RJ’s Metropolitan Ice Cream Co. to Receive 2023 Michigan Celebrates Small Business Award

Robert and Yvette Wilkie at RJ’s Metropolitan Ice Cream Co. Ribbon Cutting and Grand Opening.  JTV file photo.

(April 6, 2023 10:10 AM ET) Three Jackson County companies are among the 2023 Michigan Celebrates Small Business Award winners to be honored during the 19th annual Michigan Celebrates Small Business Gala on May 2, 2023.  The event will host over 800 guests at the Breslin Center in East Lansing to celebrate the achievements of this year’s award recipients.

RJ’s Metropolitan Ice Cream Co. will be honored with the SBDC Best Small Business Award.  RJ’s is a “One Stop Fun Shop” offering burgers, fries, ice cream and milkshakes in Downtown Jackson. They have a strong focus on providing a great customer experience that reminds guests of their best childhood memories.

 RJ’s Metropolitan Ice Cream Co. began in 2014 as RJ’s Heavenly Delights founded by Robert and Yvette Wilkie.

“This award means a lot to us, we’re truly honored and humbled to receive this award,” said Robert Wilkie. “We’ve put a lot of work into our business, to grow and evolve it. We wanted our business to be a destination one stop fun shop for our customers. It’s all about the experience at RJ’s.”

Robert Wilkie said the community’s support has been a blessing.  “We’ve been blessed not to only get support from our community, but also surrounding communities and out of town customers. The support we’ve received has made it possible for our continued growth,” Wilkie told JTV News.  “Our community truly means everything to us. We want to play our part in making Jackson a better place to live and help continue to grow downtown Jackson.”

Wilkie said the history of the family’s company started after losing their son RJ unexpectedly. “Baking started as grief therapy for my wife. My wife’s passion had been, for other mothers to see, that you can turn your pain into purpose,” said Wilkie. “And there are “sweet” blessings that await you if you’re willing to heal and grow from your pain. RJ’s is our Happy Place after suffering from such a devastating loss.” 

The family notes they’ve had wins along the way. “The two things I would say we’re most proud of is, owning our 3-story commercial building downtown. Our second would be that we were able to pour back into our community through hosting the Black Excellence Awards Banquet, which gives us an opportunity to help encourage other entrepreneurs and help other entrepreneurs get to their next best step,” Wilkie said. “God has truly blessed us, and we believe in paying that forward.”

MCSB says the past three years have been a challenging landscape for business owners, but small businesses have learned to become nimble and innovative in order to accomplish their goals. The 2023 awards gala will put Michigan’s small businesses like RJ’s Metropolitan Ice Cream Co. in the spotlight and give them a chance to share their success stories with the supporters who helped them get to where they are today.

“MCSB has always prided itself on its spirit of collaboration and celebration,” said Jennifer Deamud, MCSB board chair. “We love seeing our awardees celebrating one another’s success and sharing in this amazing moment in each awardee’s journey. It’s true— success is best when it is shared.”

The other two Jackson County businesses to be honored are SeaLandAire Technologies, Inc. with the APEX Accelerator Best Small Business Award and Bearex with the SmartZone Best Small Business Award.

Additional information about the awards gala and ticket information can be found at MichiganCelebrates.org.