In 1978, Eugene Jetts, then 23, planned to buy a house with $20,000 he had saved. Instead, he and his broth John used the money to open Jett’s Party Shoppe and Pizzeria in a vacant Sterling Heights storefront. Their flagship offering, a Detroit style deep dish pizza, came from a recipe given to them by their mother. The same recipe is used today. Eventually becoming Jet’s Pizza’s, the company adopted a simple slogan, “Life is short. Eat better pizza.” The company remains family-owned and is the 12th largest pizza marketer in the United States, with approximately 380 outlets. Co-founder Eugene Jetts died in 2014.