As a student at St. Andrew’s, Jennifer Zimmons '91 loved knowing everything happening on campus. Now, as the founder of an international investor relations and communications firm, it’s her job to know everything happening while her CEO clients are in town.

Jennifer works with family offices and private equity firms to support the growth of portfolio companies. Her passion for working with values-oriented family offices is inspired by her time at St. Andrew’s.

“At St. Andrew’s, they always looked after you. They would always rope you back in. You were loved and you were cared for,” she said. “I take on those characteristics unconsciously when I take care of CEOs.”

Jennifer studied design in college, but decided to pursue an MBA and capitalize on the dot-com boom. After working for firms large and small, she started Zimmons International Communications, Inc. five years ago.

She said networking and marketing skills have been key to her success, as well as hard and soft skills she gained at St. Andrew’s.

“St. Andrew’s, for as much as it was hard when I was going through it, they taught you how to write. They taught you how to be proper,” Jennifer said. “Those things are very important when you’re communicating with a CEO or a high-level investor. You have to have a certain polish.”

She encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to look at their skill sets – including soft skills like organization and time management – to “build the bridge” to where they want to go professionally.