Allan Jones

**Allan Jones**, aka William Allan Jones Jr., (born 31 December 1952) is a US-based entrepreneur. He lives in Cleveland, Tennessee.

## Early life and education

Jones attended Cleveland High School, where he wrestled and won various awards and was team captain. He graduated in 1972. Jones credited wrestling with helping build character.

## Professional career

Jones left college at age 20 to help his father stabilize the family's small business, the _Credit Bureau of Cleveland_.

He is the founder, chairman and CEO of _Check Into Cash_, _Creditcorp_, _Jones Management Services_ and the _Community Financial Services Association_.

Jones opened the first Check Into Cash store in Cleveland, Tennessee in 1993. It got merged into _Check Into Cash_ in 2021 with Community Choice Financial. In 2022, he announced that Community Choice had acquired competitor Speedy Cash.

In 1999, Jones was credited with founding the Community Financial Services Association of America.

In 2014, Jones purchased Hardwick Clothes, a company founded in Cleveland, in 1880. Hardwick Clothes is the oldest manufacturer of tailor-made clothing in the United States.

Hardwick Clothes, which began as Cleveland Woolen Mills, was one of two companies founded by C.L. Hardwick in the 19th century. Hardwick put his son Joseph in charge of Hardwick Stove, the family's other business, while his son George ran the clothing company. Cleveland Woolen Mills soon evolved into a manufacturing plant, making suits and other items of apparel.

In 2019, Jones sold Hardwick to the company Puerto Rico Industries for the Blind.

## Philanthropy

In 1990, Jones founded MainStreet Cleveland.

In 2014, the Jones family gave a donation to Lee University.

In 2017, Jones donated 43,000 pairs of eclipse-viewing sunglasses to students in six Tennessee school systems, to ensure students who wanted to view the solar eclipse did so only with safe, NASA-approved glasses.

He is credited with the creation of the legend of Tall Betsy, a Halloween cultural icon based in Bradley County.

## Awards

- _M.C. Headrick Free Enterprise Award_ from The Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce (2003)

- _Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame_ at University of Tennessee (2003)

- _Power 100_ by _BusinessTN_ magazine (2005)

- _The King of Cash_ by _BusinessTN_ Magazine

- _Fred Gregg Jr Award_ from the Greater Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame for contributions to sports (2012)

- Chancellor's Award for _Excellence in Philanthropy_ from the _Tennessee Board of Regents_ (2015)

## Personal life

Politically, Jones has been an Independent, and has donated to the campaigns of both Democratic and Republican politicians, but his views are characterized to be right-leaning and fiscally conservative. Jones supported Donald Trump in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election. A few days after the inauguration of President Trump, Jones stated in an interview with Fox & Friends that he was "tired of Presidents who were politicians" and believed that small businesses would benefit from Trump's policies.

## Infobox (person)

- **name**: Allan Jones
- **image**: Allan Jones Headshot.jpg
- **birth name**: William Allan Jones, Jr.
- **birth place**: Cleveland, Tennessee, US
- **occupation**: Businessman