A New Spin

July 15, 2024

+4

Coach knew how to get things back on track.

As the owner of JAM Best One Fleet Service, Jim Jones, affectionately known as "Coach," was looking for a place to consolidate his business operations in Toledo. Over time, JAM has grown from a small operation to 180 employees at 15 sites across Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana.

To the residents of the Bennett Park neighborhood, the mess that surrounded their homes looked like it'd never be anything good again. Sprawling over 9 acres at the corner of Lewis Avenue and Laskey Road in west Toledo, the building was built in Toledo's industrial heyday, serving dozens of nearby automotive manufacturers. However, the last owner went into bankruptcy during the Great Recession, and the property was left behind.

Tax delinquent. Covered in every weed and tree you can imagine. A convenient place for ne'er-do-wells to dump thousands of old tires.

The neighborhood deserved better.

That's where the Land Bank stepped in. After fighting off property speculators who had no plan to restore the property, the Land Bank took ownership intending to restore the site to good use.

And JAM did just that. The company invested $4 million in renovations, including $2.8 million in energy-saving upgrades. Their work is expected to create and sustain 200 jobs in the Toledo community with the support of numerous local and state partners.

Today, Coach reports to work in a state-of-the-art operations center, overseeing efforts to retread up to 70,000 tires annually. And nearby residents have a neighbor who keeps up the property and answers the phone, a very welcomed change!

It's a new spin on an old building but it works again thanks to the Land Bank's help.