SBA district honors go to brothers behind Jazz Sales

That’s when the duo will be honored as the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Small Business Person of the Year for SBA’s Kansas City district, which includes the SBA’s Springfield branch office.

A niche opportunity

Founded in April 2002 by Kenny Williams, Jazz Sales initially provided water and waste tanks for the horse-trailer conversion industry, but the company has since expanded its product lines from about 16 items to more than 1,200 that allow horse owners to have living quarters on the trailers they use to transport their animals.

“We offer … everything from kitchen sinks, faucets, holding tanks, wall vinyls, showers, lighting, toilets – pretty much everything they need (to) convert a horse trailer,” said Keith Williams, who joined Jazz Sales in March 2003 after working in the food service and automotive industries.

Kenny Williams’ background is in various industries, including trucking, where he worked in the transport refrigeration division of Ozark Kenworth. He started Jazz Sales after losing his job, but what he initially wanted to do was work as a manufacturers’ representative.

“I learned pretty quickly that all the good product lines were already taken,” he said. “I discovered a niche opportunity to sell parts to the guys who were doing these horse-trailer conversions.”  

For a Springfield company to take top district honors is no small feat – the Kansas City district not only covers a significant portion of Missouri, but it stretches into Kansas as well, according to Janice Bowman, business development specialist and public information officer for SBA’s Springfield office.

“It’s a pretty big area,” Bowman said, noting that there were eight nominations in the district.

In 2003, Jazz Sales obtained a $100,000 loan from Countryside Bank through SBA’s 7(a) loan guaranty program, which is most often used for working capital. Countryside Senior Vice President Ilene Glenn, the Williamses’ banker, nominated them for Small Business Person of the Year honors.

“They pay a great deal of attention to their business,” Glenn said. “They react when they need to react, and they follow through with their customers’ needs.”

Positioned for growth

The company started out in Kenny Williams’ 400-square-foot garage. After moving several times to accommodate growth, Jazz Sales relocated in December 2007 into a 22,000-square-foot warehouse at 2940 N. Ingram Drive.

That building was built by David Williams, the brothers’ cousin, of Williams Construction. According to a building permit on file with the city of Springfield, Jazz Sales’ new location had an estimated construction cost of $1.2 million. That project was partially funded by a $460,000 loan from Rural Missouri Inc. through the SBA’s 504 program, which funds the purchase of real estate or fixed assets.

The Ingram Drive site is built with future growth in mind. Storage racks can be expanded vertically, and the building can be added to as needed.

The company serves manufacturers throughout the United States, and it also does business in Canada

In the early days, Keith Williams, whose strong suit is in sales, spent time on the phone and on the road, making contacts with key people in the horse-trailer-conversion industry. The company also has widened its customer base through www.jazzsales.com.

Many trailer-conversion companies are small operations, Keith Williams said, but as a wholesale distributor, Jazz Sales is able to offer them bigger buying power.

“In our industry, most manufacturers aren’t very big, so it’s hard for them to go out and buy huge quantities to get a good price. That’s what we do,” he said.

While declining to disclose revenues, Kenny Williams, whose strengths are more on the numbers side, said the company doubled its sales every year for its first three or four years, though business has leveled out more recently. “I don’t think we’ve hit a plateau, but obviously, you can’t double your sales very year,” he said.

Jazz Sales has nine employees – including all three of Keith Williams’ children. Oldest son Greg is the general manager; son Evan works in sales and daughter Jaime works part time in processing.

“We could grow a lot bigger if he had more kids,” Kenny Williams quipped.

Like other businesses, Jazz Sales is feeling the pinch of higher gas prices.

“Somebody (who was) going out and trail-riding two or three times a month may only go once or twice a month,” Keith Williams said, noting that customers also are staying closer to home to hit the trails, so they’re scaling back on what they put into their trailers.

Still, the duo is banking on continued growth, and they’re looking at acquisitions or branching out into other niches.

They’re honored to be chosen for recognition by the SBA, and in addition to the Springfield breakfast, their accomplishments also will be celebrated during a May 20 awards luncheon at the Muehlbach Hotel in Kansas City.

“It’s taken a lot of hard work from our employees, support from our families and encouragement from our friends to achieve what we have,” Kenny Williams said, and both brothers specifically cited their wives’ support as key to their success.

Also important is the brothers’ sense of teamwork. Technically, Kenny Williams is president of Jazz Sales, and Keith is the vice president, though Keith Williams noted that they don’t get too hung up on titles.

“If a toilet overflows, we’re both on top of it,” he said.

Small Business Week Kickoff

Brothers Kenny and Keith Williams will be honored as Small Business Person of the Year for the Kansas City district of the U.S. Small Business Administration at a Small Business Week kickoff breakfast, 7:30–9 a.m. May 5 at Wellington Place, 317 Park Central East. The cost is $10 per person, and registration is available by calling the local SBA office at (417) 890-8501.