Jack worked in his father's business, Dehoff Lumber, located along the Old Bayshore Highway, south of the Port of Redwood City. Later, while attending Sequoia High School, he got started in the grocery business, bagging groceries and sorting bottles for a small local grocery chain, Lee Bros. With hard work and determination, he went on to become store manager for Lee Brothers and eventually ran se
veral of the chain's stores, including some they called Key Market. In 1971 the store located at the corner of Upton and Roosevelt in Redwood City became available and Jack and wife Nancy decided it was time to venture out on their own. Jack purchased the store and set out to build a business based on the fundamentals: premium grain-fed beef, hand-selected produce, honest pricing and good old-fashioned customer service. The goal was always to make the customers feel right at home and really enjoy their shopping experience. Today, almost 40 years later, Dehoff's Key Market remains the favorite place to shop for the community. Now, with three stores, the company stands with a long track record of maintaining all the principles the built the store from the start: good people, quality products, and honest value. Over the years the size of the Dehoff family has grown as well as the business. Jack and Nancy have five children: Mike, Chris, Pat, Jackie, and Colleen and nine grandchildren...so far. Following the family tradition, they all started working in the stores at an early age doing everything including sorting bottles, bagging groceries and trimming produce. All have stayed in the business and have become active in all aspects including grocery, meat, produce, accounting, point-of-sale, and nearly everything else. Son Chris became the company's General Manager in 1988 and continues to uphold the all the ideals created when the business first began. As Chris says,"We are proud of the fact that we're 'locally grown' and have such strong roots here. We think it makes a difference in how we operate, how we take care of our customers, and how we respond to what they need. We've been doing business this way for nearly 40 years now. It's great to be a real part of our communities serving families year after year." Jack is semi-retired now but is still involved in the daily operations. In his spare time he raises cattle on the coast which the family has done for the last 50 years.
