31(a)
                                   CERTIFICATE

I, John W. Jordan II, certify that:

1)      I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of Jordan
        Industries, Inc;

2)      Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue
        statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary
        to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which
        such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period
        covered by this report;

3)      Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial
        information included in this report, fairly present in all material
        respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows
        of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4)      The registrant's other certifying officer and I are responsible for
        establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as
        defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15) for the registrant and
        we have:

         a)   Designed such disclosure controls and procedures,  or caused such
              disclosure  controls  and  procedures  to be  designed  under our
              supervision,  to ensure that material information relating to the
              registrant,  including  its  consolidated  subsidiaries,  is made
              known to us by others within those entities,  particularly during
              the period in which this report is being prepared;

         b)   Evaluated  the  effectiveness  of  the  registrant's   disclosure
              controls  and  procedures,  and  presented  in  this  report  our
              conclusions  about the  effectiveness of the disclosure  controls
              and  procedures,  as of the  end of the  period  covered  by this
              report based on such evaluation; and

         c)   Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's  internal
              control  over  financial   reporting  that  occurred  during  the
              registrant's most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant's  fourth
              fiscal  quarter  in  the  case  of an  annual  report)  that  has
              materially  affected,  or  is  reasonably  likely  to  materially
              affect,   the   registrant's   internal  control  over  financial
              reporting;

5)      The registrant's other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based
        on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial
        reporting, to the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of the
        registrant's board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent
        function):

         a)   All  significant  deficiencies  and  material  weaknesses  in the
              design or operation of internal control over financial  reporting
              which are reasonably  likely to adversely affect the registrant's
              ability  to  record,  process,  summarize  and  report  financial
              information; and

         b)   Any fraud,  whether or not material,  that involves management or
              other employees who have a significant  role in the  registrant's
              internal control over financial reporting.



Date:  August 16, 2004                           /s/ John W. Jordan II
       --------------------------                -----------------------------
                                                 Name: John W. Jordan II
                                                 Title: Chairman and CEO