow-cooked brisket and whole hog meet Puerto Rican flavors at Palmira Barbecue. Pitmaster Hector Garate has been popping up around the Lowcountry for several years, but now he has a permanent address in West Ashley.

Pitmaster John Lewis brought brisket perfection to Charleston by way of Austin, and it's been a hit since day one. Don't miss the fatty brisket, green chili corn pudding, or the super-moist turkey slices. Bring friends to help with the leftovers. If the line is long, grab a margarita from the bar first.

When James Beard Award-winning pitmaster Rodney Scott opened his whole hog barbecue restaurant in North Central, Charleston reached full pulled pork frenzy. Lines are out the door every day for the smokey delights that made Scott famous in Hemingway, South Carolina. The ribeye sandwich is often overlooked but should be tried at least once.

Home Team BBQ has multiple locations for maximum smoked meat consumption. The dry-rubbed wings with Alabama white sauce are addictive, as are the frozen boozy Gamechanger cocktails. The daily specials are always a hit, like juicy Lucy burgers or giant pastrami sandwiches.

Swig & Swine has a top-notch selection of bourbons, beer, and barbecue in all three of its locations. Most folks hit up this restaurant for the great variety of options available on the menu. Pulled pork, wings, and sausages are just a few of the smoked varieties offered.

Head out to Hollywood to try smoked meat masterpieces from Buxton Hall protégé Joel Easton. Open Thursday through Sunday, Easton puts out wood-smoked pulled pork, brisket, and ribs. For something a bit different, check out the specials, like cheesesteak eggrolls, pastrami, and meatball subs.

“When I was growing up in South Carolina, once a year we’d pack the family car up and head to my great grandparents’ home for some front porch pickin’, covered dishes, lots of love, and plenty of leftovers,” says fourth-generation Carolinian musician Marcus King. “This is where I learned about the joy music could bring and how it’s a powerful force that brings us all together.” With his childhood memory bank as direct inspiration, King, along with his Marcus King Band, is bringing a whole lot more family and friends together on a much larger porch this summer for the Marcus King Band Family Reunion. “I want to bring that same joy to all of you folks this year with the return of the annual Marcus King Band Family Reunion,” says King. “We’re thrilled to bring the reunion down to the coast of South Carolina!”

Using the festival’s location as inspiration, and staying true to any good family gathering, VIP tickets feature the ultimate immersive playground for those looking to sample some of the best barbecue in the South. Renowned pitmasters All Pro Smoke Show’s Andy Knudson, Will Andrews of Rolling Bones, Aaron Siegel & Taylor Garrigan of Home Team BBQ, and Matt Register of Southern Smoke will be live fire cooking all weekend long. Enjoy fresh samples straight off the fire: whole hog, beef ribs, chicken, fish, seafood, coal-roasted root vegetables, and more. Guests can pair their wide range of BBQ delicacies with cocktails from Firefly Distillery. VIP also includes access to the air-conditioned Firefly Club with viewing deck, private restrooms, and a VIP-only cash bar.

A variety of ticketing options are on sale now at LiveNation.com, with $1 from every ticket sold going towards the Curfew Fellowship Fund, Marcus King’s Charity, which provides and assists those struggling with sobriety, addiction, and also helps fund music education.

About Marcus King: Greenville, South Carolina-born, Nashville-based Marcus King started performing alongside his blues guitarist father when he was just eight years old. He made his solo debut with El Dorado (2020), produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. The album was met with widespread acclaim, with the Associated Press calling it “a definite high point of 2020.” It went on to earn King his landmark Grammy nomination for Best Americana Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.

NORTH CHARLESTON — Buc-ee's toothy beaver logo is at the center of a lawsuit against a Lowcountry clothing store.

The popular Texas-based convenience store chain — which has reputation for defending its brand — filed a federal lawsuit in Charleston against Born United, which has stores at Tanger Outlet in North Charleston and also in Summerville.

The complaint alleges copyright infringement and false advertising over the unauthorized sale of merchandise featuring a likeness of the trademarked toothsome Buc-ee's mascot. According to the lawsuit, which was filed May 27, Born United has continued to sell shorts, T-shirts and a patch featuring the beaver in a yellow circle and donned in camouflage after a cease and desist letter was previously sent to the owner.

Items were sold in stores, online and to third-party vendors, according to the complaint.

Born United’s owner did not respond to requests for comment.

On June 3, Born United's North Charleston store had a number of products still for sale with the beaver logo and the words “An American Tradition” and “Born United."

Buc-ee's said the merchandise has caused harm to the chain's “reputation for quality and brand loyalty.”

“Buc-ee's believes that (Born United) ... introduced the accused products into the stream of commerce to exploit Buc-ee's reputation in the market,” the lawsuit stated.

The chain also said the company's actions are “confusing the public” into believing the merchandise is authorized by the company.

Born United operates under the slogan “bringing brands together that stand for freedom,” and offers its own private label products as well as items from third-party brands, such as Grunt Style, Palmetto State Armory, Nine Line Apparel and others. In addition to the Charleston area locations, the Goose Creek-based company also has retail stores in Myrtle Beach as well as in Florida, Indiana, Tennessee and Virginia.

A large portion of its product offerings feature President Donald Trump. Others featured in some of its online clothing include Tucker Carlson, Andy Griffith, Bo and Luke Duke as well as similarities to characters such as Mickey Mouse, Pac-Man, Super Mario Bros., Winnie the Pooh, Tigger and Darth Vader.

According to the lawsuit, up to 10 additional third-party businesses could be added to he complaint for also selling the goods before and after the cease-and-desist letter was sent.

Buc-ee’s is asking for damages, including all proceeds made from the sale of the items as well as attorney’s fees. The company is also requesting that all remaining inventory with the camouflaged beaver be destroyed.

Founded in 1982, Buc-ee’s operates more than 50 super-sized travel centers and convenience store locations in nine states, including a travel center in Florence, which opened in 2022.

A second South Carolina store is planned for Hardeeville.

As the company's brand has gained popularity, the company has fiercely defended the exclusive use of its trademarked name and likeness.

According to the lawsuit, Buc-ee’s has with exclusive use in selling products with its beaver logo from clothing and mugs to dog collars, car antenna toppers and even packaged meats.

The Nickel, a 50-room French-inspired property built on the site of the former Dixie Furniture store at 529 King St., opened its doors to guests on June 2.

Nightly room rates start at $460.

The Upper King hotel plans to unveil its rooftop Rosemary Rose bar and lounge later this month

It's the second downtown hospitality development for Method Co., which opened The Pinch a few blocks to the south at King and George streets in 2022.

The latest project was developed in partnership with Capital Square. They paid $11 million for the shuttered furniture store in 2019.

The project was unveiled a few years ago as an $61 million extended-stay-style accommodations to be called the Roost Apartment Hotel. The Philadelphia-based developer later shifted gears and went with a more conventional suite-style hotel concept.

The Nickel takes its name from the French expression, “C’est Nickel” which translates to “It’s Perfect,” according to the hotel.

Raze and replace

The buyer of a North Charleston engine testing site that Cummins Inc. mothballed last year is looking to reboot the Leeds Park property.

Green Start Charleston LLC has filed a proposal with the S.C. Department of Environmental Services to raze the existing 40,000-square-foot industrial structure and replace it with a pre-engineered metal building of an equal size with warehouse and office space. It was described in engineering plans as a speculative project, suggesting it will likely seek a tenant or buyer once completed.

Diesel giant Cummins established its Technical Center-Charleston decades ago within the industrial park it once owned and occupied at 4500 Leeds Ave. It closed the 72-worker engine research-and-development site last summer under a restructuring.

Green Start bought the former 6.4-acre property from Cummins earlier this year for $3.3 million, according to public property records.

The new owner is an affiliate of Enfield, Conn.-based Capital Recovery Group LLC, a private equity investor that buys and sells industrial real estate, from paper mills to commercial bakeries, as well as equipment. Next month, for example, it’ll be seeking bids for the assets of a Las Vegas circus in an online auction, according to its website.

Capital Recovery Group also helped Cummins offload the heavy machinery at the North Charleston R&D site.

On board

A Greenville-based lender has added a Lowcountry representative to its newly expanded boardroom.

Coastal Community Foundation CEO Darrin Goss Sr. is of three new directors at the publicly traded parent of Southern First Bank. He'll also serve on the audit committee.

The board appointments took effect Sunday.

Goss is a James Island native who joined the North Charleston-based Coastal Community Foundation as president and chief executive officer in 2016.

The Army veteran — a graduate of Wofford College with a master's degree from North Greenville University — "is a respected and strategic leader, a passionate advocate, and a dynamic speaker on issues impacting his community, which enhances his ability to serve as a director," Southern First Bancshares Inc. said in a June 2 filing with Securities and Exchange Commission.

The holding company and bank paid its 12 outside directors a monthly retainer of $2,500 and $1,200 for each board and committee meeting they attended. Total cash compensation last year ranged from $45,600 to $58,200.

Founded in 1999, Southern First is the second-largest bank headquartered in the Palmetto State, with more than $4 billion in loans and other income-producing assets on its books. It opened its first Charleston branch in 2012 on East Bay Street.

The Upstate-based bank now operates a dozen retail offices in the Carolinas and Atlanta.

Old college try

The College of Charleston is fanning out to fund raise.

The downtown school announced last week that it has hired four "regional" gift officers to reach out to alumni up and down much of the eastern seaboard.

The new hires will serve as boots on the ground in key markets in an effort to increase individual, corporate and foundation gifts from former students.

The so-called Coastal Southeast territory is closest to campus. It stretches from Myrtle Beach to Savannah and inland to Columbia.

The other fundraisers cover three other large geographic clusters: Florida, Georgia and North Carolina; Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.; and Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

“We believe in the importance of becoming community members across our most alumni-populated regions,” said Dan Frezza, CofC's chief advancement officer.

The college said it raised $27 million in gifts and commitments last year. The 9,548 donors included 5,020 alumni, bringing their participation rate to 7.52 percent.

According to U.S. News and World Report, the average alumni giving rate among national universities and liberal arts colleges during the 2022-2023 academic year was 7.7 percent.