Triple J ‘Our driving force is the communities and people we serve’

Think Triple J Enterprises Inc. and the first thing that springs to mind is its corporate slogan: “Customers First.”
So much so that the company—which spans from car dealerships to real estate and consumer goods—has become one of those that has made a name for itself as one of the foremost purpose-driven companies in the CNMI. Not only do they deliver quality products and services, but they also use their time, resources, and commitment to effect improvements and changes for the better. This social responsibility that seems like a second skin already is what has earned Triple J the community’s trust and confidence.

According to Triple J Enterprises, Inc. CEO and chairman Robert Jones, their driving force is the communities and people that they serve. “Triple J’s ‘Customers First’ commitment extends to our community involvement. For almost four decades, our group has strived to improve lives and build better communities through our philanthropic contributions, financially and voluntarily with time and personal involvement, to various nonprofit causes as well as to individuals,” he said.

Jones said that Triple J also recognize its responsibility as a corporate citizen to adhere to high standards of ethics and example in the way it operates its many businesses. “These founding values have carried us well and will continue to guide us forward. …Our shareholders and Executive Committee take an active role in implementing initiatives that are in line with our corporate values from which the communities we serve can benefit,” he added.

This was echoed by Triple J vice president Mike Sablan, who said that serving the islands is at the core of the company’s business. “This is a year-round effort for our group of companies, and we strive every year to improve our commitment and contributions both internally with our employees and externally to our community. Our increased charitable giving commitments not only reflect what we can do right now but also how we will continue our support throughout the year,” he said.

Sablan said that he company’s strategy is grounded in community perspectives and shared vision. “We receive feedback from our many [non-government] partners who benchmark their performance against their goals, we engage our team and receive employee perspectives and feedback, and constantly review the overall impact it has on our community and refine our goals accordingly,” he said.

Whether during normal times or when a super typhoon hits, during an economic downturn or like today’s pandemic, Triple J is on top of its game, making sure that needed services are dispensed to the people who need it, he said. This mindset was at the forefront of the company’s response when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. “The welfare of our team, our customers, and our community was our top priority at the start of the pandemic,” Sablan said.

This meant that Triple J adopted a group-wide infectious disease control policy to help the company’s team prepare for and respond to COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, while continuing to keep their doors open and maintaining normal business operations as much as possible, he said.

This not only allowed Triple J to provide uninterrupted critical services to the community but it also ensured that its employees continued to receive a paycheck to support their families.

“Yes, it is precisely in times of crisis where a sense of unity and belonging are important for any community. We are continually assessing the short-term and long-term effects that COVID-19 will have on our community and the subsequent needs of our [non-government] partners and the community at large,” Sablan added.

To help the government, Commonwealth Healthcare Corp., COVID-19 Task Force and the community battle the pandemic, Triple J donated hundreds of N-90 hospital masks to CHCC in the early days of the pandemic when they learned that the hospital staff and first responders were running low on much needed supplies. “We also [offered] our assistance in sourcing critical equipment and [personal protective equipment] by tapping the assistance of our [U.S.] mainland suppliers. When many businesses closed or restricted their business activities, Triple J offered immediate assistance in the form of discounted meals from our restaurant group for first responders and front-liners,” Sablan said.

The company supported the Public School System with meals distributions in schools by helping to provide staff to assist in the distributions, benefitting hundreds of families in need of basic meals, Sablan added. Also, Triple J directed over $52,000 in educational tax credits toward every public school and many private schools on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota in 2020 and 2021.

The company also continued its annual support of organizations and their causes. These organizations include the Commonwealth Cancer Association, Northern Mariana Islands Futbol Association, Diocese of Chalan Kanoa, Guam/CNMI Make a Wish Foundation, Saipan Fisherman’s Association, Tan Siu Lin Foundation’s Field of Heroes event benefiting the Northern Marianas Humanities Council, Tasi to Table Foundation, CNMI Soroptimist Club, Mariana Islands Nature Alliance, Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands, Saipan Chamber of Commerce, and 4-H Camp’s Magalahi Summer Camp.

Triple J’s employees themselves are also quite active when it comes to helping the community. Jones believes that an organization will be able to reach its goals if everyone in the company is on board the ship and he sees that with each and every employee of Triple J.

“We are proud to have employees who share a heart for service—their generosity continues to inspire us time and time again, and they’ve stepped up in a huge way during this really challenging time. From volunteering their personal time to islandwide beach cleanups, 5K runs, and other community events each year, to helping serve meals to families who lost their jobs during the pandemic,” he said.