Anyone familiar with American football, especially Louisianans, knows that Bert Jones starred as quarterback at LSU and had a standout NFL career with Baltimore and Los Angeles from 1973 to 1983.

These days, he’s out of the limelight, a Ruston, LA, businessman who oversees various family businesses that include timber holdings and woodworking facilities. The one thing Jones is not involved with – according to him – is real estate.

Yet despite Jones’s insistence that he doesn’t have much to do with real estate, he ended up selling 5.2 acres to JPMorgan Chase (JPMC), which hired KDC to develop its 50,000-square-foot, $31 million Ruston operations center. The move is expected to bring more jobs to North Central Louisiana.

Sports, Timber and Land

Born and raised in Ruston, Jones had football in his DNA from the start, thanks to his dad, William Augustus “Dub” Jones. The elder Jones was born into an athletic family. He became a pro-football halfback in the National Football League and the All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1955 (and still co-owns the record for the most touchdowns in one game with six). He ended up as the Cleveland Browns’ offensive coordinator from 1962 to 1969.

Real estate was also part of Dub’s DNA.

In addition to performing on the gridiron, Dub was a general contractor and owner/operator of Ruston Lumber and Supply. Dub also developed one of Ruston’s first housing subdivisions. Helping him were five sons, including young Bert, who poured concrete for curbs during a summer break from high school. “I operated heavy equipment but wasn’t old enough to drive,” Bert said. “I didn’t have a license, so I had to catch a ride with one of my coworkers.”

After Bert earned his business degree from LSU, he did two things: He signed an NFL contract and bought 240 acres around Ruston.

While playing for the Colts, Bert founded his own lumber company, Mid-States Wood Preservers, in nearby Simsboro, LA. Meanwhile, he built his home on 60 acres next to the subdivision that his father developed. He also bought land in Louisiana and Arkansas. When an injury ended his NFL career, Bert returned to Ruston to be near his family, which today consists of his wife, four adult children and seven grandchildren. Bert also settled into running his lumber operation and overseeing his other business interests.

Enter JMPC

Bert’s office consists of rustic, pine-finished walls, covered by dozens of photos detailing his football career, leisure outdoor activities and family. Also present are signed dollar bills, the result of what Bert calls “gentlemen bets.”

Jones and former football greats like Archie Manning of the New Orleans Saints and Joe Ferguson of the Buffalo Bills regularly bet on college football games. Whoever loses sends a dollar bill – signed with their name and the game date – to the winner. Judging from the many dollar bills adorning his office, Bert is an astute bettor.

It was in this memento-filled office that Jones mulled over a broker’s request to sell 5.2 acres of his 60-acre homeplace to an unknown client. But it was nowhere near a slam dunk. Or in football parlance, a touchdown.

He initially wasn’t interested in selling. The “unknown” also concerned him.

“I told them, ‘Look. I have turned down shopping malls. I've turned down movie theaters. I turned down grocery stores. Whoever's going to be here is going to be my next-door neighbor until I'm dead and gone, and so I want to know who it is and what they're going to be doing’,” Jones said.

The unknown turned out to be JPMorgan Chase. Yet Jones was still dubious. “I said that I didn’t want a retail bank as my neighbor,” he said. “There’s all that traffic to think of.”

Then it was explained to him that the land would be home to an operations center, serving as an extension of Chase’s Monroe, LA operations. Once he got the name of the developer, KDC, Jones did some more research, and the company’s reputation checked out. He felt comfortable selling the land.

Positive Community Vibes

Jones's turnaround from reluctant seller to JPMC supporter was due, in part, to his knowledge of the financial institution.

“I was familiar with the operation they had in Monroe,” he said. “My banker in Monroe was instrumental in bringing that in,” he said. “It’s been a great place for employment for many people 35 miles away from where I live, so I’ve seen firsthand how JPMC can impact a community.”

Jones wants that community impact to benefit Ruston, too. The recently completed facility will bring between 65 and 120 jobs to the area. “These aren’t entry-level jobs,” Jones explained. “They’re good jobs. Anytime you can add close to 100 jobs to a community of this size, it makes a significant impact.”

Because of these factors, Jones was able to calm his neighbors' fears. “I reminded them how particular I am,” he said. “Then I told them who would be coming in and said, ‘You don’t need to worry about them.’”

Football Skills and Lumber Drills

Jones learned business theory in college and added practical experience when he took his position in the real world. In his opinion, his football career also advanced his experience and education.

“It doesn’t matter how many superstars you have or don’t have. What makes you a good, even great, team is that you have 11 men working together with the same common goal. To be a good team,” he explained. He added that there are about 65 families that are “making a living out of my little woodyard.” Jones is proud that everyone pulls together to complete jobs, serve customers and sustain the business.

And the man who claims he’s not really involved in real estate still has his land holdings. Right now, Jones is keeping that acreage. “I do not have a for-sale sign on any of it,” he said. “But if another JPMorgan Chase came along and they were gonna become my good neighbor, I’d consider selling it.”