In November of 1945 Jack had gone to Ellis, Kansas to pick up some hides. By chance a young man name Jim Kelley was at the rendering plant looking for work. The plant told him they didn’t have any openings. While he was there Jack pulled into the plant in a Manhattan Hide and Wool truck. Mr. Kelley was hired to load the truck up and after loading the truck up Mr. Kelley asked Jack for a job. Jack told him if he came to Manhattan he’d give him a job.
Mr. Kelley borrowed $1 from 5 different people and was able to buy the $3.78 bus ticket to get to Manhattan. A December 1, 1945, a week after talking to Jack, Mr. Kelley arrived in Manhattan with less than a dollar left to his name. By noon he was working for Jack at $.50 per hour. Mr. Kelley was quickly sent out with Sam to go buy hides, furs, metals and really anything they could find that had value. It was a long day and Mr. Kelley got back after 9 that night, still with no money. Jack had come to the office to pick up Sam and asked Mr. Kelley if he had any money. When finding out that he didn’t, Jack took him to a local hotel and rented him a room and then gave him some money to get by until payday.
Little did Jack know he had just hired someone who would go on to work for his company for 65 years and have a tremendous impact on the company, the people and the culture that still lasts today.