University of Houston-Victoria alumna Lauren Jones is making strides as a sales executive as she charts out a path to owning her own business one day.

Jones, who is a Sugar Land resident, graduated from UHV with a Bachelor of Business Administration in December 2016. In her current role, Jones is a sales executive at City Wide Facility Solutions, working to sell janitorial and facility maintenance services to diverse industries across the nation.

Lauren Jones

“I loved the atmosphere at UHV, especially with how personable each and every one of my professors were,” Jones said. “All of the students and friends I made along the way, I liked how everything at UHV led me to have a more personable experience.”

Over the past two years, she has successfully managed accounts for daycares, hospitals and property management companies, she said. In 2013, she officially transferred to UHV after completing her basic courses at Wharton Junior College. She made the transfer to UHV after carefully choosing the college that fit her lifestyle, personality and aspirations, she said.

Rhiannon Smith

"We are immensely proud to hear the stories of our esteemed alumni who have gone on to pursue their passions," said Rhiannon Smith, assistant dean of administration and student services in the UHV College of Business. "Lauren's determination and vision directly reflect the caliber of students our college nurtures. Her success reinforces our commitment to creating innovative thinkers and future business leaders."

During her time as a student, statistics was the hardest course she faced, Jones recounted. Going through the course and passing it on the first try would not have been possible without the support of her professors and classmates, she said.

“The experience that helped me throughout my business career was learning all the general practices and principles of how to be successful in the business world. My business classes sure helped me with just that,” Jones said. “I currently work in outside sales, and although there are ups and downs in my role, I still stay motivated and persevere through all the unknowns with a positive attitude. In my perspective, being in the sales world, there are tons of “no’s” but tons of “yes’s”. The “no” means they are happy with the services they are receiving. The “yes” means we want to hear more about what you have to offer and what you can bring to the table to help my company thrive better than it is now. Then from there, if you communicate effectively on how to help their company with what it is you are selling and build a professional client relationship, you will win!”

Growing up, what inspired her to pursue business was seeing her uncle thrive in his cybersecurity company. All throughout elementary school all the way to her high school graduation, Jones said she held on to that inspiration. As a child, one of the first business ideas that came to her was starting a daycare, she said. Now, she aspires to start her own janitorial maintenance company, Jones said.

“I want to follow in his footsteps and hopefully start my own business one day,” Jones said.