Jack Jeffries has always excelled at whatever he's undertaken in life, from his education to his law practice, to running his businesses.
Jack's parents helped set him up for success and leadership. He grew up in the Chicagoland area, attending Edgebrook Grammar School, where he was the “mayor” of the school and received the American Legion Award, Niles Township High School, Skokie, Illinois.
Jack's post-high school educational background is extraordinary. He graduated with multiple degrees from Indiana University: Bachelor of Science; Doctor of Jurisprudence; Master of Laws; and Doctor of Philosophy. He also received a diploma from Stockholm University after studying Fellowship in Stockholm, Sweden where he served as President of Foreign Students. Jack also served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of National Louis University and received a Doctor of Humane Letters honorary degree.
Jack practiced corporate law in Chicago for more than 50 years at two major law firms: Keck, Mahin & Cate and Locke Lord. It was through his law practice that he began serving as legal counsel to MFMA. He served in the role of MFMA legal counsel for many years until his retirement from the practice of law in 2022. He helped guide MFMA through a wide range of legal issues, most importantly the always-critical issue of anti-trust compliance.
Though Jack has retired from the practice of law, he hasn’t slowed down one bit. Jack is currently serving as Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and owner of Doumak Inc., one of the leading producers of marshmallows in the United States. By continued reinvestment, Doumak has grown substantially larger under Jack’s leadership, and it provides food products to major U.S. and global retailers.
Jack does more than work! An expert sailor and lifelong boater, you might find him in the summer sailing the waters of Lake Michigan on his sailboat.
It would be hard to sum up Jack’s career and achievements in a few sentences, but here are a few words written by one of Jack’s former law partners that are particularly insightful.
"There are some 300 lawyers in the firm, but there is only one Jack Jeffries. You are a brilliant and enormously successful lawyer. There is no situation in which you might find yourself that you could not handle with strength, toughness, mental agility, and aplomb. But you are more than that. You march to your own tune, you read and study the works of writers and scholars, you have the ambitions of a scholar yourself, and you never fail as a friend. You are a man for all seasons, however inclement the weather, however rough the seas."