The Willis family got their start in Stockton California where dad Jerry Dean Willis the first was a bar operator.
His young sons were trained in the fine art of lawn care. Detailing cars and others by himself.
Years later friends would talk of the skills those young men learned so many years ago. I say that in jest.. My guest played under all of the great football coaches at MHS and he then went on to play college ball. And then a business marketing class sent home an assignment to start a business on paper
For this college student/MHS graduate, he did that homework and on paper designed a sports bar. Which were the new type of bars being built in the late eighties. Now there are a lot of em, that seem to be on steroids. Compared to one of the originals I am sure in the state, that is the reason I picked this gentleman to be on the show..
He and his father scouted out many locations and were doing research on taking that dream from a piece of paper and making it work bringing it to fruition.
This club in Manteca was named ROCKO’s based on a nickname given to the owner by some college friends. It stuck and all these years later after a terrible fire gutted and killed the place. The owner, you’ll hear re-invented himself and is nowhere near bringing a bar back at his age now. You’ll find out in the show here what he has been up to the story of its inception and the life of my guest Jerry Dean Willis JR. or as they call him JD Willis he was the proprietor of Rockos sports bar and he has put in the time here, that’s the reason I am here with JD he will tell us about his life and I know I am a little jaded but this gonna be great podcast so settle in adjust your headphones and here comes the story of JD WILLIS and the legend of Rockos on the Man About Town Podcast
