James W. Thomas or Jim Thomas is an American business executive who held was former president of Sierra and Vice president/CFO positions at MicroProse, Rivian Automotive, and MapQuest. He is known for managing the initial public offering of MapQuest.[1]
Jim Thomas | |
|---|---|
| Born | James W. Thomas 1959 |
| Nationality |  American |
| Occupation | Businessman |
Early life
editThomas graduated from Florida Institute of Technology with a bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1972 and received a Master of Business Administration from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.
Career
editHis first executive role was as Executive VP and CFO for the gaming company MicroProse from 1989-1992. From 1993 to 1994 he became the President of Sierra.
In 1995, he left Sierra to assist with the startup of MapQuest.[2] He became the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, and helped MapQuest become a leading internet mapping company.[3][4] In 1999, he managed the initial public offering of MapQuest on the Nasdaq and sale to AOL, which was completed in 2000.[5]
In 2010, he joined Avera Motors shortly after foundation and became the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.[6][7] Avera Motors became Rivian, and he became the Vice President of Corporate Development.[8]
In 2011, he was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement in Technology award by Florida Congressman Bill Posey.[9] In 2017, he was the recipient of the Florida Institute of Technology distinguished alumni award.[10] In 2019, he was inducted into the Florida Institute of Technology Career Hall of Fame.[11]
References
edit- ^ Bloomberg L.P., "Executive Profile James W. Thomas", retrieved 19 October 2017.
- ^ Faught, Andrew. "Adventures in Electric Vehicles: Going Off-Road with Rivian VP Jim Thomas '74", Florida Tech News, June 13, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
- ^ "Modus Operandi names two to board of directors", Florida Today, Melbourne, Florida, volume 43, number 167, September 14, 2022, page 1C. (subscription required)
- ^ "Local executives cited as top entrepreneurs", Lancaster New Era, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, 124th year, number 38,564, Business Monday, June 16, 2010, page 10. (subscription required)
- ^ Howard, Mark R. "Economic Engine?", Florida Trend website, Trend Magazines Inc., October 31, 2011. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
- ^ Price, Wayne T. "Engineer a different kind of car designer", Florida Today, Melbourne, Florida, volume 45, number 193, September 26, 2010, page 3E. (subscription required)
- ^ Stock, Kyle. "Where did Rivian's electric truck come from? It's a long, messy road", The Orange County Register, October 6, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2022. (subscription required)
- ^ "Group Brings Together State Farm, Rivian And Illinois' Other Autonomous Vehicle Leaders", WGLT.org website, August 8, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
- ^ "TechXpo", Florida Today, Melbourne, Florida, volume 46, number 210, October 12, 2011, page 7B. (subscription required)
- ^ Lowenstein, Adam. "Jim Thomas to receive Florida Tech distinguished alumni award", Florida Tech News, October 18, 2017. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ "Jim Thomas: Electric Vehicle Visionary". Florida Institute of Technology website. Retrieved May 15, 2022.