Ken Jones
EPB has promoted Ken Jones to Senior Director of Procurement, Vendor Relations and MWOB, a new position responsible for leading the company’s overall Purchasing and Materials Management as well as Minority & Women-Owned Business Program.
The move is part of EPB’s mission of enhancing quality of life for the community by supporting job creation and broader prosperity.
“Our goal in promoting Ken Jones is to maximize our local economic impact by further integrating our purchasing efforts with our focus on contracting with diverse Chattanooga area businesses whenever possible,” said David Wade, president and CEO of EPB.
“Ken was already doing an outstanding job leading EPB’s Purchasing team and has built a strong network of community connections over the years. Adding our Minority and Women-Owned Business Program to his responsibilities is a great fit.”
EPB’s Minority & Women-Owned Business Program began in 2002 under the leadership of Michael Jones (no relation to Ken Jones), who was recognized during his recent retirement for his pioneering efforts to build one of the premiere local programs for promoting the success of non-traditional business owners.
“At EPB, the Purchasing team and the Minority & Women-Owned Business Program have worked closely over the years on efforts that total more than $90 million in contracts with business owners since the program began,” said Ken Jones. “Our goal is to further increase our ability to form successful contracts with diverse companies that help us provide outstanding services for our customers while helping more local companies grow and create jobs.”
Mr. Jones started at EPB in 2000 as a Network Technician and has worked for EPB in a range of roles and leadership positions including fiber optics, project management, engineering, strategic planning and, most recently, procurement.
Mr. Jones also emphasizes the importance of community connections. “We’ve built a large and diverse list of potential vendors which is key to our efforts because we utilize a competitive purchasing process for all of our contracts,” he said. “We work with all potential vendors with the aim of achieving the best outcome at the best value for our community.”
Mr. Jones invites both local companies and groups that can help promote contracting opportunities to contact him. “We’re always looking to add new potential vendors to our contact list, and community organizations are critical for helping us get the word out about these opportunities to newly started businesses and others we haven’t managed to connect with yet,” Jones said.
Mr. Jones’ passion for the community is evident in his volunteer efforts. In addition to being the board chair for Erlanger Community Health Centers, he currently serves on the board of directors for green|spaces, United Way of Greater Chattanooga, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Alumni Association and the Chattanooga Library. He also mentors middle school, high school, college students and adult professionals. In addition, he works as a volunteer for The Hunter Museum of American Art, American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE), UTC Gary Rollins College of Business and Chattanooga Preparatory School.
“Having the opportunity to make a difference for our neighbors across the Chattanooga area is what makes working for EPB so meaningful to me,” Mr. Jones said. “I carry that same commitment into my volunteer work.”
Mr. Jones attended Chattanooga State Technical Community College, where he earned an associate's degree in Electrical Electronics Engineering Technology, and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga where he graduated with a B.S. in Business Entrepreneurship and an MBA in Business Analytics.
Mr. Jones is the proud of father of two adult children and credits his mother as his biggest supporter and role model in success.
Mr. Jones invites local businesses of all kinds with an interest in EPB’s contracting opportunities to contact him at joneske@epb.net.