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, Delta Air Lines, Time Warner, Porsche North America, the Atlanta Tech Village, PepsiCo and, most notably, The Coca-Cola Company, through which EyeMail Inc. got selected by Microsoft as a premier MWBE supplier in digital marketing. Prior to dedicating herself to entrepreneurship, Jones worked in supplier diversity for telecommunications provider AT&T, and continues to develop a career as a thought leader and public speaker in the matter.
In 2010, she received the "Most Innovative Company of the Year" prize at the Stevie Awards, and was also a finalist for Black Enterprises "Innovator of the Year" award. More recently, she received the "Catalyst of the Year" award at Delta Air Lines' 2018 Star Awards ceremony, and was a finalist in Microsoft's 2022 Supplier Prestige Awards under the category of Diverse-Owned Supplier of the Year. In 2023, EyeMail Inc. entered Inc. magazine's annual list of the fastest-growing companies in the US Southeast region at number 181.
Life and career
Early life and career beginnings (1974–2003) Lisa S. Jones was born on 1 April 1974 in Montgomery, Alabama, in the Southeastern U.S, the youngest of three girls. Jones became interested in the world of entrepreneurship from an early age, finding inspiration in her father, who opened an ice cream shop from the ground up and "significantly [impacted] her life". As a teenager, she worked at McDonald's, where she "learned several fundamental business principles, including how much she loved interacting with costumers", as well as the "importance of developing interpersonal and communication skills". Jones is an Alabama A&M University alumna, where she earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Logistics and Procurement, and MBA degrees. During her formative years, she also studied marketing management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.
While still living in Alabama, Jones was a logistics and supply chain expert at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, a work experience that lasted for four years, and she has cited as one of the reasons for wanting to develop a product that improves companies' internal communication. After being laid off from NASA, Jones decided to relocate to Atlanta, Georgia, where she expanded her career in supplier diversity for companies such as AT&T. Jones has stated that she decided to become an entrepreneur after her mother's unexpected death at age 61.