BOISE, Idaho — Rolling up their sleeves and working side by side with family are two things at the core of a Made in Idaho business that's been fueling Idahoans for nearly 50 years.
The family behind Jacksons is from Homedale, and what started as your friendly neighborhood service station turned into a regional powerhouse with more than 200 locations across the country. CEO John Jackson opened the very first Jacksons back in 1975 in Caldwell.
"I was not afraid of hard work," Jackson said. "(We) got a second station about a year and a half after the first one--and just kept adding them one by one over the years."
John's two sons, Cory and Jeff, spent much of their childhood right here in the Treasure Valley working with their dad. When they got older, both decided to take part in the family business. They say they both have plenty of fond memories of being in the Jacksons stores with their dad.
"We used to play in the tires--I still remember the smell of the rubber," Cory laughed. "I got like three of my friends when we were sophomores in high school to help me paint a number of stores and it happened to be on homecoming day--so we went to the dance with white paint all over our hands."
"That was our quality time, driving around and spending time together--and you'd have some interesting stories to tell," Jeff remembered.
Despite the growth and success the company has seen, Jackson's family say they still stay true to their roots: always lending a hand, and treating their employees with kindness.
"Even on thanksgiving we'll come out and help out the stores and say hi to folks," said Jeff.
Store manager Deanna Roper started at Jacksons back in 2005 and worked her way up the ladder. She says working for a company that values its employees and its community has been amazing.
"The pride they instill in their employees, just because of all the amazing things they offer to the community and the phenomenal things they do for the community--we get to be part of that," Roper said.
John says starting a business hasn't always been easy, especially in the early days, but Jacksons pulled through the tough times the same way they do everything else: as a family.
"That's where you just had to be real careful about what you spent on your personal life because your business needed all the money you could save," John laughed. "The way you treat your coworkers is--they're like family to me. I think it's really important to transcend from the family you have with your core family to the people you work with as well."
