The signs seemed to appear overnight. Hanging on utility poles throughout the city, they featured an illustration of an elephant holding some sort of equipment. There were no words, no numbers, just the elephant. People were naturally curious. Who had put them there and why? What exactly was it the elephant was holding? Some people thought perhaps it was related to Oregon’s finally allowing self-service at gas stations and others thought it looked like a power washing wand. Speculation was rampant on social media as people debated what these signs could be about and who had hung them.
Several weeks later, more signs appeared, this time in color so that the elephant was blue against a yellow background and a business name and number was listed on the bottom. Jumbo Power Wash, so named for its mascot elephant, was in business, and seeking customers. It didn’t take long for customers to respond. Owner Michael Hubbard had planned this stealth operation to pique people’s interest. He had thought that it would take a while before there was any sort of reaction to the black and white signs he hung in the dark of night with help from his 16 year old daughter Kayla, but he says people began to post questions about this mysterious appearance the next day on Veneta’s community Facebook page. His marketing plan was a success. Hubbard, a veteran who served four years in the Army as a medic, including a tour in Iraq as a part of the Calvary, had wanted to stay in the service and eventually become a firefighter. As a teen living in Veneta with his aunt and uncle he volunteered at the fire station. However, a back injury not only ended his stint as a medic, but it also ended his dream of firefighting. Because Hubbard and his wife Shareah weren’t ready to settle in one place yet, they and their three children traveled extensively after his discharge, seeing places such as Germany, Croatia, Austria, Viet Nam, and Thailand. It was while in Thailand that the stage for Jumbo was set. While there, the family stayed at a hotel in the mountains where elephants roamed the grounds. These pachyderms were tame enough to be fed bananas, sugar cane, and watermelon, which they happily took from the hand of the individual offering the bit of food. Hubbard was impressed as was Shareah, whose favorite animal happens to be the elephant. Once the family returned stateside, they settled for a time in Hillsboro but opted to move to Veneta after finding the larger city not to their liking. Hubbard decided he wanted to start a business and began to think about what people needed, what services there was a market for, and recognized a need for power washing. With a business decided upon, Hubbard then underwent industry training to learn how to clean following the guidelines of manufactures and purchased the necessary equipment. It was also time to develop a mascot, one that would catch people’s eyes and spark conversation. Hubbard’s thoughts went back to the friendly elephants in Thailand and working with artificial intelligence on his computer, he began to bring Jumbo to life. He wanted something cute, something that would make people smile and be appealing to kids as well. When he was done with the initial concept of Jumbo, he had an artist add the finishing touches and his sign subterfuge was begun. Since beginning business Hubbard has worked with fellow business owners, along with commercial, rental, and private property owners. He specializes in moss removal but also does soft wash pressure washing on homes, cleans gutters, and even cleans sidewalks, all done so that care is taken not to cause any damage and lessen the lifespan of the roofs, etc. Hubbard attempts to perform all services at a high level so that customers will not only have him back, but also refer him to others. He works with a crew of two and takes pride in paying a living wage, something that he describes as a “big mission” of his. Soon, he will add a third part-time employee. Come this autumn, Jumbo will don a Santa suit as Hubbard and his crew hang commercial grade Christmas lights as part of his goal to become a home service that does many things and Jumbo is also set to become the star of his own 47-page children’s book. The tale has Jumbo living in “Venetia” and all townsfolk are animals. Characters also include the Emerald Isle Gnomes and Ernie the Honest Evergreen. The story itself sees two children embarking on a journey and being assisted by the gnomes who lead them to Ernie who in turn, sends them to Jumbo because “icky sticky goo” has been poured on the town. Hubbard would like to give the books away and has already spoken to people at Elmira Elementary School where his two youngest children attend. Rather than dreams of literary success and big money, Hubbard’s only objective is to spread happiness. What began as a simple illustration hung here and there in the Veneta area to grab people’s attention has morphed into a bit of celebrity for a blue elephant grasping a deliberately ambiguous nozzle. Now, he graces coloring pages, company tee-shirts, the side of the company truck and more. Come time for Jumbo to switch to his Santa suit, he may also grace tee-shirts and hoodies for purchase. A mystery that had flummoxed many and given rise to theories has been solved and there really was no mystery at all. Just a friendly blue elephant, a clever ruse to get people’s attention, and a business that strives to do well, leave customers satisfied and, if somebody can be made happy, then that’s all the better.
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