User:Lsandersiii/Gwendolyn Watkins-Jones

Gwendolyn Watkins-Jones, also known as Gwen Jones, is the first African-American producer of Fire Trucks, as the CEO/President of Gregory Truck Body & Fire Apparatus, Inc., Oakland, CA.

On Gwen Jones
Early on spring morning in 1976 while jogging near her home in Los Altos Hills, California, Gwen Jones found herself confronted by several youths shouting racial epithets and throwing beverage cans from their moving vehicle, several of which struck her before the car continued on. Bruised but undaunted, Gwen slowly made her way home with the same gritty determination that would one day serve her well as the President and Chief Executive Officer of one of the nation’s leading truck manufacturing companies. Twenty years later, under Gwen’s leadership, Gregory Truck Body & Fire Apparatus, Inc., an Oakland, California based company, would become one of the fastest growing manufacturers of fire trucks and beverage delivery route vehicles in the nation. In a remarkable twist of fate, her corporation now manufactures the trucks that deliver the beverages that were thrown at her on the day long ago.

Being an African-American women in a conservative, male -dominated industry has taught Gwen that it isn’t enough to simply build the best fire trucks and specialty vehicles. Her strong business and political acumen are also needed. Though Gregory has received much well-deserved recognition for its superior product quality, Gwen also credits her outstanding management team (which includes her husband), a fierce competitive spirit, and her Christian faith as primary factory in her success.

On Her Company
Founded IN 1941, Gregory Truck Body was a small beverage trailer manufacturer until the company was acquired by Gwen and her husband, Jesse in 1995. Shortly after purchasing the company, they made their first acquisition – a fire truck manufacturing company. Today, Gregory Truck Body & Fire Apparatus, Inc. is an SBA 8(a) certified minority and women-owned business that enjoys an industry reputation as a superior-quality innovator that brings state-of-the-art technology and concepts to the fire apparatus and beverage trailer manufacturing industries. The company’s motto, “We Build the Best and Repair the Rest”, reflects the tremendous commitment that is clearly demonstrated in the painstaking attention to detail and the superior craftsmanship found in each and every vehicle that leaves its facility – qualities that its loyal customer base have come to appreciate and expect. They constantly express that appreciation in the form of repeat business. Some of her customers, Anheuser-Busch, Coors, 7-Up, Pepsi-Cola and Coca-Cola will attest to that. Gregory is also the developer and sole source manufacturer of an innovative wildland fire-fighting vehicle dubbed “The Oakland Model”. After the catastrophic Oakland Hills fire in 1991 in which fire trucks were unable to negotiate many of the steep hills and tight turns of the Oakland Hills streets, Gregory engineers saw the need for a smaller, lightweight fire truck and went about designing one. Today, Gregory is receiving order from around the nation and from countries throughout the world for this widely demanded vehicle. The Oakla nd Model is just one of a complete line of fire apparatuses offered by Gregory, which range all the way up to the aerial ladder trucks. Gregory’s beverage truck manufacturing division is also benefiting from its technological innovation. Its engineers are currently developing advancements in beverage trailers which are expected to revolutionize the beverage trailer industry while establishing Gregory as the dominant player in that industry.

On Her Prison Ministry
Over the past forty years, Gwen Jones has frequently visited Bay Area maximumsecurity prisons in her spare time, in an effort to bring hope and inspiration to an all but forgotten segment of society. What began in her teens as participation in a church-sponsored program has evolved into a lifelong commitment as she observed firsthand the staggering waste of human potential which is incarcerated in the nation’s prisons. Gwen observed that many of those men and women behind bars are both desirous and fully capable of turning their lives around with help, yet most don’t know where or to whom to turn to for assistance. Adopting the approach that every person is either part of the problem or part of the solution, Gwen formed Yeshua’s Second Chance Foundation, a groundbreaker in the rehabilitation of ex-prison inmates. The organization provides them with comprehensive support which includes instruction in moral values, personal enrichment and development, life skills, anti-drug and alcohol dependency treatment, career training and placement, and other critical disciplines – all designed to break the cycle of recidivism. The Foundation also reaches out to meet the needs of the children of incarcerated parents – the innocent victims. The Foundation offers them the opportunity for brighter futures. For those ex-inmates who qualify, a manufacturing apprenticeship can be the reward. The Foundation, which is dependent upon grants from corporations, small businesses, grant foundations, churches and private individuals, depends upon grants and donations to expand its reach and programs.

On Her Work With Children
Recognizing that children represent our future, they occupy a special place in Gwen’s heart. She believes that “Children can’t be it if they don’t see it”. She believes that children do not aspire to be something they do not see and encourages them to dream big and to reach for the stars. Groups of children from the area and inner city schools are regularly treated to tours of Gregory’s facility and are able to observe firsthand how fire trucks, beverage trailers and specialty vehicles such as dump trucks and water trucks are built. The young visitors receive advice regarding the advantages of pursuing academic excellence and making an early career choice. Moreover, every child leaves with the full knowledge and understanding that he or she, through a combination of hard work, perseverance, dedication and preparation, can someday become a CEO/President as well.