WELL I WILL START BY TELLING A LITTLE MORE ABOUT JONES AND JONES INC. MY GRANDFATHER, NORMAN JONES, WHICH I NEVER GOT TO MEET DUE TO HIS EARLY DEATH WHEN MY DAD WAS ONLY THIRTEEN YEARS OLD, WAS A BUILDER AND A CABINET MAKER, WHICH LED US TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY. MY DAD STARTED WORKING WITH HIS FATHER AT A VERY YOUNG AGE. WHEN MY GRANDFATHER PASSED AWAY, MY DAD HAD TO HANDLE THINGS THAT A THIRTEEN YEAR OLD SHOULD NOT HAVE TO. MY DAD HAD TO LEARN SO MANY DIFFERENT TRADES IN THE BUILDING FIELD, BECAUSE BACK IN THOSE DAYS THE BUILDER DID ALMOST EVERYTHING ON THE JOB. THEY DIDN'T SUB THINGS OUT LIKE THEY DO TODAY, BUT TIMES ARE DIFFERENT TODAY WITH SO MANY CODES AND REGULATIONS IN EFFECT. IT TAKES TIME TO GO THROUGH ALL THE CLASSES TO BE A LEGAL HOME BUILDER, BUT IF HOME BUILDING IS SOMETHING THAT YOU LOVE TO DO, IT IS ALL WORTH IT.
I HAVE LEARNED SO MUCH FROM MY DAD. IT TAKES A SPECIAL BOND FOR A FATHER AND SON TO WORK TOGETHER AND I DO HAVE TO SAY WE HAVE THAT BOND. I CANT SEE MYSELF DOING ANYTHING ELSE. I HAVE BEEN GOING TO WORK WITH MY DAD SINCE I WAS FIVE YEARS OLD. NEEDLESS TO SAY I KNEW WHAT I WANTED TO BE EARLY IN LIFE, MY DAD. EVERYONE NEEDS A HOME NOT A HOUSE. THAT IS WHAT WE HAVE ALWAYS TRIED TO GIVE OUR CLIENTS, IS A HOME. SOMEWHERE THEY LOVE TO BE AND FEEL COMFORTABLE.
I ALWAYS LOOKED FORWARD TO GETTING OUT OF SCHOOL FOR THE SUMMER SO I COULD GO TO WORK WITH MY DAD AND SPEND TIME WITH HIM AND THE GUYS THAT WORKED WITH US, WHICH TO ME ARE FAMILY ALSO. YOU GROW A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PEOPLE YOU WORK WITH ON A DAILY BASIS. ALL THE GUYS I GREW UP AROUND ARE STILL WITH US TODAY. WHICH MAKE FOR A GREAT WORKING ENVIRONMENT FOR US AND THE HOMEOWNER WHICH WE ARE WORKING WITH.
MY JUNIOR YEAR IN HIGH SCHOOL I WAS ASKED TO GO TO A BUILDING COMPETITION FOR VOCATIONAL INDUSTRIAL CLUBS OF AMERICA (VICA). THERE WERE THREE LEVELS IN THE BUILDING COMPETITION THAT I WENT THROUGH. LEVEL ONE, WHICH IS DISTRICT LEVEL WAS HELD AT GADSDEN STATE COLLEGE. I WAS SO NERVOUS, I REALLY HAD NO IDEA WHAT I WAS GOING TO HAVE TO DO. AFTER WE FINISHED THE COMPETITION, WHICH WAS SOME WALLS AND A SIMPLE ROOF SYSTEM, WE WENT TO THE AWARDS CEREMONY. I REALLY DIDN'T KNOW HOW IT WOULD TURN OUT, WELL IT TURNED OUT VERY WELL. I WON FIRST PLACE. SO FROM THERE WE HAD TO GO TO MONTGOMERY FOR THE STATE LEVEL. IT WAS A BIT MORE COMPLICATED THERE. I HAD TO BUILD SOME WALLS TO HOLD A VERY DEFINED ROOF SYSTEM. AFTER THIS IT WAS OFF TO THE AWARDS CEREMONY. STILL I WASN'T SURE HOW THINGS WOULD TURN OUT. ALL I CAN SAY IS I LEARNED A LOT FROM MY DAD, BECAUSE I WALKED AWAY WITH FIRST PLACE AGAIN AND A CHANCE TO COMPETE IN THE NATIONAL LEVELS IN KANSAS CITY. WE HAD TO FLY OUT A WEEK EARLY FOR SOME CLASSES AND SEMINARS. THE DAY OF THE COMPETITION WAS ALMOST LIKE IT NEVER EVEN HAPPENED. I WAS 17 YEARS OLD AND SCARED TO DEATH HAVING TO COMPETE AGAINST ONE PERSON FROM EVERY STATE IN THE UNITED STATES. I HAVE TO SAY IT TURNED OUT OK, NOT WHAT I HOPED FOR. I CAME IN TENTH PLACE. WHICH WASN'T WHAT I WANTED, SO WHEN I HAD THE CHANCE TO DO IT AGAIN MY SENIOR YEAR I COULDN'T WAIT. IT WAS LIKE A REPEAT OF THE YEAR BEFORE. FIRST AT DISTRICT AND FIRST AT STATE. SO OFF TO NATIONALS WE WENT, BACK TO KANSAS CITY. I CAME IN SEVENTH PLACE THAT YEAR. I GOT BEAT BY SEVEN TENTHS OF A POINT. WHICH MEANS THE TOP SEVEN WHERE VERY CLOSE. I GUESS I WASN'T THE BEST BUT I HAD A GREAT TIME. I GUESS WHAT I AM TRYING TO SAY IS, I HAVE LOVED BUILDING FROM A YOUNG AGE. I AM CURRENTLY 32 YEARS OLD AND HAVE NO PLANS ON CHANGING MY CAREER. I ALSO HAVE A BROTHER THAT IS 24 YEARS OLD THAT WAS RAISED THE SAME WAY I WAS RAISED. HE IS ALSO A BIG PART OF THIS COMPANY. GOD HAS BLESSED OUR FAMILY AND OUR COMPANY TO BE ABLE TO WORK TOGETHER. IT IS AMAZING THE THINGS THAT CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED WHEN YOU HAVE PEOPLE THAT CAN WORK TOGETHER AND YOU KNOW WHAT THE OTHER PERSON IS THINKING. I GUESS AFTER SO MANY YEARS OF WORKING TOGETHER IT JUST COMES NATURAL.
YOU KNOW IN THE BUILDING BUSINESS THERE IS A LOT THAT HAS TO BE DONE OFF THE JOB AND THE PEOPLE THAT DO THESE THINGS USUALLY ARE NOT RECOGNIZED VERY OFTEN. IN OUR CASE IT IS MY MOM AND MY WIFE. I HAVE TO SAY IF IT WASN'T FOR THEM IT WOULD BE VERY HARD. MY WIFE TAKES CARE OF MY KIDS AND STILL HANDLES THINGS TO DO WITH THE COMPANY SO THAT I CAN BE ON THE JOB, AND MY MOM IS THE ONE THAT HAS TO GET ALL THE PAPER WORK TOGETHER. EACH ONE OF THESE WOMEN PUT IN MANY, MANY HOURS SO WE CAN RUN A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS AND SPEND THE TIME ON THE JOB THAT WE NEED TO. I GUESS I WILL USE THIS TO TELL THEM THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO.
IF ANYONE HAS ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, LET ME KNOW. I WILL RESPOND AS SOON AS I CAN. I WILL ALSO BE POSTING MORE ABOUT HOME BUILDING AS SOON AS I CAN.