Jonesy’s Stop n Shop chosen for Small Business of the Month Award
Brad Jones, Owner, Jonesy’s Stop n Shop
AMES, Iowa – America’s SBDC Iowa (SBDC) is pleased to announce that Jonesy’s Stop n Shop, of Rockwell, is the winner of the organization’s statewide August Small Business of the Month Award.
Brad Jones is a Rockwell native and entrepreneur with a vision to solve the problem of a rural food desert. In 2014, with the recent closure of the town’s only convenience store, Brad Jones decided it was time to take matters into his own hands. Brad contacted the NIACC SBDC John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center for advice in purchasing the local gas station and convenience store that had recently closed with an eye toward making sure Rockwell citizens had food and fuel access. Brad persevered through the process of financing and purchasing the building from the previous owner, and held the Grand Opening of Jonesy’s Stop n Shop in January 2016.
“Working with the SBDC was a great experience,” Brad says. “Especially their help with obtaining financing. Before we started working with the Pappajohn SBDC, we heard the word no many times but we kept going after it. Once we got the business plan put together and the numbers set in stone, everything fell into place.”
Since 2016, Jonesy’s Stop n Shop has expanded its grocery options and opened a casual counter service restaurant within the building. Jonesy’s offers pizza, broasted chickens, and lunchtime specials – all cooked on site. Brad Jones helps to feed his community and has plans for continued expansion: his next step is to expand into fresh meat, something that the people of Rockwell have to drive almost 30 minutes to buy.
Brad saw a need in his community and decided to be the one to do something about it. He says, “I knew that the people of Rockwell needed this store – I really wanted to have it there and have it open. And it was up to me to get it done. So I did.”
“We are so happy for Jonesy’s Stop n Shop and what they have accomplished,” says State Director Lisa Shimkat. “They are extremely deserving of this award and an asset to their community.”
For more information about Jonesy’s Stop n Shop, visit https://www.facebook.com/Jonesys-Stop-n-Shop-1059940800725356/
America’s SBDC Iowa is an outreach program of Iowa State University’s Ivy College of Business and the Office of Economic Development and Industry Relations. Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, ethnicity, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. Veteran. Inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies may be directed to the Office of Equal Opportunity, 3410 Beardshear Hall, 515 Morrill Road, Ames, Iowa 50011, Tel. 515-294-7612, Hotline 515-294-1222, email eooffice@iastate.edu.
Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, America’s SBDC Iowa has 15 regional assistance centers located strategically across the state. Since program inception in 1981, the SBDC has helped Iowa businesses and entrepreneurs through no fee, confidential, customized, professional business counseling and practical, affordable training workshops.
For more information on America’s SBDC Iowa programs or services, call (515) 294-2030 or visit www.iowasbdc.org, https://www.facebook.com/AmericasSBDCIowa, or @IowaSBDC on Instagram and Twitter.
Contact:
Stacy Dreyer, America’s SBDC Iowa, 515-294-5595, sdreyer@iastate.edu
Brook Boehmler, North Iowa Area SBDC, 641-422-4342, brook.boehmler@niacc.edu
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