Picking up where the gallery page 'JABO, Inc. 'Classics' left off. JABO's Industrial marble business was in severe decline. They went from fifty-five, to six full time employees. Rumors were coming from the top that a company closure was likely. Increased popularity of the Classics began to bring in more and more marble dealers with the idea of incorporating more exotic aventurines, Lutz and oxbloods. On 11-07-2007, Plant Manager Dave McCullough, machine operator Richard McKnight, along with Jim King, a long time marble enthusiast and marble making artist, created the first JABO 5/8" aventurine and oxblood types. A second 5/8" test with Jim King was produced on 3-25-2008, and over the next couple days, Sammy Hogue produced a series of Aventurine tests.

Under tight budget restrictions, JABO would opt. to produce contract runs for dealer groups/crews lining up to partake in this exciting new endeavor.

The contract runs would be produced utilizing the Vitro 3/4" machine.

On 5-17-2008 Dave McCullough would produce a 3/4" aventurine test, preceding the first Contract run produced on 5-18-2008. These, as well as most of the contract runs in the first year, were produced utilizing Fenton white cullet as a base, with striking colors from Fenton, but more often from JABO batch glass and cullet from other suppliers. As the productions proved to be successful in every way, more expensive Kugler glass striking colors would be used, giving a wider variety and uniqueness, along with more vibrance to each run. This, along with ever improving patterns, resulted in what are arguably the best looking glass machine made swirl marbles ever produced. At least a dozen Contract runs were produced that first year and four dozen before Dave's departure from JABO in March of 2012. Also produced, a few 1" Contract runs, other 1", 3/4", 5/8" and Pee Wee runs, including JABO financed, Tank washes and experimental. More about those in the Gallery page 'JABO, Inc. Miscellaneous' category. Upon Dave McCullough's departure and JABO's subsequent loss of its two premier machine operators Richard McKnight and Ronnie Ewers, the two founding owners of JABO, Inc., Joanne Argabrite and Jack Bogard, would go on to produce many more colorful runs of their own, along with a handful of contract runs. More on this in the section 'JABO, Inc. Post-McCullough'.

 

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