JIMS history

In 1971, UPS obtained intrastate rights in Oregon and broad rights across the central United States.

Hilda died in 1974 at age 75 and Ray Rockey assumed full control of what was still a thriving operation.

Access to all the “lower forty-eight states” was achieved in 1975, the same year that Hawaii was added.

Alaska joined in 1977, giving UPS customers access to all fifty states.

Today Jim’s Group has more than 2900 Franchisees in four countries, and is growing at the rate of around 200 per year. It all began in 1982 as a humble lawn mowing business with a starting capital of $24.00.

However, Jim remained on the board of directors and a leader and inspiration for UPS almost until his death at the age of ninety-five in 1983.

The last holdout for intrastate rights was Texas, where UPS finally beat the Railroad Commission of Texas (and the companies it was protecting) in the courts in 1986.

Rockey died in 1995 at the age of 71, three years before the Ohio State Supreme Court awarded the restaurant $483,000 in compensation.

It became the largest employee-owned company in America. It was not until 1999, sixteen years after Jim’s death, that UPS sold shares to the general public, becoming a “public company.” Today, over 70 percent of the stockholder votes are held by UPS employees and heirs of the founders.

In 2010, Slim Jims sales dipped four percent and leadership at the company stressed over how to appeal to the younger generation.

New occupants of the restaurant space—the River House, the Aqua club, the Mega Nightclub—soldiered on until 2011 when the building was demolished.

Al worked seven days a week and finally, in 2012 at the age of 91, began to reduce his hours as Syl’s involvement began to increase after a 56-year leave of absence.

Jim passed away in 2015 at the age of 93.

In 2016, UPS Air carried 11.2 million ton-kilometers of freight (one ton carried one kilometer), making it the third largest air cargo company.