Jack Schron’s three life passions — his family’s manufacturing business, job creation and the future of Cleveland — have intertwined throughout the past 40 years and merged into a quiet, yet powerful, force for good.
Schron’s influence began with his family’s business, Jergens Inc., and continued to grow after he won a seat on the first Cuyahoga County Council in 2010. He has also been a passionate advocate — and leader by example — for hiring both those with special needs and former inmates trying to build a new life.
Add to that nearly three decades of military experience and an ethos inherited from his elders, and you can see why Schron’s track record has been both free of controversy and full of accomplishments.
“What Jack says he’s going to do, he does,” says John Richards, president and CEO of Richards Communications, who has known Schron both socially and professionally for 40 years.
“He always looks to do whatever’s good for the community as a whole. He loves manufacturing. He believes it’s the key to the heart of Cleveland — to keep manufacturing strong.”
Schron grew up seeing how his father and grandfather ran Jergens, the manufacturing business they founded in the middle of World War II. A card was sent to each employee to mark birthdays, as well as other special occasions, totaling more than 10,000 sent throughout the years. Then, there were company picnics, holiday parties and special perks, such as reserved parking spots.
“The biggest challenge is that when you have the integrity of the two men who created something, you want to leave their legacy in a higher place,” Schron says.
Schron took full control of Jergens nearly 30 years ago. He used the lessons he learned in the U.S. Army Reserve (he went on to serve 28 years, retiring as a lieutenant colonel) to inform his leadership strategy.
“The military is the ultimate in organizations that says all folks are equal,” he explains. “You analyze projects and, ultimately, have to make a decision. You make your best decision and move on.”
Schron also looked at the structure of the business — and studied it from a military perspective, breaking the company up into platoons or units. “A platoon is where all of the action takes place,” he says. “We made a series of business units, all of which have grown.”
Specifically, Schron split the business into three units, creating one focused on selling industrial distribution products, one focused on high-end assembly tools used in fields like medical and computer assembly, and one focused on Jergen’s founding mission — products used to hold parts, lift parts and quickly connect items.
Schron’s life took an unexpected turn in 2010 when he received a phone call from a local party leader urging him to run for the newly formed Cuyahoga County Council. “We don’t just need community people,” he remembers being told. “We need businesspeople. Would you consider running?”
Schron, a Republican, believed local government needed to head in a new direction after the corruption scandal that landed Jimmy Dimora, former Cuyahoga County commissioner, and others in prison. Schron decided to run, was elected and took office in 2011. (His current term ends in 2025, and he says it will be his last.)
Creating jobs and changing lives through employment is what Schron considers his biggest accomplishments, both through Jergens and his role on County Council.
“I’ve been able to convey to some of my colleagues that the No. 1 social program of all social programs is a job,” he says. “It’s easy to think that government can be the solution, but there’s so much more satisfaction by earning a paycheck. This is the American dream. It’s the No. 1 thing we need to do. It rebuilds the family unit. It rebuilds the community.”
But Schron doesn’t just advocate.
He acts. Throughout the years, Jergens has hired more than 50 former inmates. “We have not had one single case of recidivism,” Schron says.
In 2001, Schron helped launch Tooling University, which is now run by his son, Chad Schron. The school teaches in-demand manufacturing skills and currently has about 8,000 students. “We have over 3,000 open shop requisitions right at this moment,” he says. “These are the good jobs. These are the jobs making stuff, growing stuff, building stuff.”
Even closer to Schron’s heart, Jergens works with 18 local school districts to bring around 20 high school kids with special needs into the workplace for job training. “My mind goes to their attributes, not their limitations,” Schron says. “They are such contributors.”
He tells the story of one young man who, on his first day, could not make eye contact with anyone. “Now, he has a driver’s license and is able to drive a forklift,” Schron says. “We found a place for him, and he is such a contributor.”
His message: If Jergens can do it, so can any business. “I want to tell the other companies who might be reading this that you can do this, too.”
It’s easy to see why Schron has been so successful, according to Ron Ambrogio, a friend of his and the Ohio regional president of BNY Mellon Wealth Management.
“Employees first,” Ambrogio says. “He’s one of those individuals who puts everyone first. When you’re in his presence, you are the most important thing to Jack.”
Schron lives in Chagrin Falls with his wife, Mary Ellen, and his three adult sons and six grandchildren all live in the area as well.
No matter what his mission, Schron says his motivation is always the same.
“The core of it all is a faith-based life,” he says. “Giving back to others is where the foundation is. Faith says that you help that person who was formerly incarcerated. Faith says you help the disadvantaged. You find that one sheep that was lost in the 99. If you do that, all of the rest of the stuff takes care of itself.”