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TOP ENTREPRENEURS JACKSONVILLE
Record & Observer THE Record & Observer LEGEND JACKSONVILLE
Beaver Street Fisheries Chairman JACKSONVILLE Harry Frisch guides his company for 70 years. PAGE 3
Record & Observer
THIS SPECIAL EDITION In a uncertain world, these entrepreneurs have been there before, steering their businesses toward success in the best and worst of times. In this special edition, we honor leaders in three revenue categories who inspire us all.
THE WINNERS $15 million & up: Empire started with a hot dog. PAGE 4 $2 million to $15 million: Failure turned to success. PAGE 7 Up to $2 million: Reaching for the sky. PAGE 11
THE BASCH REPORT
Maple Street Biscuit Co. model shows its strength Cracker Barrel reports earnings. PAGE 15 VOLUME 3, NO. 2 • ONE SECTION
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Jacksonville Daily Record and Jacksonville Record & Observer are a division of Observer Media Group Inc.
Jacksonville Daily Record and Jacksonville Record & Observer are a division of Observer Media Group Inc.
Established in 1912, the Financial News & Daily Record, now the Jacksonville Daily Record, is published Monday-Friday and is the Official Court Newspaper of the Circuit Court and publisher of public notices in Duval County.
Established in 1912, the Financial News & Daily Record, now the Jacksonville Daily Record, is published Monday-Friday and is the Official Court Newspaper of the Circuit JACKSONVILLE Court and publisher of public notices in Duval County.
Jacksonville Record & Observer is a free weekly business newspaper available in Downtown Jacksonville and key business nodes throughout Jacksonville. To find a location near you, visit jaxdailyrecord.com/rack-locations.
Jacksonville Record & Observer is a free weekly business newspaper available in Downtown Jacksonville and key business nodes throughout Jacksonville. To find a location near you, visit jaxdailyrecord.com/rack-locations.
Editorial content focuses on news and trends, with a concentration on development, KAREN BRUNE MATHIS EDITOR real estate, construction, law, companies, economic and industry trends and how local and state government affects business. File image
Our inaugural Top JAX Chamber Vice President of EntrepreSTAFF neurial Growth Carlton Robinson. Entrepreneurs special issue Publisher / Matt Walsh Director of Advertising / Jay Lesowitz mwalsh@jaxdailyrecord.com jlesowitz@jaxdailyrecord.com offers insight into how $15 million; and $15 million/ and Publisher Emeritus / James F. Bailey Jr. Advertising Coordinator Codimore. Gildberg challenges can be overcome jbailey@jaxdailyrecord.com As you see on the cover, we also chose adassist@jaxdailyrecord.com onEditor the path success. ourLegal first lifetime achiever: Beaver Street / Karento Brune Mathis Advertising Manager / Janet Mohr
Fisheries Inc. Chairman Harry Frisch, legal@jaxdailyrecord.com On June 8, news that, indeed, an whoLegal turns 97 in about three weeks. Managing Editorbroke / Monty Zickuhr Advertising Associate / Rhonda Fisher mzickuhr@jaxdailyrecord.com economic recession began in February. He didn’t start his company – his rfisher@jaxdailyrecord.com That concluded 11 years of Marbutmother did – but he and his late brother Associate Editoralmost Legal Affairs / Max Network Administrator / Erik Wagner expansion – the longest on record – mmarbut@jaxdailyrecord.com turned it into a $500 million global seawebadmin@jaxdailyrecord.com since theWriter Great/Recession ended in June food and food distributor. Staff Katie Garwood Court Typeset / Paula Steiner 2009. Each category features a winner and kgarwood@jaxdailyrecord.com Northeast Florida business twoadmin@jaxdailyrecord.com finalists. Staff Writer / Mike small Mendenhall Director of Circulation Anne Shumate owners at this point are bracing for a They represent several /industries and mmendenhall@jaxdailyrecord.com subscriptions@jaxdailyrecord.com constant series of unknowns. separate challenges. Staff Writer / Scott Sailer Distribution Reagan The 10 Northeast Florida business Among those:/ Tim personal tragedy, near ssailer@jaxdailyrecord.com distribution@jaxdailyrecord.com owners featured in our inaugural Top bankruptcy, a difficult childhood, job Business Manager / Angie Campbell Entrepreneurs issue have navigated firings (on both sides of the pink slip), acampbell@jaxdailyrecord.com through many economic storms. and taking a winding road to find the They’re ready to keep doing what it best path. takes to overcome PRESS the next challenge, More than one mentioned 80-hour RELEASE/INQUIRY/REPRINTS just as they are fighting through the workweeks. Submit apandemic press release editorial COVID-19 that or shut down inquiry online Other than Frisch, their ages range jaxdailyrecord.com/submit-news-release or email editorial@jaxdailyrecord.com. much of the economy – and some of from 32 to 71, and coincidentally, the Article are available at jaxdailyrecord.com them – forreprints weeks starting mid-March. 71-year-old started her business when In fact, the Jacksonville Daily Record she was 32. and Jacksonville Record & Observer In another coincidence, about the HOW TO SUBSCRIBE postponed this issue because of the time she was born, Frisch joined the fish Subscribe online at jaxdailyrecord.com/subscribe mandates. company.or contact our subscription department bypublish phone at (877) orNo email subscriptions@jaxdailyrecord.com We intended to April 9, 231-8834 but doubt, their stories will be lessons decided to wait until restrictions were for business owners seeking inspiration. lifted, allowing our finalists to manage PRICES These entrepreneurs worked hard, through the................................... height of the pandemic. Thursday only ..........$66 per year 2 years $154 made tough decisions, took risks, JAX Chamber Vice President of Singlefocus, copy ......................35 cents 1 year ........................................$89 changed pursued passions, Entrepreneurial Growth Carlton Robin- developed staff talent, appreciated help, 6 months .................................$55 son agrees with the decision to publish sought training, embraced employees as the economy reopens. and family, and persevered. HOW TO ADVERTISE “It’s really needed right now in the Asked his advice, Robinson referred to Display & Digital Advertising: Call Jay Lesowitz at (904)often-shared 356-2466 or email overall business community and espesome of Frisch’s wisdom, jlesowitz@jaxdailyrecord.com cially the small business community,” now especially, that each business Robinson said. needs at least two people on every major Legal Advertising: Submit public noticestask. via email to legal@jaxdailyrecord.com “Any time that we have an opportunity to celebrate the success of business Many don’t, “so what happens is owners that is inspiring to others during when you have a pandemic or someone times like these, it’s a great thing.” FOLLOW falls illUS or they leave the business, all of JAX Chamber, which isn’t associated a sudden that business is paralyzed, you JaxDailyRecord with this project, works with thousands lost that institutional knowledge,” Robof area businesses, large and small. It inson said. “We have to do a better job announced 13 annual Small Business for them to have contingency plans.” POSTAL INFORMATION Leaders of the Year in January and the He called that a prevailing theme durJacksonville Record (USPS 190-620) is the published dailymonths except as Saturday, overall winner inDaily February. ing past three he listened Sunday legal holidays (New Year’s Day, intently Memorial Independence Labor The Daily& Record and Record & ObservtoDay, the experiences ofDay, business Day, Thanksgiving Christmas) by Daily Record & Observer LLC, 10 N. Newnan er are owned by a smalland business, Sarasoowners. St., Jacksonville, FL 32202. postage paid at Jacksonville, Florida and ta-based Observer Media GroupPeriodicals Inc. Other points: Adopt sustainable busiat are additional mailing any news orcelebrate records of We replicating, as offices. much asUnder we no circumstances ness models,will diversify, and CountyTop be suppressed for anyone. in this newspaper is for our can,Duval the annual Entrepreneurs issue Information achievements. subscribers only andpaper, must not used by anyone for their publication purposes. published by our sister the be Busi“Sharing successes and how ness Observer, also based in Sarasota. they’ve overcome challenges is a really We started by asking for nomina-POSTMASTER big thing here in Jacksonville,” he said. tions. We continued by calling, emailing The business community needs those address changes to Jacksonville Record, P.O. Box 15456, North Hollywood, andSend speaking in person with leaders of Daily “trusted sources” for entrepreneurs. CA, 91615-9965 industry and civic groups that focus on Our regular features will return next business membership. week. For today, we are following RobOFFICIAL DESIGNATIONS There are at least 40,000 employerinson’s advice. owned in Court Northeast Florida “We need to highlight and showcase The Official Newspaper for The Official Newspaper Thefirms Official with fewer than 100 employees. There there are different ways to be success-Court the U.S. Bankruptcy of The Jacksonville Bar Newspaper of Duval are County anotherby estimated selfful,” Robinson for the Middle District of Association, Nov. 21, 1926.said. Order of 125,000 the employed We hope we have done that Florida, Jan. today. 4, 1947. Circuit people. Court, July 7, 1961. The nominees were strong candiKMATHIS@JAXDAILYRECORD.COM dates. AFFILIATIONS @MATHISKB We divided them into revenue categoFlorida Press Association (904) 356-2466 ries of up to $2 million; $2 million up to kmathis@jaxdailyrecord.com
Editorial content focuses on news and trends, with a concentration on development, real estate, construction, law, companies, economic and industry trends and how local and state government affects business.
STAFF Publisher / Matt Walsh mwalsh@jaxdailyrecord.com
Director of Advertising / Jay Lesowitz jlesowitz@jaxdailyrecord.com
Publisher Emeritus / James F. Bailey Jr. jbailey@jaxdailyrecord.com
Advertising Coordinator / Codi Gildberg adassist@jaxdailyrecord.com
Editor / Karen Brune Mathis kmathis@jaxdailyrecord.com
Legal Advertising Manager / Janet Mohr legal@jaxdailyrecord.com
Managing Editor / Monty Zickuhr mzickuhr@jaxdailyrecord.com
Legal Advertising Associate / Rhonda Fisher rfisher@jaxdailyrecord.com
Associate Editor Legal Affairs / Max Marbut mmarbut@jaxdailyrecord.com Staff Writer / Katie Garwood kgarwood@jaxdailyrecord.com
Network Administrator / Erik Wagner webadmin@jaxdailyrecord.com Court Typeset / Paula Steiner admin@jaxdailyrecord.com
Staff Writer / Mike Mendenhall mmendenhall@jaxdailyrecord.com
Director of Circulation / Anne Shumate subscriptions@jaxdailyrecord.com
Staff Writer / Scott Sailer ssailer@jaxdailyrecord.com Business Manager / Angie Campbell acampbell@jaxdailyrecord.com
Distribution / Tim Reagan distribution@jaxdailyrecord.com
PRESS RELEASE/INQUIRY/REPRINTS Submit a press release or editorial inquiry online jaxdailyrecord.com/submit-news-release or email editorial@jaxdailyrecord.com. Article reprints are available at jaxdailyrecord.com
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE Subscribe online at jaxdailyrecord.com/subscribe or contact our subscription department by phone at (877) 231-8834 or email subscriptions@jaxdailyrecord.com PRICES 2 years ................................... $154 1 year ........................................$89 6 months .................................$55
Thursday only ..........$66 per year Single copy ......................35 cents
HOW TO ADVERTISE Display & Digital Advertising: Call Jay Lesowitz at (904) 356-2466 or email jlesowitz@jaxdailyrecord.com Legal Advertising: Submit public notices via email to legal@jaxdailyrecord.com
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POSTAL INFORMATION Jacksonville Daily Record (USPS 190-620) is published daily except Saturday, Sunday & legal holidays (New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas) by Daily Record & Observer LLC, 10 N. Newnan St., Jacksonville, FL 32202. Periodicals postage paid at Jacksonville, Florida and at additional mailing offices. Under no circumstances will any news or records of Duval County be suppressed for anyone. Information in this newspaper is for our subscribers only and must not be used by anyone for publication purposes.
POSTMASTER Send address changes to Jacksonville Daily Record, P.O. Box 15456, North Hollywood, CA, 91615-9965
OFFICIAL DESIGNATIONS The Official Court Newspaper of Duval County by Order of the Circuit Court, July 7, 1961.
The Official Newspaper of The Jacksonville Bar Association, Nov. 21, 1926.
AFFILIATIONS Florida Press Association
The Official Newspaper for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida, Jan. 4, 1947.
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TOP ENTREPRENEURS: THE LEGEND HARRY FRISCH | BEAVER STREET FISHERIES | 2019 REVENUE: $500 MILLION
A LIFETIME OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Over nearly 70 years, Harry Frisch built his family’s business into one of the largest seafood and meat processors and distributors in the U.S. BY MAX MARBUT ASSOCIATE EDITOR
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arry Frisch started a small business in Jacksonville nearly 70 years ago. He took his entrepreneurial spirit, added decades of experience and today leads a $500 million international business. Frisch is chairman of Beaver Street Fisheries Inc., one of the largest seafood and meat processors and distributors in the U.S. Operating in a 300,000-squarefoot facility at 1741 W. Beaver St. near Downtown, the company employs about 400 people who process, package and distribute more than 100 million pounds of product annually. Its brands are the company’s flagship Sea Best banner that includes frozen fish, shellfish and specialty retail products; Tropic Seafood, the largest lobster and seafood processor in the Bahamas; and HF’s Outstanding, a line of premium beef, pork, poultry and lamb that’s cut and packaged for the wholesale food service trade. Frisch says what made Beaver Street Fisheries successful is the same philosophy he had when he opened a small auto repair shop next door to his mother’s and stepfather’s neighborhood fish market, the original Beaver Street Fisheries. “Pay your bills on time, don’t owe money and don’t lie, cheat or steal,” Frisch said. When his stepfather died, it left Frisch’s mother alone with the business to run, so he traded his hand tools for a hand truck. He and his brother, Alfred, joined their mother to work in the market. “If we didn’t help her, she would have lost her investment. That’s how I got into the fish business,” Frisch said. They soon expanded beyond retail and began selling fresh fish wholesale to local grocery stores. They also began selling frozen shrimp and scallops and other items, like frozen pies and french fries, to restaurant accounts. “We knew we couldn’t make a living on fresh product alone,” Frisch said. That put Beaver Street Fisheries into the cold storage business, expanding from its first 100-square-foot freezer at the fish market to the company’s current more than 1 million square feet of cold storage space. Launching competition with the other local and national food purveyors brought another of Frisch’s keys to entrepreneurial
Photos by Dede Smith
Beaver Street Fisheries Inc. Chairman Harry Frisch, 96, says his philosophy is simple. “Pay your bills on time, don’t owe money and don’t lie, cheat or steal,” he said. “Don’t make promises or commitments unless you are absolutely sure you can deliver.”
“You’ve got to do whatever it takes for your customers. When the customer needs it, they get it. If you can’t handle the business, you don’t need to be in the business.” HARRY FRISCH, BEAVER STREET FISHERIES INC. CHAIRMAN
success to the forefront: striving to do everything better than the other guys. The Frisches worked seven days a week and never clocked out – they delivered seafood to railroad companies every morning for the dining cars and sometimes made midnight deliveries to accounts that needed food for breakfast patrons. “You’ve got to do whatever it takes for your customers. When the customer needs it, they get it. If you can’t handle the business, you don’t need to be in the business,” Frisch said. He’ll be 97 in July. Frisch remains active in the company’s operations. He goes every day to the office, where he keeps
printed copies of his keys to business success that he gives to visitors. Frisch advises “always be punctual,” “treat employees with respect,” “don’t criticize your competitors” and “be the best at any price.” His list includes “go out of your way to make a friend,” “keep old people,” “use your head, everything must make sense” and “don’t make promises or commitments unless you are absolutely sure you can deliver.” Frisch inspires the people who work at Beaver Street Fisheries. “I learn from him every day and he’s always coming up with new ideas. He’s never lost the entrepreneur spark and he never will,” said Lathun Brigman, Beaver Street Fisheries general manager and an employee for more than 30 years. Asked what kind of business he’d start were he to decide to leave Beaver Street Fisheries, Frisch said he’d move to the other side of the commercial provisions business, but he’d take his philosophy with him. “I’d start a restaurant. I would enjoy that. And I’ll tell you something – it would be the finest restaurant in Jacksonville – reasonable prices and way above the standard,” Frisch said. MMARBUT@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM (904) 356-2466
Beaver Street Fisheries Inc. Chairman Harry Frisch holds his 2018 biography, “Use Your Head: Lessons of a Lifetime.”
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TOP ENTREPRENEURS: WINNER, $15 MILLION AND UP ROBIN AND CHRIS SORENSEN | FIREHOUSE SUBS | 2018 REVENUE: $58.3 MILLION
SUB EMPIRE BEGAN WITH A HOT DOG
The founders of Firehouse Subs say work ethic, intuition, discipline and drive are keys to the success of their business. BY MARK BASCH CONTRIBUTING WRITER
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s brothers Robin and Chris Sorensen opened their first Firehouse Subs restaurant on San Jose Boulevard, starting a business that would grow into a nationwide chain of 1,170 restaurants, it began with … a hot dog. “On Firehouse Subs’ opening day Oct. 10, 1994, our first order was for two hot dogs with everything added, which was about 10 ingredients,” Robin Sorensen said by email. “We were so focused on the subs, we weren’t prepared for that order. Needless to say, it was a long ticket time.” Plenty of orders for sub sandwiches came in later, prompting the brothers to grow the business. “Our initial thought was we would only have one store. It took everything Chris and I had to get that one store open,” Sorensen said. “We were convinced to open more by our customers. Our first location was well-received, which gave us even more confidence and the thought that perhaps a second location could work,” he said. “At that point, we had a oneat-a-time strategy, and the ‘chain’ word didn’t come up for years. Our growth happened in baby steps.” The decision to expand paid off. Firehouse consistently ranks among the top restaurant chains in consumer surveys, including its ranking this year as America’s favorite fast-casual chain by Restaurant Business magazine. Firehouse also is helping groom other entrepreneurs. It ranked 59th this year in Entrepreneur magazine’s list of top 500 franchises. Sorensen said there is no one lesson he can offer to other entrepreneurs. “Reflecting back on Firehouse Subs’ 25 years of business, our success can be attributed to our work ethic, our intuition, and our discipline and drive,” he said. Robin Sorensen is 52 and Chris Sorensen is 59. There is some advice Robin Sorensen would give to his 21-year-old self. “Get to work on finding your passion in life,” Sorensen said. “I knew that I loved cooking, food, and this business, as early as when I was a young teenager. Yet it took me until I was 26 years old to find my calling and open my own restaurant,” he said. Sorensen did work at restau-
Special to the Daily Record
Robin and Chris Sorensen launched Firehouse Subs in 1994 with a shop on San Jose Boulevard. It now has 1,170 locations and ranked 59th on Entrepreneur magazine’s list of the top 500 franchises.
ROBIN AND CHRIS SORENSEN First jobs: Chris and I, with our other siblings, worked at the family business, San Jose TV. At 14, I worked at Winn-Dixie restocking shelves and bagging groceries. At 15, I worked at Gubbio’s Italian. At 16, I worked as a dishwasher and prep cook at Hooters. Chris’s first job was at Rib Shack at age 14. First product or service you sold: On Firehouse Subs’ opening day Oct. 10, 1994, our first order was for two hot dogs with everything added, which was about 10 ingredients. We were so focused on the subs, we weren’t prepared for that order. It was a long ticket time. One word that best describes your business strategy: Service. For us, serving others comes from the heart.
rant jobs as a teenager but said he wished he had made it a fulltime job. “I could have used more knowledge and understanding of the business before we opened Firehouse Subs,” he said. Don Fox, who joined Firehouse in 2003 and has been the company’s CEO for the past decade, attributes the Sorensens’ success to putting the needs of the business and the customers first. “They were frugal, kept their money in the business, and reinvested at every turn,” Fox said by
Best business lesson: There is no “one” best lesson. Reflecting on 25 years of business, our success can be attributed to our work ethic, our intuition, and our discipline and drive.
If you had to start a new business tomorrow, it would be: It would be a new restaurant concept, not just because that’s all I really know, but because it’s all I really love.
Biggest fear: I don’t need to look further than what we are going through at this very moment in time. Effects on your business outside of your control are what’s most difficult.
What convinced you to turn the business into a chain? It took everything Chris and I had to get that one store open. We were convinced to open more by our customers. Our first location was well-received, which gave us confidence that a second location could work. We had a one-at-a-time strategy, and the “chain” word didn’t come up for years.
Career advice you would give your 21-year-old self: Get to work on finding your passion in life. I knew that I loved cooking, food, and this business as a young teenager, yet it took me until I was 26 to open my own restaurant. I wish I had started working full-time in the business as a teenager because I could have used more understanding before we opened Firehouse Subs.
email. They lease office space in the Flagler Center business park. “As they grew, they understood their limitations and built a team that could take them to the next level.” Fox said Firehouse has weathered the COVID-19 storm pretty well. While dine-in service was stopped at all restaurants in March, only 31 stores closed as the company offered takeout and curbside delivery. Half of the closed restaurants have reopened and dine-in services have resumed at most
Is there anything about expanding into a chain that surprised you? Considering we started with a dream and less than $100 in our bank account, what Firehouse Subs has grown to today is shocking and
locations, he said. “We took a big hit in sales early on, but Firehouse Subs has done an incredible job on turning the corner after about the first four weeks of the pandemic,” he said. “At our lowest, we were down in the mid-40% range across our system, but now we are seeing slightly positive sales, comparable to where we were this time last year, which is encouraging.” When asked about his biggest fear for his business, Sorensen said it’s been the pandemic. “Effects on your business out-
surprising to us. We are grateful that there are now more than 1,100 restaurants with more than 18,000 team members. There are hundreds of momand-pop operators in 46 states, Puerto Rico and Canada. The impact that we have made together is immeasurable.
BY THE NUMBERS Year Revenue Workers 2018 $58.3M 134 2017 $51.9M 150 2016 $49.3M 103 * The 2019 revenue numbers were not yet available. ** The 2019 headcount is 152. Corporate employee headcount does not include district or general managers or restaurant staff.
side of your control are what’s most difficult,” he said. But most of the past 25 years has been a success for the brothers. “Considering where Chris and I started, armed with a dream to open our very own restaurant and less than $100 in our bank account, what Firehouse Subs has grown to today is shocking and surprising to us,” Sorensen said. MBASCH@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM
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TOP ENTREPRENEURS: FINALIST, $15 MILLION AND UP SEAN SHAPIRO | RELIANT ROOFING | 2019 REVENUE: $15 MILLION SEAN SHAPIRO First job: Summer camp counselor at 15 First product or service you sold: Doughnuts at Dunkin’ Donuts at 16. As an owner, my first product was selling single-family homes I renovated at age 22. One word that best describes your business strategy: Sustainability Best business lesson: Sell an experience and not a product Biggest fear: Not reaching my full potential in the business world Career advice you would give your 21-year-old self: Focus on long-term, sustainable growth If you had to start a new business tomorrow, it would be: A constructionfocused technology company Photo by Dede Smith
Reliant Roofing CEO Sean Shapiro started the company in 2015 with President Cameron Shouppe.
THE GOAL: OFFER GREAT CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE Sean Shapiro is building a company he wants to stand the test of time in Jacksonville. BY DAN MACDONALD CONTRIBUTING WRITER
D
iversification and attention to customer satisfaction is Reliant Roofing Inc.’s formula to reach its goal of becoming a legacy company in Jacksonville. Sean Shapiro, CEO, and Cameron Shouppe, president, started the business in 2015 and have grown it to 125 full-time employees. It grossed $15 million last year. Before COVID-19 led to eco-
nomic shutdowns in mid-March, Shapiro was projecting 2020 gross revenue of $25 million. He suspects that projection remains achievable. As an essential business, Reliant Roofing did not close. Shapiro estimated a 50% drop in business through mid-April, but the company is back in full operation and sales are being recouped. Reliant Roofing did not furlough or lay off full-time employees. Office personnel worked from home. Sales meetings conformed to social distancing guidelines. Virtual presentations were nothing new – Reliant Roofing sales teams have been using them for three years. “That was a huge advantage for us. We are a tech-friendly
company,” Shapiro said. “So it was seamless for us.” Shapiro, 32, earned a degree in entrepreneurship at the University of Florida and began his career buying, repairing and reselling houses. Shouppe served as his general contractor and their partnership led to the creation of Reliant Roofing. In addition to offering commercial and residential roofing, the company sells and installs solar panels and hurricane shutters, an area with growth potential in Northeast Florida. The diversification impresses Bill Garrison, Northeast Florida Builders Association executive officer. “The fact they do both commercial and residential is out of the norm. Many companies
will do one but won’t touch the other,” Garrison said. Shapiro started the company with a $30,000 personal investment, expanding to 100 employees repairing damage from Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Finding qualified and motivated employees has been his biggest obstacle. He does not hire subcontractors. His installers are full-time employees. Talent recruiters, trainers and field supervisors must speak English and Spanish. Shapiro spent six months to find and hire Camilo Calle as vice president of operations. “That hire plugged us into finding the right people,” Shapiro said of Calle, who is bilingual. The Reliant Roofing team understands that customer satisfaction is the goal.
BY THE NUMBERS Year Revenue Workers 2019 $15M
100
2018 $10.5M 80 2017 $7.8M
60
“We look to companies like Chick-fil-A and Amazon where the customer experience is great. A new roof is a big investment. We want to make it the best experience possible,” he said. Reliant pressure-washes residential driveways upon the completion of a job. Shapiro budgeted up to $15,000 this year for the $500 rewards Reliant Roofing pays for customer referrals. He said the year-old commercial division offers considerable potential. In the next five years he’d like to see Reliant Roofing reach $75 million in revenue. “We want to become a legacy company in Jacksonville like W.W. Gay (Mechanical Contractor Inc.) or Miller Electric,” he said.
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TOP ENTREPRENEURS: FINALIST, $15 MILLION AND UP CHRIS SHEE | MASTERCRAFT BUILDER GROUP | 2019 REVENUE: $34.3 MILLION
ACCOUNTABILITY AND DOING THE RIGHT THING Chris Shee seeks to “grow as the right opportunities present themselves and we can maintain our quality and service.” BY SCOTT SAILER STAFF WRITER
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Photo by Dede Smith
MasterCraft Builder Group founder and CEO Chris Shee launched his company in 2011 after being laid off twice.
Shee, CEO, considers staying focused on customer service and quality as his biggest challenge as the company grows. His approach is to ensure his family of employees and trade partners all are accountable to “do the right thing always.” Employee autonomy and accuracy are essential, he said.
Shee relies on feedback from customers to see what MasterCraft can do better and “keep a pulse on our overall product and service.” He reported 2019 revenue of $34.3 million with 31 employees. He said he does not have a five-year plan for revenue, intending to “grow as
First job: I’ve worked since I was in early elementary school cutting lawns and doing small jobs that I was able to accomplish but I’ve always done something. However, my first “real job” where I actually got a paycheck was at a pet store when I was 14. I worked there until I was 17. First product or service you sold: Saltwater and freshwater aquariums, tropical fish, etc., as well as reptiles when I worked at Pet World. One word that best describes your business strategy: Fair Best business lesson: Don’t focus on the profit. Instead, focus on working hard, providing a great product/service, learning, and treating people (employees and customers) fairly. Always do what’s right and the profit will follow. Biggest fear: Not being able to provide for my employees. Career advice you would give your 21-year-old self: Buckle up. Stay true and be the best. You’re in for one hell of a ride. If you had to start a new business tomorrow, it would be: Something complementary to one of our companies.
BY THE NUMBERS Year Revenue Workers 2019 $34.3M 31 2018 $29.2M 24 2017 $26.8M 23
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ith a desire to be the best homebuilder in St. Johns County, Chris Shee founded MasterCraft Builder Group in 2011. Before that, the recession hit him twice. He was laid off in 2007 from a national homebuilder and again in 2009 from a resort developer in Palm Coast. “If it wasn’t for the recession causing me to be laid off, I’m not sure I would have ever explored entrepreneurship,” Shee said. With six months of cash and credit reserves, he “rolled the dice” to work for himself. Financial worries and the fear of self-employment concerned him, he said. With discipline and determination, Shee did everything he could from converting a model-home sales office back into a garage; listing homes for sale; managing rental property; driving a base model car; and saving paper clips. He found a break when a friend loaned him money to buy a bankrupt subdivision in St. Augustine and he sold lots to builders. His relationship with bankers allowed him to consult in the management of foreclosed vacant properties. In 2011, Shee established MasterCraft, a semicustom homebuilder, with two friends and they built a spec house. In the first full year, they built and closed 20 homes. He bought out his partners early on and closed his 400th home in January.
the right opportunities present themselves and we can maintain our quality and service.” Shee foresees that he will want to halt the company’s volume to remain “a great homebuilder, community member and company overall.” Shee, 42, takes advantage of opportunities to form other companies, including SeaGlass Title; a pool-building company; Heritage Development Group; and the Tringali Barn at Heritage Farms, a 54-acre wedding and event venue. Bill Garrison, executive officer with the Northeast Florida Builders Association, said Shee’s skill as an entrepreneur shows by the company’s rapid growth and positive reviews from homebuyers. He said Shee’s expansion from building to development is “a huge jump for a local private builder.” Shee attributes MasterCraft’s survival during the peak of the COVID-19 shutdown to continued construction; Paycheck Protection Program funds; his employees; and his homebuyers. He believes in investing in St. Johns County, where he can make an impact. Shee volunteers at Seamark Ranch; is a director of NEFBA’s Builders Care and chairs NEFBA’s charitable foundation; volunteered to build the next Home from the Heart, whose proceeds are donated to Builders Care; hosts Clays for a Cause; serves on the University of North Florida Construction Management Program advisory board; and mentors students. “One of my guiding business strategies is to keep my head down, try to make the best decisions, take care of my people and community and work hard, never making money the priority,” he said.
CHRIS SHEE
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THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2020
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TOP ENTREPRENEURS: WINNER, $2 MILLION TO $15 MILLION JASON MCDONALD | FRESHJAX | 2019 REVENUE: $2.3 MILLION
BUSINESS PIVOT IS THE RIGHT MOVE On the brink of bankruptcy three years ago, Jason McDonald found success by dropping brick-and-mortar sales to focus on selling his organic spices online.
JASON MCDONALD First job: “The Next Door Service Company.” At 12, I wanted to buy Michael Jordan shoes to match the rest of my basketball team. My parents said no, unless I had the money to buy them. So, I started a lawn-mowing company to earn the money to buy the shoes. I kept growing the company until we had 40 lawns under contract and my friends were helping me service the accounts. I was able to pay for my undergraduate classes with profits from this company.
BY KATIE GARWOOD STAFF WRITER
I
n his early thirties, Jason McDonald was working 80 hours a week as a lighting consultant when he was diagnosed with a stomach
ulcer. He had high cholesterol and was “a heart attack waiting to happen,” he said. “That’s when the doctor gave me the wake-up call and said ‘Jason, if you don’t change, you’re going to die.’” He had two choices: take medication for the rest of his life or change to a healthier lifestyle. McDonald chose the latter, and with the help of his wife, Hillary, started eating healthier. When they realized the spices they were using to flavor their new, healthy meals were filled with MSG and preservatives, they started making their own by mixing organic blends. The two realized their spice blends could be a business opportunity. McDonald cashed out his retirement fund, life insurance policy, the equity on his home and maxed out his credit cards to start FreshJax Cafe and Yoga Studio. “I’ve been an entrepreneur, or at least had the spirit, my entire life,” he said. “So I went out on a limb and put everything we had into this business, and finally it’s starting to pay off.” McDonald initially launched a yoga studio and cafe, in addition to selling their spices, in a space at 11526 Lake Mead Ave., where the business still is located. McDonald quickly learned the yoga-cafe concept was not suited to Jacksonville and faced bankruptcy. Jim Stallings, owner of PS27 Ventures, invested in FreshJax in 2016 after convincing McDonald to change his business model. Just like the doctor alerted him to change his lifestyle, Stallings gave him the wake-up call to focus on selling spices online. McDonald closed the studio and cafe, sold the kitchen equipment and laid off 50 employees to focus on the one part of the business that was thriving, which was sales of the spice blends. “It was tough,” he said. “A lot of tears were shed, but ultimately it was the smartest thing I ever did.” Stallings urged him to drop the brick-and-mortar sales. At the time, more people were making
First product or service you sold: Lawn mowing One word that best describes your business strategy: Passionate Best business lesson: A smart person who takes no action makes no change in the world. Biggest fear: Forgetting the order of my priorities in life: God, family, FreshJax Career advice you would give your 21-year-old self: Be diligent with discretionary income by investing as much as possible as soon as possible If you had to start a new business tomorrow, it would be: A nonprofit to help families going through tough times.
BY THE NUMBERS Year Revenue Workers
Photo by Dede Smith
A lifestyle change led to Jason McDonald making his own organic spices and then launching the FreshJax business to sell them. “All of that is because we have a product that is amazing and a brand that really stands for something,” he said.
purchases online. McDonald found that using websites like Amazon to fulfill and market the product would allow the company to increase sales. “If you invested in a restaurant, chairs and aprons and knives and forks and a staff, you want people to show up,” Stallings said. “It’s hard for you to walk away from something like that and say it’s a bad idea. But they did, and it’s worked out wonderfully for them.” Three years later, McDonald’s FreshJax spice company is outgrowing the 3,000-square-
foot space on Lake Mead Avenue, at southeast Interstate 295 and Gate Parkway. He wants to buy a 12,000- to 18,000-square-foot space for its headquarters and distribution center. With COVID-19 closures, McDonald said demand for his products grew as more people began to cook at home, but he saw some supply chain issues. “We were very blessed to come out of this with our head above water,” he said. McDonald, 43, said that this year, his company is on track to break $6 million in revenue.
Starting out, the company had a handful of customers in its first year, bringing in $10,000. That grew to $40,000 the next year and $120,000 the following year because customers returned and referred others. He said the brand is a big reason customers keep coming back to FreshJax. “All of that is because we have a product that is amazing and a brand that really stands for something,” he said. “I feel like we’ve got a really good grasp of the marketplace, of our business, of our customers – especially what our customers want.”
2019 $2.3M
19
2018 $1.2M
11
2017 $674,457 4
McDonald also started an initiative to donate meals to families in need through an organization called Hunger Fight. McDonald and Hillary, FreshJax co-founder, have a daughter, 3, and a son, 3 months old. “My priorities are firmly set,” he said. “No. 1, God; No. 2, family; No. 3, FreshJax,” he said. “I do what I do to be able to provide for my family, also to donate and give back. We’re here on this earth for a short time, and I want to make a world of change.” KGARWOOD@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM (904) 356-2466
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TOP ENTREPRENEURS: FINALIST, $2 MILLION TO $15 MILLION JAY OWEN | DESIGN EXTENSIONS | 2019 REVENUE: $2.5 MILLION
JAY OWEN First job: I was 8 and I started a concession stand business from my wagon at a baseball field. My first “real” job was at 15 at an internet company in Jacksonville called MD Technology. I started Design Extensions two years later.
EARLY START BUILDS BRAND Jay Owen was 17 when he started his company. Now he’s working to help others build their brands. BY MIKE MENDENHALL STAFF WRITER
I
n 2001, Jay Owen was running his 2-year-old web design business out of his University of Central Florida dorm room. He’d been faxing his portfolio to the Jacksonville Symphony and was invited to meet. “Halfway through the dinner, one of the guys looked at me and said, ‘I hate to ask you this, but how old are you?’ I was like, ‘I’m 19. Does that bother you?’ And he said, ‘I guess not,’” Owen said. The Symphony executive then conceded that had he known Owen was a teenager, he likely would not have offered a contract. The symphony remains a client of Design Extensions today. Based in St. Augustine, Design Extensions has evolved into a full-service digital marketing company helping companies
with branding, videography and application development in addition to web services. “We found that often companies get their messaging wrong from the very beginning, and if you don’t know how to talk about yourself clearly, then you’re not going to be successful,” Owen, the CEO, said at the studio he opened four years ago at 701 Market St Owen, 38, built his first website at 12 and began Design Extensions at 17. Using wordof-mouth, Owen said he did $5,000 in revenue his first year. It reached $2.5 million last year. Tom Morrison, CEO of Metal Treating Institute Management, said Owen’s ability to meet a client’s budget and create a detailed digital project scope, even at the age of 17, is why he contracted him for the first trade association he managed. “I trust the younger generation. I’ll let (Owen) sink or swim by his skills,” Morrison said. Design Extensions targets small- and midsize businesses and has clients in California, New York and Texas, with 60% of his core business in Florida. Owen’s staff is shifting to
First product or service you sold: Cokes and chips at the baseball field at age 8. One word that best describes your business strategy: Persistence Best business lesson: There’s more to life than just work. Biggest fear: Failing as a husband or father.
Photo by Dede Smith
Jay Owen, 38, started Design Extensions when he was 17, At 19, he landed the Jacksonville Symphony as a client, and still has it.
project management, guiding outside contractors working on Design Extension clients’ multimedia projects. Owen published “Building a Business that Lasts: Without Sacrificing Family” in 2017 and launched a podcast. He and his wife, Claire, have five children. The COVID-19 pandemic did not impact his operations because most of the work can be done remotely.
Owen sees the next line of business in conferences and workshops to teach startups and small business owners about brand-building. He deliberately decided not to limit his services to niches. “You live or die by the industry, so we’re pretty diversified.” MMENDENHALL@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM (904) 356-2466
Career advice you would give your 21-year-old self: Be patient. Be willing to rest. The best ideas often come after rest. If you had to start a new business tomorrow, it would be: Business coaching and events
BY THE NUMBERS Year Revenue Workers 2019 $2.5M
18
2018 $2M
16
2017 $1.5M
12
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Navigating the Current Economic Conditions and CRE Influences We are excited to feature Researcher and Economist K.C. Conway as our guest speaker for our first luncheon of 2020. K.C. will explore COVID-19’s effect on commercial real estate, our economic outlook and how professionals can adapt to remain successful as the economy reopens. Mr. Conway is a favorite economist and speaker among CRE industry organizations, and we are fortunate to have him join us to provide valuable industry insight. We are eager to gather once again as a group and hope you are able to attend this compelling presentation.
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Registration/pay online www.naiopnefl.com/event Registration Deadline: Friday, July 3rd at Noon For more information contact Carmel Buchanan, 904/730-8075 or naiopnefl@comcast.net NAIOP/CCIM Members: $35 | Non-Member/Guest: $55 VIP Table of 8: $350 for NAIOP/CCIM Members | $550 for Non-Members (Includes table signage and preferred seating)
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Organic Spices
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THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2020
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Congratulations to
ja mcdod Nominated for Top Entrepreneur of 2020!
After a health scare in 2010, Jason McDonald realized his eating habits needed to make a drastic change. Having become aware of just how important personal nutrition really is, it was up to him to be conscious of every single ingredient he was consuming. For what seemed like the first time, Jason laid eyes on the ingredient list of his favorite spice while preparing a dish at home. The shock of realizing that he'd been consuming various artificial dyes, anti-caking chemicals, and radiation on an almost daily basis was enough to inspire his next step. Jason took it upon himself to start FreshJax, a family-owned organic spice company, because "Everyone deserves more from their spices." From then on, FreshJax knew its calling was to make the world a better place. Now having the opportunity to give back to his community that's provided him with so much support, Jason committed himself and FreshJax to their 1 Box Sold = 1 Meal Donated mission. By partnering with Hunger Fight, FreshJax donates one meal to a child in need for every organic spice gift set sold. Since initiating this mission in 2019, FreshJax has donated over 54,000 meals!
FRESHJAX.COM
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THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2020
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TOP ENTREPRENEURS: FINALIST, $2 MILLION TO $15 MILLION KRISTA SMITH | OPTIMUM PERSONNEL SERVICES | 2019 REVENUE: $5.2 MILLION
BUILDING A PATHWAY FOR HER CHILDREN TO SUCCEED “What keeps me waking up swinging every morning is being there to help people,” says Optimum Personnel Services founder Krista Smith. BY KAREN BRUNE MATHIS EDITOR
H
ere’s how to succeed in business with really trying. Staffing saleswoman Krista Smith learned from a prospect’s receptionist that he typically arrived at 5 a.m. and preferred a specific flavor of morning beverage. “So here’s Krista with two cups of Irish cream coffee from this gas station that he likes at 4:45,” Smith said. “‘Good morning, can we talk?’” Smith landed the contract, and continues to credit her clients for teaching her “essentially how to do my job.” That attitude led her to start Optimum Personnel Services on April 1, 2013, and build it to 2019 revenue of $5.2 million. Smith, 46, places people in jobs in at least 15 industries and has served more than 150 clients in four states. “What keeps me waking up swinging every morning is being there to help people,” she said at her 5800 Beach Blvd. office. Optimum sents out an average of 3,000 W-2 forms a year, with 2,200 in Jacksonville and rest in Georgia. She opened a St. Louis office this year. She had no formal staffing training. At that previous job, she grabbed a box of business cards, knocked on doors, prospected in the rain and heat, broke shoe heels, “whatever it took, 80 hours a week. ‘Do you need anything? Do you need people?’” Staffing company president wasn’t a career dream growing up. She refers to her “childhood” in quotation marks.
KRISTA SMITH First job: At 12 years old, I worked at a restaurant primarily as a hostess but whatever was needed. I come from generations of restaurant workers and owners. First product or service you sold: Photography services, I followed my grandfather around as a little girl. He had a darkroom in the basement and beautiful cameras and lenses. I developed the photo bug and what was a hobby turned into a business. I freelanced for a while and truly loved it. The responsibility of capturing and preserving big and small moments of people’s lives was truly wonderful. One word that best describes your business strategy: Problem-solving Best business lesson: Build a great team and trust them. As a mother and a business leader, we pride ourselves on multitasking and taking everything on ourselves. I have learned you can’t and shouldn’t do it all. Biggest fear: Not being able to live up to my word. Trust is difficult to gain but way too easy to lose.
Photo by Dede Smith
Krista Smith launched Optimum Personnel Services in 2013. She credits her clients for teaching her “essentially how to do my job.”
Smith said her parents in Chicago came from opposite sides of the track – one the wealthy side, the other not. She and a sister landed in foster care, which Smith left at 15 for her first apartment. She married at 17 and had her first child at 18. Smith relocated to Jacksonville 13 years ago to direct 25 regional locations for a photography studio company before she worked that first staffing job. She understands the need for a paycheck. “I know very much what it’s like to struggle. I do know when you put your bills in a hat and you had to pick one.” She wanted to provide a pathway for her children to succeed. “And that’s what drives me.” Smith has a son, 26, who works with her along with his
fiancee, and two daughters ages 28 and 19. She divorced before moving to Florida, arriving as a single mother. Smith appreciates her ability to motivate people. “When you talk to them about their strengths and what they can do and see the potential in them that they don’t even realize, they just want to do nothing more than live up to it or exceed it.” Leading by example, kindness, compassion and empathy, “that’s the key for me.” The COVID-19 pandemic drove up unemployment and her concerns. Her sales dropped in alignment with her clients’ industries. “I have unrelenting faith that we will rebound.” She wants to increase her staff of six to help with her promotion for no-cost staffing for two weeks to help companies reopen.
Smith said her “true calling” is Mercy Way Alliance Inc., a nonprofit she created in May 2019 to “serve the disadvantaged, previously incarcerated and people struggling with addiction issues by providing mentoring, housing, and support services.” Its website is mercyway.org. She wants to set up the nonprofit’s facilities on property she owns in Northwest Jacksonville and lease in the meantime. “She appears to have a real passion,” said City Council member Brenda Priestly Jackson. “I like what she’s proposing.” Smith’s purpose: “If I can help someone else, give them a hand up, then I’m absolutely going to do it.”
Career advice you would give your 21-year-old self: Don’t doubt yourself. You can accomplish things beyond your imagination and help people in the process. If you had to start a new business tomorrow, it would be: I would expand my nonprofit in helping families and children who face obstacles through housing, support services and education.
BY THE NUMBERS Year Revenue Workers 2019 $5.2M
5
2018 $6.2M
6
2017 $5.2M
5
KMATHIS@JAXDAILYRECORD.COM @MATHISKB (904) 356-2466
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TOP ENTREPRENEURS: WINNER, UP TO $2 MILLION MARY LOU HUGHES | NATURE VUE SKYLIGHTS | 2019 REVENUE: $600,000
FINDING STRENGTH AND BEING THE BEST Company founder Mary Lou Hughes finds her niche and overcomes adversity along the way. BY KAREN BRUNE MATHIS EDITOR
M
ary Lou Hughes’s first wages were chicken feed. Rather, they came from chicken feed, and horse feed and cow feed. The Mandarin teenager, the oldest of four children, often ran her father’s country feed store while he was working his day job in circulation at The Florida Times-Union. “It was my greatest delight when my dad came home to show him how much money I’d made. It was all cash,” recalls Hughes, who turned 71 in April. “That’s pretty much what got me into wanting to have my own business.” That business is Nature Vue Skylights and she started it almost 39 years ago. She takes pride that it’s a longtime company that focuses solely on selling and installing skylights, and 70% of her business is repeat and referrals. “That speaks to her strength and quality,” said Ralph DeCicco, secretary and past president of the North Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractors Association, which Hughes also led. Hughes started Nature Vue Skylights after working her way up from receptionist at the age of 20 to controller of a local company, eventually running one of two operating divisions. “I was the controller and they had this division that was always losing money. I raised my hand. ‘I know how to fix it,’” she said. “‘Put me in charge.’” They did. Successfully. Born in Maryland and raised in Jacksonville, Hughes is a 1968 graduate of Wolfson High School. She attended college but didn’t earn a degree. Her employer sent her to seminars, “everything that I could get where I learned how to run a company.” While her division was making money and the other wasn’t, owners chose the guy as the next president. Hughes considered starting “everything from a diaper service to a canoe outpost,” but a marketer hired at the company suggested installing skylights, “because nobody does it.” “And sure enough, nobody did it and nobody still does it. I am the only company like myself in North Florida,” she said. Hughes reported $600,000 in sales last year and a staff of five. Roofers install skylights, but she has specialized in it since the age of 32.
Photo by Dede Smith
Mary Lou Hughes launched Nature Vue Skylights almost 39 years ago when a marketer hired at her former employer suggested installing skylights, “because nobody does it.”
Hughes started the business in October 1981 with her husband, Stephen Rogers. She became sole owner in 2000 after Rogers, 45, died in an accident on the way to work when a tractor-trailer pulled out in front of him. Hughes arrived but the police officer wouldn’t allow her to see her husband. “I didn’t argue with him. I could see in his eyes. He said, ‘Please don’t make me do this.’” That was 20 years ago May 17. She had just turned 51. Hughes drove to the office. “All my employees are standing there. And I look around. ‘OK guys, I don’t know how we’re going to make it through this, but we are,’” she told them. “And I need you to do this, this and this, and they all went around and started doing it. And somehow we’re here.” Hughes learned: “Something is inside of all of us, sometimes you can find it and use it when you need it and sometimes you can’t, but it was there when I
needed it.” To generate another stream of revenue, she owns her property in the Phillips Highway South Business Park and leases out part of it for rental income. The pandemic affected business but installations are resuming. “The home improvements are starting back up.” Hughes walks her talk with 14 skylights in her Fruit Cove home. “If your bathroom is dark, and we leave it all bright and sparkly, you like us. You don’t forget us,” she said. “Every morning, it says ‘hi.’” Another lesson: “If you want to be the best, you can’t be the cheapest. It’s always been the best quality product and the best service,” she said. “If you’re cutting a hole in somebody’s roof, you really want to do it right. And they will love you, and that’s why I’ve been in business for 38 years.” KMATHIS@JAXDAILYRECORD.COM @MATHISKB (904) 356-2466
MARY LOU HUGHES First job: Waitress at age 16 First product or service you sold: Skylights, for my company, Nature Vue Skylights Your business strategy in brief: Be the best Best business lesson: Never give up. Biggest fear: The economy Career advice you would give your 21-year-old self: You can do it. Go for it.
If you had to start a new business tomorrow, it would be: Skylights. Natural light in homes has only become more relevant in the last 38 years. Natural light is good for us and makes us healthier and happier.
BY THE NUMBERS Year Revenue Workers 2019 $600,000 5 2018 $705,000 5 2017 $680,000 5
12
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THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2020
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TOP ENTREPRENEURS: FINALIST, UP TO $2 MILLION HOWDY RUSSELL | JUMPIN’ JAX HOUSE OF FOOD | 2019 REVENUE: $1.7 MILLION
PROVING A CONCEPT From the start, Howland “Howdy” Russell set a goal to open three restaurants. BY MIKE MENDENHALL STAFF WRITER
H
owland “Howdy” Russell had a threedecade career growing restaurant chains and franchise businesses before opening Jumpin’ Jax House of Food in 2017, but he’d never built a concept from scratch. “I needed a restaurant that I could replicate, that I could build to my initial goal which was a three-store chain,” Russell said. “Everything I was doing from June 2016 forward was built around getting to three stores within five years.” Russell succeeded. Jumpin’ Jax opened its first location in Mandarin in June 2017, a second in January 2019 in Atlantic Beach and the third in January at 20 W. Adams St. Downtown. His fast-casual chain specializes in burgers, sandwiches, hot dogs, chicken, pizza, salads,
wraps, sides, shakes and malts. “The first store is proving the concept, the second store is duplicating the concept and the third store is when you establish the benefits of having a group of stores,” he said. “That’s the mantra we have going forward.” An “Army brat from Texas,” Russell, 59, began managing restaurants in 1982 but ventured into selling memberships for the New England Health Racquet Sportsclub Association, a job that brought him to Orange Park in 1987. Mike Schneider, co-founder of The Loop Pizza Grill, hired him in 1990 as a management trainee after Russell called and told Schneider: “I need to come to work with you. I just had a burger and I loved it.” “He was the best boss I ever had,” Russell said. “He was trustworthy, smart, fun, funny, had a good concept and didn’t blow in the wind. He stayed very solid.” Russell left The Loop as director of operations in 1994, followed by a stint in development for Larry’s Giant Subs and then the management training
HOWDY RUSSELL First job: A laborer in a wholesale nursery in South Texas. First product or service you sold: Papa Gino’s Pizza One word that best describes your business strategy: Neighborly Best business lesson: Satisfy a need for the community. Biggest fear: Not having enough resources to care for my elderly mother-inlaw and my wife, who has MS. Career advice you would give your 21-year-old self: Tough times don’t last, but tough people do.
Photo by Dede Smith
Howland “Howdy” Russell launched Jumpin’ Jax House of Food in 2017, along a path that included 20 years outside the restaurant industry.
program at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, where he gained most of his perspective about running a restaurant chain. When Paul Davis Restoration Inc. approached him to improve profitability, Russell left the restaurant business for nearly 20 years. He returned in 2014, buying into Maple Street Biscuit Company, selling back in 2016 and then scouting locations for Jumpin’ Jax. COVID-19 changed his
operational model, but by June 7, he exceeded sales recorded the week before the pandemic closed nonessential businesses. He projects sales of almost $2.5 million this year, up from last year. Russell said the restaurant has “a mentality of survival,” including exploring expansion opportunities in West Jacsksonville and Clay and St. Johns counties.
If you had to start a new business tomorrow, it would be: A restaurant company
BY THE NUMBERS Year Revenue Workers 2019 $1.7M
52
2018 $798,797 37 2017* $366,919 19 *Six months
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JACKSONVILLE DAILY RECORD / JACKSONVILLE RECORD & OBSERVER
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THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2020
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TOP ENTREPRENEURS: FINALIST, UP TO $2 MILLION ALFREDA BONEY | PERFECTLY SUITED CAREER CONSULTING | 2019 REVENUE: $75,500
ALFREDA BONEY First job: Restaurant cashier.
A PASSION FOR HELPING BY KATIE GARWOOD STAFF WRITER
F
or the majority of the time she has owned her business, Alfreda Boney has been spread thin. Until February 2019, Boney worked full time as a recruiter, running Perfectly Suited Career Consulting in the spare moments between. She would attend networking events on her lunch break and after work, trying to grow her company while working as a recruiter. “During the day you have to put on that hat and be there for them and do what they need you to do,” she said. “And in your heart you’re saying, but gosh, you can give all your time and attention to someone else, but they may not appreciate you to that level. They may not see things your way.” For a little more than a year, Boney has been focusing solely
on her business, although working two jobs for 11 years wasn’t all bad. It helped her see things from the job recruitment perspective so she could better help those looking for jobs, which is her company’s focus. Working for herself has its challenges, but Boney said she loves being available for her clients and the flexibility her job allows her. “This is all I have – no net,” she said. “It’s like you’ve got to do it or die.” Perfectly Suited Career Consulting provides career development services and training and an accredited customer experience professional certification program. She works with organizations such as Operation New Hope and individuals looking for work. Boney, 48, grew up in Jacksonville, Georgia. She has two kids, Desiree, 25, and Alex, 29. Boney helps build resumes, prepares clients for interviews and assists them in finding jobs for which they are suited. “This is truly a passion of mine, to help others to be selfsustaining, to see them being
Your business strategy in brief: Building relationships Best business lesson: Everyone that cheers for you may honestly not be for you. Biggest fear: Not being able to serve enough people. Career advice you would give your 21-year-old self: I would tell her to see the world and be open to learning new things. I waited and did what others suggested was the “normal” way of doing. Thank God I am following my heart now. Photo by Dede Smith
able to win, take care of their families or themselves,” she said. “I love being that change agent for them.” With COVID-19, most of Boney’s training sessions went virtual. While she did see a downtick in sessions and some financial losses, starting virtual training allowed her to open up her services to people anywhere, not just in Jacksonville.
Marital/ Family Law
Even without a global pandemic, owning a business has its challenges. Boney said that on days when “you just want to lay there,” her clients give her the motivation to get up. “I like helping others,” she said.
2019 $75,500 1 2018 $87,000 1 2017 $65,000 1
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Alfreda Boney launched her company, Perfectly Suited Career Consulting, 11 years ago. She helps clients build resumes, interview and land jobs.
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Alfreda Boney builds her business on becoming an agent for change.
The first product or service you sold: Resumes as I became a Certified Professional Resume Writer in 2007.
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JACKSONVILLE DAILY RECORD / JACKSONVILLE RECORD & OBSERVER
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THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2020
JaxDailyRecord.com
Comp store sales at Cracker Barrel drop 41.7% in the third quarter ended May 1 amid pandemic.
File image
Cracker Barrel acquired Maple Street in October for $36 million.
Like every other restaurant chain, Maple Street Biscuit Company lost sales during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Maple Street did outperform the main brand of its parent company, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc., in the latest quarter. “We believe they experienced less severe declines than Cracker Barrel due to their higher off-premise mix and the fact that the fast-casual segment was less impacted than casual dining,” CEO Sandy Cochran said during Cracker Barrel’s quarterly conference call last week. The company did not give data for Maple Street. But it said sales at restaurants excluding Maple Street
open for more than one year dropped 41.7% in the third quarter ended May 1. Cracker Barrel acquired Maple Street in October for $36 million and moved the Maple Street offices from Orange Park to Cracker Barrel’s headquarters near Nashville, Tennessee. “Despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, the integration has progressed well and I’ve been impressed with how they’ve managed through the crisis,” Cochran said. Maple Street has 34 restaurants in seven states, while Cracker Barrel has 664 restaurants in 45 states. Cracker Barrel intends to grow the Maple Street chain. The company is continuing with plans to convert six other
Ex-Comptroller Otting joins Black Knight board
Less than two weeks after leaving his position as the top regulator of national banks, Joseph Otting was elected to the board of directors of mortgage technology company Black Knight Inc. on June 8. Otting served as U.S. Comptroller of the Currency from November 2017 until May 29. The Comptroller’s office is an arm of the U.S. Treasury Department that regulates nationally chartered banks. Otting did not give a reason for his departure but it was
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While market volatility makes it difficult to invest in the short term, Barclays Capital analyst Brandon Oglenski last week touted Jacksonvillebased railroad company CSX Corp. for the long term. “Industry-leading profitability and cash flow coupled with a targeted growth strategy make CSX shares a compelling long-term opportunity for long-term investors,” Oglenski said in a research note. “Following several years of operational improvement, CSX now delivers near industryleading profitability and service levels,” he said. Oglenski raised his price target for CSX from $67 to $76, with the stock trading at $70.87 at the time of his report. He expects the company’s freight volume to increase. “While difficult to detect since the beginning of freight market challenges last year and continuing headwinds during the pandemic, we suspect CSX’s strategy to leverage lower cost and improve service outcomes will lead to future volume expansion,” he said. MBASCH@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM
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RBC Capital Markets analyst Paul Quinn downgraded his rating on struggling Rayonier Advanced Materials Inc. last week, saying the Jacksonvillebased company’s industry faces “increasing headwinds.” “Covid-19 has had an outsized negative impact on fiber markets, resulting in viscose, cotton, and polyester all trading near all-time lows,” Quinn said in his research note. “We attribute this to the sharp decline in retail sales from clothing companies,” he said. Quinn said pulp product companies benefited from a pandemic-related surge in demand for tissue products. “However, we believe that the surge is already showing signs of slowing and will likely decline further as the economy normalizes and people use more away-from-home tissue (which is made with more
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announced last month after his office completed an overhaul of the Community Reinvestment Act, a federal law aimed at prohibiting discrimination in lending practices. News reports said overhauling the CRA was a top priority for Otting. His election increases Jacksonville-based Black Knight’s board to nine directors.
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MARK BASCH CONTRIBUTING WRITER
restaurants under its Holler & Dash brand to the Maple Street chain and during the conference call, Chief Financial Officer Jill Golder said it expects to open 15 new Maple Street restaurants in fiscal 2021. “We believe Maple Street has attractive unit economics with AUVs (average unit volumes) over $1 million in a normal non-COVID environment and an investment cost below $750,000,” Holder said. “We remain excited about the future of Maple Street Biscuit Co.,” Cochran said. “The resilience they’ve demonstrated in recent months has reinforced the attractiveness of their brand and their business model and we look forward to accelerating their growth,” she said.
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THE BASCH REPORT
Maple Street outperforms Cracker Barrel
JACKSONVILLE DAILY RECORD / JACKSONVILLE RECORD & OBSERVER
JaxDailyRecord.com
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THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2020
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Get In Touch! 904-725-4355 6747 Southpoint Parkway Jacksonville, FL 32216 www.nefba.com
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Nate Day President
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Thomas May Construction
June 23, 2020 | NEFBA Auditorium | 1:00-2:30PM Josh Garrison
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COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE
JACKSONVILLE DAILY RECORD / JACKSONVILLE RECORD & OBSERVER
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THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2020
JaxDailyRecord.com
Top commercial sales of the week BY SCOTT SAILER • STAFF WRITER
Here are the top 10 commercial real estate sales in Northeast Florida, comprising Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties. The sales were recorded June 1-7.
The Hampton Inn at 8127 Point Meadows Drive sold for $8.1 million.
DUVAL
DUVAL
ST. JOHNS
ST. JOHNS
DUVAL
$8,100,000
$5,978,004
$3,766,400
$3,766,400
$3,058,000
8127 Point Meadows Drive, Jacksonville
Jacksonville
Anthem Ridge Drive, Ponte Vedra
Anthem Ridge Drive, Ponte Vedra
Type: 35 residential lots in Crosswater Village Phase 4 Parcel size: Not available Buyer: Jax Construction Holdings LLC Seller: Sonoc Co. LLC
Type: 35 residential lots in Crosswater Village Phase 4 Parcel size: Not available Buyer: Toll Southeast LP Co. Inc. Seller: Sonoc Co. LLC
4509 and 4666 Cedar Point Road, Jacksonville
Type: Hampton Inn Parcel size: 1.87 acres Building size: 58,425 square feet Buyer: LRP Hotels of Jacksonville LLC Seller: Jax-Bay Hotel LLC
Type: 35 homes in Jacksonville Parcel size: Not available Buyer: AMNL Asset Co. LLC Seller: Jeff 1 LLC
Type: Undeveloped residential Parcel size: 58.32 acres Buyer: Pulte Home Co. LLC Seller: Sustainable Jax LLC
DUVAL
DUVAL
ST. JOHNS
DUVAL
DUVAL
$1,732,500
$1,631,941
$1,000,000
$945,000
$855,678
Invention Lane, Jacksonville
Jacksonville
109 B St., St. Augustine
8255 Bayberry Road, Jacksonville
Jacksonville
Type: 23 residential lots in Kettering at E-Town Phase I Parcel size: Not available Buyer: Providence Construction Co. Seller: Kettering DEV 133 LLC
Type: 10 residential houses Parcel size: Not available Buyer: CPI/Amherst SFR Program Owner LLC Seller: MIPR 3 Assets LLC
Type: Apartments Parcel size: 0.32 acres No. of units: Four Building size: 5,412 square feet Buyer: Odis G. Glover IV Seller: Gayl A. Masson Previous sale: $522,000 in 2014
Type: Medical office Parcel size: 0.34 acres Building size: 4,439 square feet Buyer: SLIU 8255 Bayberry LLC Seller: H. Ronald Levin
Type: Five homes in Jacksonville Parcel size: Not available Buyer: AMNL Asset Co. LLC Seller: MUPR 3 Assets LLC
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or 20 years, attorney Sean Cronin has helped clients in Florida with
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