Business Profile: Ramona L. Jones

Ramona L. Jones, CEO of Jones & Guerrero Inc., center, with some of the women in her team. “My team inspires me. Every person in our corporation counts.” (Contributed Photo)

Ramona L. Jones is the CEO of Jones & Guerrero Inc. in Guam. She and her management team handles various subsidiaries of the company, including KFC and Taco Bell franchises on Saipan, the Town House Furniture and Appliances retail stores in Guam, and their new business venture—real estate development and rental property enterprises on Saipan.

Jones, the 2017 First Hawaiian Bank and Guam Business magazine Businesswoman of the Year, is a seasoned businesswoman who has earned every rank she has ever had, but running a company was the least of her interests when she was a child.

“I wanted to be a neurosurgeon or a genetic engineer when I was child because I was interested in ‘what makes us who we are and where we came from.’ I loved science but business loved me more,” Jones said.

Jones pursued a bachelor in international business and finance in college at the University of San Francisco. She landed a job as a federal employee in Washington, D.C., where she worked as an economic policy special adviser at the Department of the Interior and as a deputy associate director in the executive office of the president in the White House.

“I knew I was going to come back to Guam to work in the family business but one of my core beliefs is that everyone has a duty to serve his or her country and working in civil service for four years was my tour of duty. The opportunity to work under President Bush’s administration, especially after 9/11, gave me a real sense of patriotism and I am thankful that I was able to contribute.”

Working in a family business is not an easy task because keeping business and personal matters separate can be difficult.

“That is not the case for me. The most harmonious aspect of our family interaction happens at work. Since the beginning, everyone is cordial, knowing the chain of command and we treat each other’s ideas with respect. We strictly adhere to that high regard of each person’s expertise. I am the fourth girl of five daughters. Our system does not run where only the older member tells everyone what to do. We all have a clear line of responsibility.”

The CEO position was not handed to Jones in a silver platter.

“I worked in every job and each one I had to earn in order to level up. I have this drive to win, this desire to achieve. This is true since I was a kid, when I was working in the federal government and so much so in J&G. My first job in our company was on Tinian. I was 12 and my work entailed feeding the pigs and riding around them. My father made us get used to the physical work so that mental business sense will follow.”

“All of us had to earn the right to work in the business. There is no sense of entitlement because we are not working for convenience but we run the company to be No.1.”

As the highest-ranking executive of J&G, Jones is responsible for acting as the main point of communication between management and corporate operations.

“One of the challenges I face as the leader is communicating the goal[s] to the team in a way that they will get excited and enthusiastic. Robert Browning said ‘a man’s reach should exceed his grasp.’ To me, it means achieve anything worthwhile. I always think ‘what can we do more that is achievable, measureable, and will go beyond expectations?’ We are fortunate we have talented, ambitious, and hardworking people in the team. I have to make sure we are headed in the same direction.”

“My team inspires me. Like a mother to a cub, I am protective of them. I recognize how hard they work, their dedication and the sacrifices they make. Every person in the team counts, from our delivery driver to management. The team makes me think I cannot be overwhelmed with work and to add one thing at a time. Then there’s my faith. I think of my hard work as an offering to God. He strengthens me.”

Jones is a wife and a mother of two children. She finds the right work-life balance even with her busy schedule.

“My ‘me’ time is my work. The other part is that I have a caring spouse, who is very affectionate, which makes our household more warm and loving. I love my children. They mean the world to me. We are family oriented so once in a while, the clan would have get-togethers, share some laughs, similar values and be in an environment where everything flows naturally.”

“The last book I read was The Museum Of Innocence by Turkish author Orhan Pamuk. It basically tells you what not to do in life. It’s about the tragedy of superficial love and devastating self-intelligence set in Istanbul. It was a smart and humorous read.”

Jones credits the support of her husband, family, and team for her achievements.