This is an excerpt from the recent World New Network interview with JazzDad, the CEO of JDI International, LLC.
WNN: Welcome JazzDad. First off, that’s an unusual name. Tell us about it.
JD: Thank you. My father thought it a big joke to name his son ‘Dad’. My older sister was named ‘Mom’. The ‘Jazz’ portion comes from the small village where my parents met; Jzahsikiburgville.
WNN: And how did you get started?
JD: My family was so poor, I knew I had to do something to make a life for myself. I apprenticed myself to an emergency response vehicle outfitter at age 12. At 14 I was a journeyman, and at 16 I became a master outfitter. I still hold the record for being the youngest person to get his MOL (Master Outfitter’s License) with the Amalgamated Fire Lights and Car Installed Outfitting (AFL/ CIO) Union.
WNN: Pretty impressive, indeed. So, just how big is JDI now?
JD: Hmmm, that’s tough to answer. The number of plants we have worldwide varies, depending on the political environment at any one moment. We lost a manufacturing facility in Kyrgyzstan just a few days ago, following rumours of a possible coup. The masses always seem to blame JDI, then their government whenever the economy dips. I guess it’s just a part of doing business when you employ a large segment of the population.
WNN: Speaking of employment, your critics accuse you of slave labour. Any comment?
JD: Sure. Critics exist in order to stir up the masses. We pay our workers. We house them. We provide healthcare…
WNN: [Interrupts] They say you pay less than the local minimum wages.
JD: That usually is not defined where we have shops.
WNN: And your housing is sub-standard.
JD: Hey! When we lock them in their barracks at night, they are safer than on the streets!
WNN: And the medical care is, at best, minimal.
JD: By what standard? You must take the local conditions into consideration.
WNN: Just admit it; your facilities are sweat shops, you barely pay your employees, your products are sub-par, and you, personally, live at the top of the 1 percenters.
JD: I think we’re through here.
We thought you’d like to see how JDI is portrayed in the media. You, as eLightbar members, know better; that JDI is the most progressive emergency response equipment manufacturer in the world, and that’s why you have supported us with your record-setting purchases of over $1B in 2015!