| Jim Thomas | |
| Birth Name: | James W. Thomas |
| Birth Date: | 1959 |
| Birth Place: | United States |
| Nationality: |  American |
| Occupation: | Businessman |
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]
Thomas 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.
His 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]