BOISE, Idaho — Charley Jones, the owner and former CEO of Stinker Stores, passed away Thursday following a fight with cancer, a press release announced.
Jones was a Borah High School graduate, who later attended the University of Idaho. He joined the U.S. Army Reserves Finance Corps and achieved the rank of Captain. Then, later earned his C.P.A. and began working in public accounting. Prior to his purchase of Stinker Stores, he was President of Stein Distributing, Idaho's largest Anheuser-Busch distributorship, the news release said.
"Charley was absolutely one in a million. His unrivaled business savvy combined with his generous and giving heart made him the Hero of Stinker's last 20 + years and an absolutely amazing visionary to work under. He is and always will be the greatest Stinker of all," Nate Brazier, current Stinker President and CEO.
Stinker Stores were founded in 1936, and have been a staple of Idaho communities since then. With roughly 106 locations across Idaho, Colorado and Wyoming, Jones wanted to ensure that Stinker was a involved in the communities they were in, through active involvement and support of charities, specifically those focused on food insecurity and domestic violence prevention.
Jones had purchased Stinker Stores from the family of Farris Lind in 2002. By 2012, Jones and his wife, Nancy, became sole owner and operators of the Stinker brand.
Jones had a plethora of achievements under his name, including being on the Board of Directors for Zion's Bank from 2006-2015, Board of Directors member for Boise Chamber of Commerce from 2012-2015 and he was voted CEO of Influence in 2014 from the Idaho Business Review.