Meet John D. Jackson
Founder and CEO, Jacksons Food Stores
John D. Jackson has deep roots in Idaho and a lifelong commitment to community. Born and raised in Homedale, population 2,000, he studied accounting at Boise State University and, at age 20, opened his first service station in Caldwell. From that single location in 1975, he grew Jacksons Food Stores, ExtraMile and Jackson BevCo to more than 1,500 stores across eleven states.
In addition to Jacksons Food Stores, he is the founder of Jackson Energy, a wholesale fuels and transportation company serving more than 1,300 branded retail locations; Capitol Distributing, a grocery wholesaler delivering to eight western states; and Jackson Jet Center, an aviation services company with operations in Boise and Phoenix.
A proud Bronco, Jackson has maintained a close connection to Boise State. His philanthropy helped establish Jackson Commons in the Micron Business and Economics Building, creating a welcoming space for students to gather, study and collaborate. He also created a sponsorship to name Boise State’s basketball arena, ExtraMile Arena.
Jackson and his companies have raised millions of dollars for education, health care and programs supporting children in need. His contributions have earned him numerous awards, including Boise Area Chamber of Commerce’s “Small Business Person of the Year” in 1993, United States Senator Mike Crapo’s “Spirit of Idaho” in 2003, “Idaho’s Brightest Star” in 2006 by Governor Dirk Kempthorne and the 2019 St. Luke’s Light of Philanthropy Award.