The Day ‘Stevarti’ Jones Met Reggie Fountain, Jr.
When Stu Jones first met Reggie Fountain, Jr., in 1992, only one of them—the man who founded Fountain Powerboats in Washington, N.C.—was a public figure. Jones’ Florida Powerboat Club, which would go on to become most successful poker-run producer in history, was a fledgling business for the ambitious Canadian transplant back then. Fountain Powerboats, on the other hand, was a going concern well on its way to becoming a legendary brand.
Reggie Fountain, Jr., has always made time for his fans—including Florida Powerboat Club head Stu Jones—for more than 30 years ago.
That summer, Jones was working at Sunny Isles Marina, then a South Florida staple. One day, Fountain walked into his office. Jones, who read yesterday’s speedonthewater.com story celebrating Fountain’s 83rd birthday and the remarkable man himself, recalled the moment.
“Reggie came to Sunny Isles Marina and I handed him a Florida Powerboat Club business card I had made,” Jones said, then laughed. “It was an amateurish effort. The ‘W’ in my name—my full name is Stewart—looked like a ‘V’ and the ‘T’ had a little ink smear in it.
“Reggie looked at the card, then looked me in the eye and said, ‘It looks like you’re doing a great job with this new club,’” he continued. “’Good luck, Stevarti.’ Then he shook my hand and said, ‘I’m sure we’ll meet again.’”
Jones paused for a moment.
“You know, even in the early years before I ‘made it,’ Reggie always was a gentleman and respectful to me,” he said. “That was a moment I will remember forever.”
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