Today we’d like to introduce you to Brenda Nolby. She shares her story with us below:
Jam Hops Gymnastics Factory, Inc. was formed by a merger in 1997. A few years later, in 2000, an opportunity came about for Brenda Nolby to become an owner. During the recession from 2007-2010, Jam Hops struggled to keep its doors open. Nolby’s business partner went back to teaching, and Nolby took Jam Hops in her own direction. She gave up her salary, and her and her husband withdrew much of their 401(k) plans to put into Jam Hops. They believed that their company was so worthwhile and necessary to the community that they just couldn’t give up! Business finally began to turn around in 2011, and in 2013 Nolby became the sole owner of Jam Hops. Also in 2013, Jam Hops was acknowledged and rewarded by winning “Fastest Growing Company under 50 Employees” at the Business Excellence Forum. By 2014 the company had grown into three separate program locations. While company growth was exciting, managing the staff, culture, and customer service became difficult. Brenda started devising a plan to build a new facility large enough to house all programs under one roof. After 3+ years, the $4,000,000.00 project was complete, and in October 2017 a beautiful, new, 43,000 sq ft facility was opened. The expansion into the new facility has provided them the ability to offer more classes and activities and has ultimately been the largest contributing factor to to their growth. In 2019 the opportunity presented itself to acquire another gymnastics location which houses their Cheer, Theater and additional recreational and competitive Gymnastics Programs. Today, Jam Hops offers recreational and competitive gymnastics, recreational and competitive dance, Ninja Zone, theater, cheer, academic preschool, camps, clinics, open gym, a range of activities, and birthday parties. We strive to be a fun, productive, and learning outlet for children. In 2018, Nolby’s hard work and victories were recognized by the US Chamber of Commerce in 2018 for the ‘MN Person of the Year’, and then in 2020 Jam Hops was chosen by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to receive the Dream Big Award.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As mentioned earlier, the Great Recession was a huge struggle for Jam Hops, with our enrollment dropping to about half of what it had been. We did everything we felt we needed to do to continue serving the kids and families in our community. More recently COVID-19 was a struggle with mandated closings (once for 3 months and once for 6 weeks), social distancing and masking requirements, quarantines, and additional sanitizing and cleaning. The emotional rollercoaster for our staff was probably the most difficult to manage through that time.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Jam Hops Gymnastics Factory, Inc.?
Jam Hops is not only in business to teach cartwheels, leaps, stunts, ninja flips, acting, etc. We are also in the business of transforming the lives of children, thereby strengthening their future and improving our community! The Jam Hops core business offers MANY opportunities for children including classes and competitive programs for gymnastics and dance. We also have cheer and ninja classes, an academic preschool, a theater program, and most recently added Alpha Athletes which are movement classes designed for children with special needs.
The foundation of Jam Hops is based on these things: 1) hire excellence in character – when one of our head coaches left with no advanced warning, other staff stepped right in to cover those hours so the gymnasts could maintain a consistent practice schedule; 2) have high standards for customer service – we’ve implemented a cross-knowledge program so that our staff is required to learn about all of our programs and can provide stellar customer service to our families; 3) remain open and flexible to change – society is becoming an increasingly technological community and we’ve been diligent to keep up by working on our website and a mobile app; and 4) monitor EVERYTHING! Using these strategies, while adhering to our culture and purpose to teach kids to grow up to be productive, responsible, giving adults, has proven to be very successful for us. One of our newest developments is our “Kidz of Karacter Program”, which helps us be very intentional about teaching students a new life skill each month. We are constantly looking for ways to improve, whether it’s financially, technologically, or caring for our customers, staff, and community.
The MOST important thing we do is develop children and change the trajectory of their future. Through our multiple programs at Jam Hops, children learn things they aren’t learning in school or within their homes. Things such as, you don’t always win and life isn’t always fair. Not all kids are gifted in the same ways or talented at the same things, but EVERY child is valuable! We develop their confidence and self-esteem by showing them that if you work HARD, you can be successful. In all, we reach well over 1400 kids each week.
We are very much NOT a “no news is good news” or “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” organization. We just don’t believe in being comfortable with where we’re at, which lends itself to being flexible with accommodating the changing needs of our customers. This mentality has led to our growth in developing many new programs and activities. We will continue to seek out ways that we can engage children and use the various talents of our staff to their fullest potential.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
These are the things that matter most to me: I want to do what I can to change the outcome of the kids who will be the next generation. I want to help facilitate a generation of healthy, motivated, inspired people who have strong values. I want to empower the kids that come to Jam Hops to work hard for anything they want to accomplish. I want Jam Hops to be a presence in setting up this generation to succeed, despite all the changing pressures and influences they face in today’s world. I want to provide a place where kids are able to explore their boundaries and learn the value of their self-worth by achieving goals through hard work
I want to run a company with honesty and integrity – to try to do the right thing every time, regardless of financial impact.
I want to provide a workplace that sets a high standard and supports a work ethic that I believe will create great future leaders. I feel that it is important for all of us at Jam Hops, including myself, to take responsibility for all their actions and perform their job to the absolute best of their ability. I want us to realize our full potential, by utilizing each individual’s strengths in an atmosphere of true caring for the individuals. Ideally, I want Jam Hops’ staff to be worthy of praise from our customers, kids, and other staff members, and to feel good about the work that they do!
I want to provide customer service that exceeds the expectations and creates a standard of excellence! I believe that this, along with some of my other goals sets us apart from other businesses! It is imperative to me that I run my company with integrity, superior customer service, and a strong sense of purpose.
Lastly, I want to be able to give back to the community because of what I’ve been blessed with and given.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: jamhops.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jam_hops/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamhopskids/?fref=ts
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5guyDQDD6Ewh0IVyOKizDw
