By David Blanchette
An iconic 81-year-old family business in Jacksonville has been sold, and the new owners pledge to keep the firm’s name and customer service intact while expanding its product offerings and geographical reach.
Jones Meat & Locker at 2108 E. State Street has been purchased by Bob Stanton and Derrick Clevenger from the Indianapolis, Indiana area. Stanton and Clevenger have kept all of the business’ employees and signature fresh and processed meat products, and their motto seems to be “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
“We won’t make changes to the Jones brand or products,” Stanton said. “I love the culture, the history … and the family is amazing. Why would I ever change that?”
Stanton and Clevenger purchased the operation in September from Terry and Marcy Jones. Terry Jones is the grandson of the founders and has worked at the plant himself for 42 years.
The new owners plan to enhance Jones’ current product lines with more sauces, additional jerky flavors and pre-made meals. They also look to keep the Jacksonville plant right where it is while expanding the Jones brand to other locations, possibly starting in Stanton’s hometown of Westfield, Indiana.
“I think the Jones culture and feeling of community would do well in other places, so we are looking to expand the retail shop outside of Jacksonville,” Stanton said. “Let me be clear, I am not looking to move anything out of Jacksonville. If anything we want to take that processing plant and that retail and grow it. We are going to invest in that plant, the community and our employees.”
Stanton spent 31 years in the insurance industry and has been a barbecue pit master for 25 years. He became tired of working for corporate America, and he and Clevenger decided to seek a business opportunity in the meat industry. They came across Jones Meat & Locker during an online search, found a broker, and started discussions with Terry and Marcy Jones.
“When we met Terry and Marcy, we fell in love with them. This is a great fit and they have the culture we were looking for,” Stanton said. “Our goal wasn’t to take a shop like this that’s been in business for so long and change it. Our goal is to see what we can do to be part of the legacy and continue with that quality and service.”
Stanton has been spending three days per week in Jacksonville “drinking from the fire hydrant” as he tries to learn the workings of the business from Terry Jones, Marcy Jones and their long-time employees. Although Stanton wants to know how to cut meat properly, the employees “are the experts, and if they’re depending on me for the carving, we’re screwed.” Stanton returns to Indiana each week with a carload of meat products to sample, including the firm’s 30 varieties of bratwurst, “and I think I need to try them all.”
Marcy Jones said that she and her husband had been looking to sell the business for the last few years and had a couple of different people look at the plant, “but when we met these two guys on a Zoom call with our broker, we just fell in love with them,” she said. “We felt like they would really carry on what we’ve tried to build, so they just seemed like a good fit. Bob and Derrick also want to support the community like we have done with different fundraisers, and that’s important to us.”
Terry Jones joined the family business in 1982 after graduating from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a degree in meat science. Jones’ grandparents, Paul and Rose Jones, founded the business in 1943 and operated on Sandusky Road until 1968 when Terry Jones’ mother and father, Charlie and Doris, purchased it and moved to the current location on East State Street. Terry and Marcy Jones bought out his parents in 1992.
Terry and Marcy Jones remain as part owners of the company following the sale; Terry Jones will work at the plant through the end of the year and then help out as needed after that.
“We realize that we couldn’t have been the successful business we are without our great customers,” Terry Jones said. “So we want to stick around and make sure Bob and Derrick treat them right.”
It’s tough to walk away after 42 years, and Jones said it took him a while to make the final decision to sell and retire.
“I’ve been thinking about retirement for a couple of years. Maybe two years ago I wasn’t ready but it’s a long process to get the business sold and get the right people to buy it,” Jones said. “I slowly came around to the idea, and now that it’s here, it’s a pretty good idea.”
Terry Jones plans to golf a little more after retirement, and he and his wife will travel, play with their grandchildren, and work on their house with the additional free time.
“It makes me proud to have been involved in Jones Meat & Locker for 42 years,” Jones said. “The family and our employees have put a lot of work into making a quality product and trying to make it better whenever we can, and it gives me a sense of pride and happiness to have been part of it.
