As covered in the earlier C.E. Bogard brand, Jack Bogard made the move to Reno, Ohio. He then teamed up with businesswoman Joanne Argabrite, and in 1987 they created JABO, Inc., a name combining 'Joanne' and 'Bogard'. They purchased the Bogard company equipment and sold the Cairo property. They produced Industrial marbles and soon sought out someone to help expand the business. In July of 1991, they brought in Champion Agate General Manager, Dave McCullough, as shareholder, who brought further knowledge, expertise and connections to their marble making business which provided the boost they needed for increased growth. Becoming production manager and given free reign to produce whatever would make money, Dave made their first colorful run of 5/8" marbles later that year. Dave would continue to make more colorful marbles that became known as 'Classics', utilizing JABO batch glass, Fenton cullet, as well as cullet from other suppliers. It is known that the Classics were always made on the same machine that was brought in by Jack Bogart from the earlier Heaton factory, because it was the only reliable machine that would produce not only 5/8", but also 9/16" as well as 1/2" Pee wee marbles. Jabo would generally produce a Spring Classics, as well as a Fall Classics run annually. In January 1992, JABO moved operations a short distance up Ohio St. Rt. 7, where they expanded operations and remained until the end. In 1993, JABO acquired the Vitro Agate Co. and most of the remaining inventory and machinery. With the newly acquired Vitro machines, 3/4" industrials were soon produced as well as a limited amount of 3/4" transparent colored based shooters for packaged sets. An opaque swirl run was made with poor sales response, so production was halted until 1998, and was intermittent and fairly limited until the contract run era. Their first 1" run of colorful marbles happened in 1995. Both larger size Classics were produced with less frequency than that of the 5/8" size.
With a lucrative industrial marble business, JABO would purchase a location in Williamstown, WV to increase production for the industrial marble demand, though colorful marbles were never made. By 2006, JABO's industrial marble business was waning to the point of massive cutbacks and Joanne's order to halt production of Classics. Undaunted, in 2007 Dave produced a series of five, 5/8" 'Tank wash' runs. Two more 1" runs were also produced. The popularity and collectability of the Classics lead to talks of more exotic applications which led to what we now refer to as 'The Contract Run era'. More about this in the gallery page dedicated to it. Many more of the earlier JABO Classics will be posted here in the near future, as time allows.

 

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