About Owen Jones

About Our Founder, Owen Jones

Owen was born in England. He completed a 7 year Engineering Apprenticeship with Rolls Royce, emerging with a degree in Manufacturing Engineering

He joined Parker Pen UK as a Manufacturing Engineer and after a few years he was managing the engineering group with postgraduate degrees in Business and Management.

In ’83 he was moved to Wisconsin with his family for a one-year temporary assignment to help revive the main Parker Pen plant. The assignment became permanent when he was asked to run the plant. Later he assumed the responsibility for North American Operations. He became American Citizen in ‘89

He was part of the management buyout of The Parker Pen Company which ended after 7 years with the sale of the company to Gillette in the mid 90s.

A year after the sale, he and two other Parker Pen directors jumped ship and bought Sheaffer Pen, a struggling competitor based in Iowa. He took the position of COO, the first challenge being to reverse the bankruptcy filing and to deal with a UAW strike. Shortly after he moved to the position of CEO.

After a four year turnaround replacing an ancient product range and developing global distribution, BIC made an offer that couldn’t be refused. The sale heralded the end of the last independent American writing instrument manufacturer.

Owen then moved on with an ownership stake and the leadership of an Ohio based, 1st tier component supplier to Kenworth and Peterbuilt class 8 trucks. A huge transition from writing instruments – and with all the challenges of serving a ‘classic’ automotive customer…

After 2 years he sold his interest in the company moved to Colorado and partnered to start up TurningPoint LLC, an executive retreat on 14 acres above Estes Park. It opened a month before 911.

Executive clients needed help with new careers and that led to partnering with Colorado Career Consultants. In 2004 Owen bought the company and decided to reshape it with a unique approach to career development and its Colorado market niche’.

The TurningPoint retreat was sold in 2005 and by then Owen and his wife Jeanie were operating Colorado Careers across the Front Range.

Owen also now guides leadership training expeditions with his partners in High Trail Expeditions and is actively involved in corporate outplacement, organization development, team building and executive coaching.