Lisa S. Jones

Lisa S. Jones (born 1 April 1974) is an American businesswoman and entrepreneur, best known for being the founder of Atlanta-based video email company EyeMail Inc. As both a black and woman-owned business, EyeMail Inc. is classified as a Minority Women Business Enterprise (MWBE). Her company began as a start-up, eventually growing exponentially through partnerships with Microsoft,[1] Delta Air Lines, Time Warner, Porsche North America,[2] the Atlanta Tech Village and,[3] most notably, The Coca-Cola Company,[4] through which EyeMail Inc. got selected by Microsoft as a premier MWBE supplier in digital marketing.[5]

Lisa S. Jones
Jones in 2018.
Born (1974-04-01) 1 April 1974
Montgomery, Alabama, U.S.
Education
Occupation
Years active2004—present
TitleFounder and CEO of EyeMail Inc.

Prior to dedicating herself to entrepreneurship, Jones worked in supplier diversity for telecommunications provider AT&T,[4][6] and continues to develop a career as a thought leader and public speaker in the matter.[7][6]

In 2008, Jones became the first winner of CBS reality competition show The Next Tycoon. In 2010, she received the "Most Innovative Company of the Year" prize at the Stevie Awards,[8] and was also a finalist for Black Enterprise's "Innovator of the Year" award.[9]

Life and career

Lisa S. Jones was born on 1 April 1974 in Montgomery, Alabama, in the Southeastern U.S,[10] the youngest of three girls.[11] She is an Alabama A&M University alumna, where she earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Logistics and Procurement, and MBA degrees.[12] During her formative years, she also studied marketing management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.[13] While still living in Alabama, Jones was a logistics and supply chain expert at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center,[11][4] a work experience that lasted for four years,[11] and she has cited as one of the reasons for wanting to develop a product that improves companies' internal communication.[3] After being laid off from NASA, Jones decided to relocate to Atlanta, Georgia,[11] where she expanded her career in supplier diversity for companies such as AT&T.[4][10] Jones has stated that she decided to become an entrepreneur after her mother's unexpected death at age 61.[11][14] In a 2021 interview for Forbes, she explained: "It was my mom's passing that gave me the courage to step out on my own. EyeMail Inc. was born from a necessity to re-engage as a vibrate happy person, living life on my own terms and with a specific purpose."[1] According to the magazine's Laurel Donnellan: "At her mother's gravesite in her native Alabama, [Jones] made a vow to start and scale a global company in her honor but had no idea what [type of company she would start] once she returned home to Atlanta."[1]

Jones eventually set out to create a product to improve engagement marketing,[1] coming up with an "email video" service that enables up to 60 seconds-long high-definition videos to be compressed and embeded directly into emails, avoiding the need to click on a link or access a browser to play them.[3][15] She officially founded her company EyeMail Inc. in Atlanta in 2004,[11][4] and developed the product for five years during her spare time, as she also had a full-time job as an executive in telecommunications.[1] At first, Jones had difficulty finding support from American development agencies, so she tried several international technical teams until choosing a partnership that she considered most suitable.[1][15] Following this, the team developed the product in only six months.[1] As part of EyeMail Inc.'s development process, Jones took part in Microsoft's Mentor/Protégé Innovation Lab Program, which "provided more support and expertise",[1] as well as its Innovation Center, making her the first African-American woman to do so.[2] In 2008, Jones was the winner of the first season of CBS reality competition show The Next Tycoon.[2][8]

EyeMail Inc. got the interest of business executives after its use in a Georgia's Greater Women's Business Council (GWBC) campaign, to whom Jones offered to use her service for free in an effort to showcase her product.[15][2] It first caught the attention of Time Warner, which became EyeMail Inc.'s first client.[2][4] This achievement prompted Jones to leave her day job and fully dedicate herself to the company.[1] In 2008, EyeMail Inc. was listed at number 3 on the Atlanta Tribune's list for the "Top 8 Atlanta Businesses to Watch".[16] That year, Jones began a partnership with The Coca-Cola Company, as part of its mentor program with the Georgia Minority Supplier Diversity Council (GMSDC).[4] Jones' relationship with The Coca-Cola Company, both as a client and partner, was pivotal to EyeMail Inc.'s growth, as it "gave her product more visibility and helped her develop business skills", and purportedly caused its revenue to quadruple.[4] The company operates in several countries—including the United Kingdom, Canada, India, Pakistan and Mexico—[4] and works for businesses such as Delta Air Lines, Major League Baseball,[15] Porsche North America, Aetna, the Atlanta Braves,[1] and The Home Depot.[2]

Jones is a board member of the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG),[17] as well as a partner of the Billion Dollar Roundtable organization, where EyeMail Inc. is classified as a Minority Women Business Enterprise (MWBE) strategic partner.[18] She took part as a panelist at the organization's 2014 Billion Dollar Summit.[19] As a continuing part of her pre-entrepreneurial career, Jones continues to work as a supplier diversity thought leader and public speaker at specialized forums and panels.[7][6] In 2010, Black Enterprise nominated Jones as a finalist for the "Innovator of the Year" award,[9] and was also given the "Georgia Minority Technology Industry Award".[8] In 2018, Jones received the "Catalyst of the Year" award at Delta Air Lines' Annual Star Awards ceremony.[20] In 2019, Minority Business Entrepreneur magazine listed Jones in a special feature titled "Honoring WBEs Who Rock!".[21]

Jones is a board member of the Technology Association of Georgia Diversity and Inclusion, and a volunteer at the local chapter of the Women in Technology Association.[22] She is currently pursuing an executive degree at Harvard University.[22][23]

See also

References
  1. Donnellan, Laurel (4 November 2021). "Love Is The Bottom Line At EyeMail Inc". Forbes. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  2. Neil Howe, Craig Williams (2017). Lisa Jones - Founder and Chief Executive Officer of EyeMail Inc (radio show). Business Authority Radio. Business Innovators Radio Network. Retrieved 5 November 2021 – via iHeartRadio.
  3. Jim Fitzpatrick, Lisa S. Jones (6 March 2019). How to Transform Traditional Email into Engaging Experiences – Lisa S. Jones, EyeMail (YouTube video). Atlanta Tech Village: Atlanta Small Business Network. JBF Business Media. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  4. Southerland, Randy (16 September 2014). "Corporate partnership helps email tech company quadruple its revenue". Atlanta Business Chronicle. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  5. "2011 U.S. Diversity Stewardship Report" (PDF). The Coca-Cola Company. 2011. p. 21.
  6. Iain Campbell-McKenna (22 October 2021). How do you build diversity into your procurement department? (audio). Sourcing Solved. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  7. "Circling the Globe with Diversity". Minority Business News USA (MBNUSA): 1. 15 June 2007.
  8. "EyeMail Inc". Stevie Awards. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  9. Robinson, Tennille M. (4 June 2010). "Vote for the 2010 Innovator of the Year Nominees". Black Enterprise. Archived from the original on 4 June 2010. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  10. Archie Tucker, Lisa S. Jones (16 September 2020). Guest Lisa S. Jones, Alumna and Founder/CEO of EyeMail, Inc. Start and Go (audio). Alabama A&M University. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  11. "Lisa Jones - Founder Story". Atlanta Tech Village. 1 October 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  12. Blake, Tania (20 August 2020). "10 Incredible Women of Email (that you may not have heard about yet)". Knak. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  13. Lowery, Melissa (24 November 2014). "EyeMail: Lisa Jones Wants To Start An Email Revolution". Women's Enterprise. WE USA. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  14. Gesenhues, Amy (September 30, 2020). "Success Spotlight: Lisa S. Jones". Women of Martech. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  15. Beilin, Holly (9 May 2018). "How This Founder Got Execs At Delta, Coca-cola and More to Notice Her Email Marketing Product". Hypepotamus. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  16. Morrow, Candace (2008). "Top 8 Atlanta Businesses to Watch". Atlanta Tribune: 38.
  17. "TAG Diversity, Equity & Inclusion". Technology Association of Georgia (TAG). Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  18. "M/WBE Partners". Mobile, Alabama, U.S.: Billion Dollar Roundtable (BDR). Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  19. "BDR SUMMIT PANELIST". Minority Business News USA (MBNUSA). Dallas, Texas: TexCorp Communications Inc. IV: 58. 2014.
  20. Kruse, Brian (1 March 2018). "Diverse suppliers honored at 19th annual Star Awards". Delta News Hub. Delta Air Lines. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  21. "Honoring WBEs Who Rock!". Minority Business Entrepreneur. MBE. 36 (3): 34–35. 2019. ISSN 1048-0919. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  22. "Lisa S. Jones". Seattle, U.S.: Digital.com. 19 October 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  23. "Lisa S. Jones: Delivering the Best Visual and Engaging Email Communication Experience". IndustryWired Magazine. San Jose, California: IndustryWired. 24 February 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
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