Nearly 500 attend Associate Town Hall in June

By Murray Bishoff Special to the Monett Monthly

On June 2 and 3, the financial technology company Jack Henry in Monett marked its 50th anniversary with special activities and commemorations. 

On June 2, the company held an Associate Town Hall gathering. A total of 480 Jack Henry associates attended in person in Monett, and more than 4,700 tuned in across the country to watch the livestream. CEO Greg Adelson dressed in a gold jacket for the occasion. Monett Mayor Randy Burke and City Administrator Mickey Ary were guests of honor, as were the widows of both co-founders, Brenda Henry and Pat Hall. 

That day it was announced the Monett campus, which started in 1981, would be formally named the Jerry Hall Campus, in honor of co-founder Jerry Hall. The name was placed on the sign off the Eisenhower Street exit. 

The Monett campus started as a gamble on 52 acres on the southwest corner of Monett. According to company legend, Jack Henry had the J-1 building erected for offices, but planned that if the company failed, he would convert it into a house and move in. Fortunately, the company thrived. The campus has since grown to 154 acres and eight buildings. 

The next morning after the Town Hall, Adelson gathered a team to create one of his “Let’s Go With Greg” videos next to the lake at the center of the campus, beside the memorial bench bearing the names of the company founders. He announced the occasion was to bury a time capsule to be unearthed in 20 years, in time for some employees already on staff to benefit from the insights of present leaders. 

The time capsule contained 10 items. These included historical items such as a copy of the 1977 corporation income tax return signed by Jack Henry, and a copy of stock certificate from 1985, marking a pivotal point when the company became publicly traded. A copy of the biographical book detailing the creation of the company, “You Don’t Know Jack (and Jerry)”, signed by Brenda Henry and Pat Hall, was added. 

Also included was a Jackerry, a mythical stuffed animal embodying the spirit of the founders. A 50th challenge coin, a token commemorating a shared dedication over five decades, a laminated letter to the future from Greg Adelson and the corporate leadership team, offering their perspective to those who will follow them, were added, along with a signed group photo. Fiftieth anniversary buttons, stickers, a T-shirt, a legacy mug, and “Dad Jokes,” a collection of “words of wisdom” from former CEO and current board chairman Dave Foss, were included.

Joining Adelson in the ceremony were Kevin Sligar, chief technical architect for banking, who has been with the company 43 years; Brian Hunter, vice president of travel, with Jack Henry almost 37 years; and Mary Stluka, executive partner to the chief financial officer, who is retiring this year after 31 years.

Adelson asked the three veteran employees to share some of their insights. Hunter spoke about the three core values that Henry and Hall stressed, known as the Jack Henry Way: do the right thing, do whatever it takes, and have fun. Hunter noted he came on board as a pilot and for years served as the company’s chief pilot. He added Henry himself was the first company pilot as the company from the beginning sought to reach out to a national clientele with its software solutions to the challenges faced by financial institutions as they converted from ledger books to modern databases. 

“Jack and Jerry had a fantastic way of creating loyalty,” Hunter said. “They treated you like part of the company. I didn’t know it was a career opportunity.” 

Stluka recalled she started in the mail room and later became executive assistant to the chief financial officer, a position she kept until retirement. Five months into her job, her father, who lived in Iowa, had a heart attack. Jack Henry flew her to his hospital the next morning. “What company does something like that for someone in the mail room?” she asked. 

Sligar is now the company’s longest tenured employee. He started installing equipment and software, working with Jerry Hall on the core system, managing integration as the core developed. 

“Jack and Jerry instilled in us to make sure we did the right thing for customers, even if it meant working long hours,” he said. “They told us to ask for help when you need it.” 

Sligar recalled Jack and Jerry encouraging associates to pass on what they knew to the next generation, which the time capsule offered to do.

“When you come to this company, you come to family,” Adelson said. “Focusing on that culture will drive us into the next 50 years.”