Familiar name of Sunny Sol® returns to the retail market

   John Wiley Jones formulated his own brand of industrial strength bleach in a bathtub in his LeRoy, NY home over 75 years ago. He bottled it himself in quart sized glass jars and sold it under the brand name, Sunny Sol®. In 1939, he moved to a production facility in Caledonia, NY, calling his company Jones Chemicals, Inc. Today, the company is in its fourth generation of family operation with production facilities in 11 locations across the United States and distribution of water treatment chemical products around the globe.

   With J.W. Jones’ grandson Jeffrey heading the company as CEO from the company headquarters in Sarasota, Florida, you might think this company has little or no ties to its small retail customers. While it’s no longer bottled and sold by the glass jar, dozens of customers are once again pulling their vehicles up to the loading dock at the Caledonia plant every Saturday to purchase chlorine bleach, Sunny Sol®, to treat their backyard swimming pools, just like the old days. Sunny Sol® is also used in the laundry, for household cleaning and as a general disinfectant.

   Pam Martinez, a customer from Batavia, NY, said she saw an advertisement for the Caledonia Sunny Sol® outlet in a newspaper and came on a recent Saturday to purchase chemicals for her pool. She, like the other customers who were in line to do the same, said the price and convenience is what will keep them returning to Caledonia’s JCI plant for chlorine. Ron Baker, a JCI Caledonia employee, cheerfully loads each customer’s purchase.

   The Saturday retail warehouse outlet for Sunny Sol® is the company’s way of thanking the people of Caledonia and the surrounding communities for their willingness to be good neighbors of the chemical giant. Jones said the Caledonia retail sale of the product is not intended to be profitable for JCI but rather is one way the company can let residents know that they are an environmentally safe and conscientious company.

   Just as the production of chlorine was a family and community affair back in the 1940’s and 50’s, Jones says the Caledonia facility still remains extremely important to the family and the company as a whole. JCI recently celebrated its 75^th anniversary. The Caledonia retail outlet opened in May of 2007 and will continue through the summer season until Labor Day.