"You Don't Know Jack... or Jerry"

From Small Town Roots to Financial Software Giant

 

by Robert O. Babcock
 

From Small Town Roots to Financial Software Giant

 

by Robert O. Babcock

 

Meet Jack and Jerry. Jack Henry and Jerry Hall launched a software company in the back of a small engine repair shop. Thirty years later, Jack Henry & Associates, Inc. (JKHY on NASDAQ) is a thriving operation with over 3,700 employees in nearly 50 locations around the United States. They started writing software for a handful of community banks and now serve thousands of diverse organizations which rely on their financial solutions. JHA's annual revenue now exceeds 2/3 of a Billion dollars. In the 1990's, their stock was the second best performing on the NASDAQ market, growing at an average compound annual return of over seventy-five percent.

 

Talk about the American Dream. A couple of small-town guys had an idea, nurtured it, and worked hard to turn it into a reality bigger than anything either of them expected. Combine a visionary with someone who makes things happen, add a laser-like focus on taking care of their customers and their employees, and you have the foundations of Jack Henry & Associates' success. Jack and Jerry's story is one of friendship, business, partnership, and hard work. It is about what can happen when the desire to succeed overpowers the fear of failure. The JHA story is an inspiration for anyone with a dream and the desire to achieve it.

 

"...Jack and Jerry allowed the people around them to share in their success. These guys did it to the nth degree. From the beginning to the end, sometimes to a fault, they shared with us. Ultimately, that's part of the reasons for their success...

 

"'Do the right thing, whatever it takes.' That was the attitude. Fortunately, if you do that, the other things will work out. If you do the right things, the financials and measurements will take care of themselves." 

 

                                                           Mike Wallace, President of JHA from 1995 to

                                                           2002, talking about Jack Henry and Jerry Hall

 

"I remember how approachable and businesslike Jerry was. If we had a business issue, we could resolve it with one phone call - but we never had issues. They always had very high customer satisfaction and always did what they said they'd do. They were one of the most dependable partners we had. JHA was always a joy to work with - true professionals who understood how to make a win, win, win relationship for JHA, IBM, and our mutual customers."

 

                                                           Wirt Cook, IBM executive 

 

"One time a young college man, dressed in a business suit, came in and said he had an interview with Jack Henry. I pointed outside to a tractor pulling a brush hog, cutting weeds and brush. 'That's Jack Henry,' I said. The young man gingerly waded through the weeds until Jack noticed him and climbed off the tractor. They spent the next half hour with Jack leaning on the tractor talking to him."

 

                                                          Janet "Radar" Gray, Jack and Jerry's executive secretary   

 

What's Inside the Book:

 

- In Memory - Jack Henry 1935-2007

- Corporate Mission Statement - Jack Henry & Associates

- "I Quit"

- It Takes Two to Tango

- Jack and Jerry - the Early Years

- The Roller Coaster 80s

- The Roaring 90s

- The Odd Couple: JHA and IBM

- "I Shouldn't Say this, But..."

- Jack Air - Flying High

- Continued Success in the New Century

- Win Some, Lose Some, But Dress for Them All

- "Beyond Our Wildest Dreams"

- Now You Know Jack... and Jerry

- Appendix:

         JHA in Pictures - Then and Now

         Dominating the Market

         Location, Location, Location: JHA Offices

         JHA Product and Service Summary