State and local groups financed part of the company'smulti-million dollar expansion. In return for enlarging itsheadquarters in the area and increasing its work force of 254 by22% come the end of 2003, Maryland gave the company $131,250 ingrants for the project. Carroll County gave JOSB $300,000.

Despite a slumping economy, the company is in a good position toachieve its goals of increasing its presence throughout the countryand providing more jobs. In a statement last year, companyPresident and CEO Robert Wildrick explains: "Our goals for 2001: toopen 30 new stores, mostly in existing markets; to introduce ournew prototype store, the first of which opened in Charlottesville,Virginia, in March 2001; to increase Internet sales, which havealready exceeded expectations; and to break our own recordearnings." JOSB has come close to achieving its projectedstore-opening goal, and has succeeded in all other objectives.While most retailers have suffered sales losses in comparison tolast year's numbers, JOSB has seen regular increases. Sales forNovember were up 6.6% over the same period in 2000.