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Herff Jones Inc. President Jim Hubbard loves moms All moms.
Young moms who will some day send their babies to high school. And older moms who want to buy their favorite students yearbooks and rings and school photos.
So, when you ask Hubbard about his business philosophy, he doesn't trot out MBA doublespeak about market share or core customers. He talks about moms.
"As long as we have mothers, and mothers have children, and we continue to educate mothers' children, we have a market," Hubbard says from his office at Herff Jones Inc.'s headquarters at 4501 W. 62nd St. "Herff Jones' key to success is our ability to get to mother."
It's a philosophy that has served Hubbard and his company well.
Hubbard, 63, has carved himself a 38-year career in the scholastic achievement industry. He steadily climbed the ladder at two companies before being named president at Herff Jones in 1995. His former boss says Hubbard is a good communicator who is unafraid of working in the trenches with his employees.
And Herff Jones, which makes class rings, yearbooks and school pictures, has become a leader in the field after years of industry consolidation. Revenue has grown from $264 million in 1995 to $336...