Nationwide Marketing Group is saddened to learn of the recent passing of longtime Member and retailer John Jetson, owner and co-founder of Jetson TV & Appliance in Southeast Florida.
John and his brother, Scott, built Jetson TV & Appliance from the ground up, centering their business around a commitment to customer service. Since its founding in 1974, Jetson TV & Appliance has grown to become the largest independently owned TV and appliance business on Florida’s Treasure Coast, with locations in five cities. And their success has regularly earned the company industry accolades — Jetson TV & Appliance has ranked in the TWICE Top 100 for TV and appliance dealers nationally since 1988, recently cracking the top 40.
In 2016, Nationwide honored John with a lifetime achievement award for his contributions to the group and the industry at large.
“Jetson TV & Appliance was my first account when I started at Nationwide Marketing Group as a young rep,” remembers President and Chief Member Advocate Tom Hickman. “I learned so much from John and his team, from how to be a rep and how to run a retail business like they ran one, to how not to take life too seriously. John had an incredible ability to blend his work life and personal life without you even knowing it. His passion for the Independent channel was limitless. He was an incredibly unique guy and will be deeply missed.”
Beyond his love of and commitment to retail, Jetson had an equal passion for service. His time as a 24-year-old serviceman in the Air Force and in Vietnam instilled in him a lifelong desire to help fellow soldiers. Jetson served as a forward air controller with the U.S. Air Force from 1968 to 1970 at Phan Rang Air Base in Vietnam, going in on Christmas Day 1968, according to Treasure Coast Newspapers. He served two tours of duty, finishing the second tour on May 23, 1970.
Upon his return, Jetson saw how poorly Vietnam vets were being treated, a pivotal moment that ultimately shaped a life-long commitment to helping fellow veterans. Jetson held annual celebrations on Veterans Day and also started a 9/11 Memorial Blood Drive that honored veterans.
“John was very into veterans’ matters, so it was a nice fit between the 9/11 blood drive and honoring veterans,” lawyer Mike Crary told the paper. Crary’s law firm started partnering with Jetson on the blood drive in 2015.
Jetson was also an avid art collector who took a particular interest in the works of the Highwaymen, a group of 26 Black artists from the Treasure Coast area. He owned upwards of 150 of their paintings of scenic Florida.
But his true love was Jetson TV & Appliance – its employees, its customers and the communities in which it operated.
“People ask me, when are you going to retire – never,” John said during a 2014 interview about the company’s 40th anniversary. “I love the appliance business; I love my job.”
Nationwide Marketing Group sends its heartfelt condolences to the entire Jetson TV & Appliance family.
Rob is the corporate communications manager for Nationwide Marketing Group.
