Allan Jones: To begin with, we are closed
on Sundays. Many people think Sunday
would be a prime time for an ice cream store
to be open. We see it differently. Again, that
has to do with the principle of being
obedient to God’s Word. We seek to be an
overtly Christian enterprise. We believe God
will bless those who honor Him. God
commands us to set aside one day in seven
by resting and worshiping Him. We obey
that command and offer that opportunity to
our employees and our customers. We think
of it as two scoops of smiling Truth served
in a waffle cone! This is another way we see
ourselves as taking a positive course to
impact our culture and the lives of those
who work with Discovery Ice Cream.
More than 80% of our present staff
members are currently being homeschooled or are homeschool graduates.
Two of our managers are college graduates
who also are homeschool graduates. While
we are not including or excluding anyone
strictly on the basis of where they are
educated, we are finding (along with some
nationally known companies) that homeschoolers are great employees. They are
generally self-starters, disciplined,
respectful, and very capable of engaging
customers of all age groups, which is
essential in our business. Our business
model is directed to the mentoring and
growth of our employees in how to operate
and manage a successful business, using
Biblical principles. We have a long-term
vision for our business. It is that same
long-term, multi-generational vision that
we want to encourage in others.
TOS: Beyond employing and mentoring
these young adults, how else are you
engaging the local homeschooling community? Is it true you have had some classes
going on in your store this past winter?
Allan Jones: We did, and we plan to
continue that each year. Most of the
courses we sponsored met once a week for
a six-week term. One class introduced the
subject of electrical circuits and was taught
by an electrical engineer who volunteered
his time. This was a course intended to
augment a family’s fourth-, fifth-, or sixth-grade science curriculum. We had another
class in drawing, which was taught by one
of our staff members who is an accomplished artist.
Let’s see . . . there was a class in beading,
also taught by a local homeschooling graduate, and perhaps most dear to my heart, we
had a series on robotics that was taught by
one of my sons, Paul. For the final exam for
this class, each student was to construct and
program a robot and have that robot
perform a set of basic movements and
mobility functions. All these classes took
place right up front in the store during
normal business hours. It attracted a lot of
interest from customers and passers-by
alike. We found it was a great way to
display how flexible homeschooling can be
and how, with just enough help and encouragement, children can pursue their individual interests and expand their
understanding of God’s universe.
This past winter and spring, we encouraged some of our homeschooled music
students to perform in small groups one
evening per week. That has been a
wonderful experience for customers and
musicians alike and is another program we
intend to continue in the days ahead.
TOS: I notice that your employees are
wearing T-shirts with a statement that says,
“I just got served ice cream by a robot.”
What is that all about?
Allan Jones: Robotics is a key distinctive
of Discovery Ice Cream. Our company
invented the robotics machines you see in
the store. We have filed patent applications,
