Jim Clayton
Executive Chairman of the Board
Jim co-founded InfoWorks in January 1997 and currently serves as Executive Chairman of the Board. He leads four committees of the Board – audit, investment, executive compensation, and nominating.
Under Jim’s leadership, InfoWorks has built a reputation for outstanding client service, employee satisfaction, and sustainable profitable growth. During InfoWorks’ almost 25 years in business, Jim has balanced company growth with employee and client satisfaction in a controlled manner that has purposely avoided layoffs and maintained its strong cash position.
In 2010, Jim sold a portion of his stock to establish an Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP). Two years later, Jim and the company’s other shareholders sold the remainder of their stock to the ESOP resulting in InfoWorks becoming 100% ESOP-owned. The ESOP allows all InfoWorks employees to fully participate in the future financial results of the company as owners.
Since becoming 100% ESOP-owned, InfoWorks has experienced more than a ten-fold growth in stock price and a tripling of revenue with an increase in EBITDAE in excess of 500%.
Jim’s philosophy is that high employee morale leads to superior client satisfaction, and he makes hiring decisions based on the integrity, attitude, and aptitude of prospective employees. Since 2007, InfoWorks has been named one of the Best Places to Work in Nashville by the Nashville Business Journal every year but one. In 2014, the initial year of the award and each year since, InfoWorks has been awarded the Tennessean’s Top Workplaces award.
Prior to forming InfoWorks, Jim spent 32 years with IBM in Nashville in various management and marketing positions.
Jim is very active in the Nashville community and currently serves on several boards:
- Nashville Black Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors
- Ascension Saint Thomas Foundation Board of which he is a prior Chair
- Jim was previously President of the Board of Directors for Tennessee Special Olympics
