Posted 12:56 am Sunday, October 14, 2012
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Mattress franchisee has 'firm' ties to East Texas
By Brian Pearson
bpearson@tylerpaper.com
Whether it is swimming pools or mattresses, Denis Jones sees his salesman role as one that enhances a family’s quality of life.
bpearson@tylerpaper.com
Whether it is swimming pools or mattresses, Denis Jones sees his salesman role as one that enhances a family’s quality of life.
Jones owns seven Mattress Firm franchises in East Texas.
He grew up in San Antonio, where his dad served as a firefighter and his mom was a homemaker and seamstress. He has two sisters.
“She was booked about nine months out on stuff,” Jones said of his mother’s seamstress work. “She was pretty good.”
Jones attended Douglas MacArthur High School, where he played briefly on the football team.
“I got my clock cleaned a couple of times, so I became the manager instead,” he said.
He described growing up the son of a firefighter as “a blast.”
“We got to go down to the firehouse,” he said. “All of his buddies were like family. It was a tight-knit group.
“We also had horses, so we’d go to rodeos. We showed horses every weekend. It was a good life.”
After graduating from MacArthur High School in 1976, Jones went straight into the swimming-pool industry, going to work for a builder.
He stayed in San Antonio until 1987, when he landed a job with a major pool manufacturer in Dallas. He became a regional manager.
“It’s a tight-knit organization,” Jones said of the pool-building subculture. “It’s a lot of fun and all about recreation, family and creating environments for people to enjoy their family and stay home.”
Jones started his own company in Dallas in 1999, building pools and constructing backyard living areas.
“She was booked about nine months out on stuff,” Jones said of his mother’s seamstress work. “She was pretty good.”
Jones attended Douglas MacArthur High School, where he played briefly on the football team.
“I got my clock cleaned a couple of times, so I became the manager instead,” he said.
He described growing up the son of a firefighter as “a blast.”
“We got to go down to the firehouse,” he said. “All of his buddies were like family. It was a tight-knit group.
“We also had horses, so we’d go to rodeos. We showed horses every weekend. It was a good life.”
After graduating from MacArthur High School in 1976, Jones went straight into the swimming-pool industry, going to work for a builder.
He stayed in San Antonio until 1987, when he landed a job with a major pool manufacturer in Dallas. He became a regional manager.
“It’s a tight-knit organization,” Jones said of the pool-building subculture. “It’s a lot of fun and all about recreation, family and creating environments for people to enjoy their family and stay home.”
Jones started his own company in Dallas in 1999, building pools and constructing backyard living areas.
He became a Mattress Firm franchisee in 2010. The company, which has about 1,200 outlets nationwide, gave him two options to start up, and he chose East Texas over the Interstate 35 corridor.
“East Texas was a lot prettier than the concrete on 35,” he said. “The people are nicer.”
Jones has two Mattress Firm franchises in Tyler, one in Lufkin, one in Longview and three in the Bossier City-Shreveport area. He employs 25 people.
He said he enjoys working with families and for a major corporation. He has more outlets in the works.
Jones is single and has two grown children, both of whom are attending the University of Arkansas and majoring in international business.
When he is not working, he enjoys hitting the road on his Harley Davidson motorcycle.
Most subjects for this column come from business cards randomly pulled from a briefcase. Send cards to Managing Editor Brian Pearson, 410 E. Erwin St., Tyler, Texas, 75702.
“East Texas was a lot prettier than the concrete on 35,” he said. “The people are nicer.”
Jones has two Mattress Firm franchises in Tyler, one in Lufkin, one in Longview and three in the Bossier City-Shreveport area. He employs 25 people.
He said he enjoys working with families and for a major corporation. He has more outlets in the works.
Jones is single and has two grown children, both of whom are attending the University of Arkansas and majoring in international business.
When he is not working, he enjoys hitting the road on his Harley Davidson motorcycle.
Most subjects for this column come from business cards randomly pulled from a briefcase. Send cards to Managing Editor Brian Pearson, 410 E. Erwin St., Tyler, Texas, 75702.
