Forty Under 40: Jess Kinty Jones

Jess Kinty Jones, 35, has done something that most people in their early 20s only dream about. In 10 years, he has taken a startup company with only one truck and has turned it into one of the most successful heating and air companies in the state.

When Jones graduated high school at Hill Haven Academy in Tulsa in 1989, he went to work for his brother at AC Service Co. in Van Buren as an installer. He went to a trade school at a Trane plant in Tyler, Texas, in 1991, where he honed his skills and eventually worked his way up to general manager of his brother’s store.

In 1995, he left Van Buren to open his own store in Northwest Arkansas because he thought the area had a good market.

In the 10 years since he started the company, it has become one of Trane and Lennox’s best dealers. It has been the No. 1 Lennox dealer in Arkansas since 1996 and has won many awards for its outstanding sales service.

Now Jones has 85 employees and 50 vehicles. He said sales will reach $12 million this year, up from $10 million in 2004. But he said his greatest achievement was being named the small business of the year in 2001 by the Rogers-Lowell Chamber of Commerce.

Jones coaches league basketball through his church.