Heavy Knob

Where have we been?!?!? We’ve been expanding our operations!!

For the last four and a half years JBR has been for the most part, run out of our home. Our entire manufacturing and development operations consisted of 400sq/ft spread across two locations an hour apart! With our product line growing at a record pace we no longer had the space to store our inventory anymore either so… Something had to change.

I really, really enjoy working from home and with that in mind my wife and I bought two acres last August to build the new JBR HQ. It’s been a long and challenging build but, in two weeks it will all be finished and fully operational.

Over the last 4 weeks we’ve been closing down the old location and preparing it for closing on the 16th. During that time we had to build up enough inventory to carry us for a few weeks while we actually make the final cut over to the new shop. And on top of all that we filled a massive 4 pallet order full of JBR goodness that shipped off just last week.

The new shop is massive and it will take JBR well in to the future. All of our manufacturing and R & D will now be under one roof. We’ve made a significant investment in new equipment and now all prototyping will be done in house. We will be expanding our powder coating operations to include a much larger booth and curing oven. We have a separate building onsite strictly for the assembling finished parts before heading to packaging. The shipping department has been completely overhauled and inventory will be all electronic by year’s end.

Phone lines are being installed soon so now you’ll be able to call in, get answers to your questions faster and place orders over the phone. And believe me….I give good phone.

All in all JBR has gone from 400sq/ft to over 4000 and all aspects of the business have been or are being improved. So keep an eye out for some great things to come from JBR in the very near future.

I would like to also take a moment to thank of all of you for the PM’s and emails expressing concern about our absence online and our slower than normal response times. Starting immediately we will be online as much as possible and quick to reply to PM’s and email.

Thanks again for your continued support.

-Jamie

While out at Mid-Ohio for the Diamond Cellar Classic, Continental Tire and Rolex series races this last weekend I spent some time talking to I-MOTO crew chief Tom Badger. While talking about the cars, and what they can and can’t modify on them, I noticed that they run the stock shifter assembly and shift knob. While the rules dictate the stock shifter assembly, cables and linkage must remain OEM, there was no rule requiring the knob to stay stock. Well, it just so happened that I had a few with me so, I offered one up for them to test during the final practice session on Friday. Once he felt it he was instantly intrigued and agreed to put it in a car but, he had to get approval from the drivers first. He then proceeded to forewarn me that the drivers are very finicky and picky about what the crew changes on the cars and that if they chose not to use it, that I shouldn’t be butt hurt. I totally understood and the offer was pitched to a few of the drivers who really liked the look and feel but, graciously declined. Then, driver of the #31 car Pierre Kleinubing got a hold of it, and agreed to try it during practice. Needless to say, I was pretty thrilled.

So, I helped one of the crew members get it installed and off Pierre went, on to the track for practice.

He was out on the track for several laps and then came in to change drivers, and so the crew could collect some data from the car. As soon as he climbed out, removed his helmet and safely gear he came right over to me with a huge smile on his face and big thumbs up for how much he like the improved performance of the shifter with the JBR heavy knob installed. He was air shifting like he was banging through the gears to demonstrate to me how much better it was. I was just ecstatic.

It wasn’t long after that Tom came by, leaned in and quietly asked me if I had two more and that the other drivers had to have one now too. We laughed and headed back to the paddock where we installed them in the 30 and 32 cars.

Tom and I discussed other areas of the car that JBR manufactures parts for and we hope that this is just the beginning of our relationship with I-MOTO Racing.

Where the F#%@K has JBR been!!

I-MOTO Drivers insist on JBR knobs in all their race cars