Jackson MI - Jackson Chamber of Commerce

Capturing Jackson’s Memories Since 2009

Written by Amanda Loveland on March 6, 2023. Posted in Featured Stories.

Picture This…Jackson has been a cornerstone of the Jackson community for decades. Some may remember a small photo store in the Westwood Mall, where Kyle Hockley, co-owner of Picture This…Jackson got his start in the community. In 2009, Kyle and his business partner, David Hood, got word from Ritz Camera that their store was next to be closed, due to the upcoming recession. Before opening at the bottom of the recession, attending conferences and conventions, people in the industry wondered, “Who would open a photo store right now?”

Years later, Picture This…Jackson has grown to be an internationally recognized photo imaging store. What they found as an old office space ended up being the store they now call home, located on Wisner Street. Their store has seen plenty of evolution over time, including doubling its size by 2016. The reason Picture This…Jackson is so successful and is as widely recognized as it is, especially after opening at such an uncertain time, is because it’s not your typical photography store.

Picture This…Jackson offers a wide variety of products and services. They are an imaging store, not limited to just prints. They take advantage of opportunities through national buying groups IPI (Independent Photo Imagers) and Pro. Pro offers high-quality cameras and photography equipment. These associations allow Picture This…Jackson to compete in camera sales and in photo products compared to the national competition.

They can print up to 42” on most materials and 12”x18” on glass or metal. If you’re serious about printing your pictures, Picture This…Jackson is the place to do so. Whether it’s the way they’re displayed in the hall of your home or given to family members as a unique gift. They also offer gallery mounts, video and film transfers, collages, memorial presentations, yard signs, and banners. Kyle and his team can revive old video tapes and can even be trusted with restoring and scanning those vintage photos of past loved ones.

“It’s not just a picture business, it’s a memory business. It’s all about memories,” Kyle reflected, as he explained that serving not only Jackson but patrons who drive from all over the region to receive the service the team at Picture This…Jackson provides. Kyle continued that those who visit the store leave happy because they leave with a memory, whether that memory has been restored or digitally saved to enjoy for the rest of time. Neither Kyle nor David predicted how much success they would see when opening in 2009. “It kind of just happened,” Kyle said. The fact that thousands of people are thankful to have services like this in Jackson is really something special. Something Kyle hears all the time from people who drive from outside the area is along the lines of, “I wish our town had something like this.” Picture This…Jackson gets the opportunity to touch people’s lives, near and far.

Camera and film enthusiasts are thrilled to hear that Picture This…Jackson utilizes a wet lab versus a dry lab. Dry labs are often what you’ll see when printing your photos from the same places you buy your groceries, often ending up with low-quality prints. In a wet lab, laser beams expose an image on light-sensitive paper, ensuring a much clearer picture, perfect for professional photos.

When you’re not seeing the team in the store, you might find them at most local high schools photographing sports teams. You may have even seen them taking preschool pictures or even your professional headshot. They offer a wide variety of photography services, from corporate to sports leagues.

Picture This…Jackson is home to a small but mighty team. Kyle and David crossed paths a few times before working together professionally at their small shop in the mall, when David was doing photography on the side at the time. Now, David oversees all the tech and networking behind the business. He shoots leagues on the weekend and captures other events as well. Other team members include Roy, their product specialist, who “knocks it out of the park every time.” Michelle, the in-house graphic design expert. Paula manages the lab and shoots seniors. Megan works in the back room, doing the dye sublimation of products, and even fixes their machines, troubleshooting problems their equipment may have. Leo is a 75-year-old retired minister, who has always wanted to try photography. “He’s REALLY good,” Kyle shared. Craig is a former prison guard and is now an associate at the store, proving everyone has their niche. Wendy, Kyle’s wife, does the books and keeps the business in order behind the scenes. Mike teaches their ever-so-popular photography classes and is also an in-house graphic design expert.

Jackson is lucky to have such a unique asset. Memory making is one thing, but preserving and saving those memories for a lifetime is something that Picture This…Jackson specializes in. Stop in and see for yourself; you’ll find walls lined with countless ways to preserve memories of your own.

A Look Inside the Jackson Area Career Center

Written by Amanda Loveland on February 20, 2023. Posted in Featured Stories.

Growing up and approaching college can be intimidating for young minds. What if college isn’t right for them? What if it is, but they want to practice in their field before putting thousands of dollars towards a degree? The Jackson Area Career Center offers those possibilities to high school students, along with so much more.

The Jackson Area Career Center (JACC) isn’t just a building on the outskirts of town where students slip away to for class, it is an extension of high school. The JACC is a career and technical education school (CTE), where students can enjoy hands-on learning while acquiring college credit and real-life experience. February is CTE Month, which means that the JACC will be hosting an open house on March 1, 2023, to see what career paths may be awaiting students in Jackson County. If they find one they’re interested in, they have the chance to enroll that day, with the help of their school counselor. This will be the only time the Career Center is open to the public. High school sophomores and juniors can familiarize themselves with the many programs the JACC has to offer. Those programs include:

Agriscience

Amy JROTC

Automotive Collision Repair

Automotive Technology Services

Careers in Education

Computer Information Technology

Construction

Cosmetology

Culinary Arts

Dental Health

Engineering

Firefighting

Health Technician

Law Enforcement

Manufacturing Technologies

Sales and Marketing

Visual Communications

Welding

The JACC adapts to school schedules, replacing some typical electives. All local high schools offer transportation to students who cannot drive themselves. They are accepting students in public schools, private schools, and even homeschooled students.

Each program has various focuses and options within each category. As each program is different, not all programs run the same. For example, the health technician program is a two-year program. In the first year, students learn foundational terminology used in the medical field and receive CPR, first aid, and proper PPE training. During their second year, they get to focus more on what part of their field interests them most. Recently, Health Technician students were interested in fields like labor and delivery or orthopedics. From there, they are able to hear from guest speakers in those fields and practice a bit of what they may be learning with hands-on, real-life experience, often from local businesses and organizations. In the past, the JACC has partnered with Henry Ford Health to pass on the proper resources and contacts to students. This can be enlightening, to seniors especially, because it helps them get a taste of what they want to be. Principal Dan Draper stressed that “It’s important to figure it out as you go,” as so many students are pressured to pursue a college degree, though oftentimes, students aren’t fully aware of what they’re committing to before they start college.

In the past, high schools have been known to have a college push, and the JACC strives to provide proper exploration for students. A term they use often is “Try before you buy,” because these programs can literally save students thousands.

Students in the Agriscience program learn to birth pigs, raise them, and show and sell them at the county fair. Cosmetology students can get licensed through the program that the JACC offers, and have plenty of practice, as Dan Draper pointed to his own head, sharing that a student that day had given him a haircut.

Each class can hold up to 24 students, and they receive industry experience from classically trained professionals in their field. From there, each student is helped with building a talent portfolio that they can take with them as they move on to college classes or job interviews. Though the JACC is a CTE school, it is not just for kids who don’t see college in their future. There are programs in cybersecurity, manufacturing, health, and more that offer a “13^th grade,” in which students are able to graduate with an Associate degree.

How To Enroll

The JACC takes new enrollments through March. If you don’t know a potential Career Center student, consider visiting their greenhouse for the Agriscience/FFA Plant and Flower Sale on May 6 and May 13, where you can pick up fresh flowers and more. Kaci Babineau, Marketing and Special Projects Coordinator, explained that the lines have been impressive in past years, so come early! Another upcoming event that the JACC celebrates is Signing Day, which celebrates the students who have a plan for when they leave the Career Center, whether that’s continuing to pursue a degree or those who are entering the workforce.

If you know a student who may be interested in kickstarting their career in a CTE setting, consider the Jackson Area Career Center. Students will be able to surround themselves with others on similar paths, ready to learn about what their future can hold. Call the Career Center today at 517-768-5100.

Southern Michigan Bank & Trust Comes to Jackson

Written by Amanda Loveland on February 6, 2023. Posted in Featured Stories.

When searching for a bank, commitment, trust, and reliability may be three of the main components of your search. John Waldron, Jackson Market President of Southern Michigan Bank & Trust (SMBT), explained that, with three new branches coming to Jackson County, their commitment to Jackson is a top priority. Though new to Jackson County, SMBT has been around for 150 years. Their brick-and-mortar locations may be new to Jackson, but this is not the first time they have done lending in the community.

Banking for Your Business

SMBT extends from Kalamazoo to Jackson and south. Headquartered in Coldwater, the team at SMBT are ready to get their hands in the Jackson market. Having a commitment to downtown development, they will have a branch with full-service production on the lower level of The 200 building on North Jackson Street. They are hoping to complete that branch, come second quarter. Additionally, their loan production office will be on the fourth floor of the post office’s building on West Michigan Avenue. The team at SMBT is excited to be part of the hustle and bustle that makes downtown Jackson both unique and exciting. Outside of downtown, they will have a separate, brand-new branch on the corner of Weatherwax and Horton Road, keeping them accessible to multiple areas of the community.

Commercial Lending

Between both John Waldron and Bill Jors, Senior Vice President and Commercial Loan Officer, the two of them have 60 years of banking experience. Being local to Jackson, they look forward to making SMBT a trusted community bank. John explained it as having a “local feel,” with several community partners and a strong local team. The two of them have served Jackson in their field for several years, and they look forward to continuing with what is the eighth-largest bank headquartered in Michigan. Since the decision was made to bring SMBT to the area, the Jackson team has grown by seven new hires, and are continuing to grow their team.

“If you would like creative solutions and local decisions by financial professionals that have lived and banked here for 30 years, then we are your bank.”
John Waldron

With the plan to serve Jackson as a committed, trusted, and reliable community bank, they plan to meet the needs for whatever types of financing Jackson requires, big or small. Southern Michigan Bank & Trust handles all types of banking and lending, including commercial lending, residential, and wealth management.

Call them today: John: (517)474-2446, Bill: (517)740-2733

Open Positions

Big Plans Coming for JAX 60

Written by Amanda Loveland on January 9, 2023. Posted in Featured Stories.

JAX 60 has been a Jackson staple for decades. You may have once known it as Airport Lanes, maybe even back when it had just 36 lanes. Since then, it has had an additional 24 lanes added on, hosted multiple PBA tours, and has had a total refresh and update. If you haven’t stepped into JAX 60 lately, it may not be the same bowling alley you once remembered as a kid.

Airport Lanes was built in 1959, long before it was owned by David Small’s Fun Time Centers. Since then, it has been added onto twice, the last being in 1972, with a total of 60 lanes, hence, the JAX 60 name. The name shifted to JAX 60 on July 1, 2018, and is currently overseen by Josh Solomon, General Manager.

Josh grew up in a bowling town, in Youngstown, Ohio. He took his first job at 14 in a bowling center as a pin chaser. From there, he moved on to the pro shop, then managed a bowling center. Josh even grew up in a bowling family, and Youngstown was known as an industrial bowling town with local companies all having a team, much like Jackson. “Bowling’s always been my thing. It’s in my blood,” Josh stated when discussing his background.

Since then, Josh has won state championships for bowling and even coached. When he moved to Jackson, the first thing he noticed was that Jackson reminded him of the bowling town he grew up in and that our local bowling alley had tournament potential. Over the years, there have been many conversations with owner David Small, surrounding what kind of updates could happen and what the bowling alley could be. Renovations started with new keypads, scoring system, ball returns, and more.

The original renovation, before its most recent, started the day Josh and David Small took over. New paint, new floors, and historical photos that lined the alleys made a huge impact on the bowling alley. Conversations about the most recent renovation, which has completely upgraded the entire facility, began in 2020. This upgrade happened because Josh and David wanted to give bowlers more space. When bowling alleys were designed in the 50s-70s, they were meant strictly for teams. Since then, bowling has transitioned to a family event. JAX 60 now provides Jackson locals with a place where a group of any size can have fun and enjoy themselves.

Mavrix bar and lounge has an expanded menu with the homemade, freshly fired pizza customers have always loved. It has a more inviting floor plan, with more TVs for entertainment and a custom-built bar, making it the perfect place to relax and have a drink between games. If you’re at JAX 60 for more than just bowling, their newly expanded arcade, Top Gun Arcade, now has 56 games, which are all waiting for you behind lanes five and six.

The new design of JAX 60 offers a balance between groups looking for a fun way to spend a day and avid tournament bowlers. JAX 60’s new and improved atmosphere proves a quality product that Jackson didn’t have before for friends and families to enjoy while providing a venue for professional bowlers. Josh explained that the renovations “give Jackson a place to come that is safe, clean, and invites you to spend some time.”

JAX 60 has hosted four PBA 50 tour stops. In 2022, the PBA National Tour started at JAX 60 and is coming back in 2023 from March 6-9. Hosting tournaments, such as these, is something that both Josh and David have always wanted to do, as two people who grew up watching the PBA tour on Saturday afternoons. They want to give as much as they can back to the bowlers they’ve watched for years on TV. Josh shared that the PBA 50 tour is much different than it has been in the past. In fact, the first ever PBA 50 World Series of Bowling is going to be hosted at JAX 60, “Putting Jackson in the history books,” as Josh said.

Being from Youngstown, Ohio, I was defined by the bowling community. When we moved to Jackson, a place that was already a bowling community similar to where I grew up, I told my wife, ‘I’m home.’

If you’ve been looking for a spot your friends, coworkers, or the entire family can enjoy, consider reserving a lane at JAX 60. What seems like a fun activity will quickly become an experience worth so much more.

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