R Jones

2022 Southwest Woman Executive of the Year

responds to natural disasters with bagged ice, bottled water and hot meals for those affected.

“Brookshire Grocery Companies is a marquee company here in Tyler. It’s just a great hometown success story,” said Scott Martinez, president and CEO of the Tyler Economic Development Council and CEO of the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce. “Brookshire is such an important part of our community and within the business world and involved with so much within the community…our new conference center is named after Mr. W.T. Brookshire. It’s a hometown company and the community appreciates them.”

Along with the accolades from Tyler, Jones’ efforts have been recognized inside and outside the company. Most recently, her work to establish the company’s partner-first culture resulted in BGC being certified as a Great Place to Work for the third consecutive year, based on employee feedback in an anonymous third-party survey. The company was one of 25 large companies featured on the 2022 Fortune Best Workplaces in Texas and one of only 15 large companies featured on the 2020 Fortune Best Workplaces in Retail list.

In 2018, Jones received the Louise Brookshire Spirit Award, which honors women in company leadership who demonstrate the namesake’s “qualities of integrity, professional work ethic, service to partners, high level of energy and unwavering loyalty to Brookshire Grocery Company.”

“The Louise Brookshire Spirit Award – I will tell you that was probably the highlight of my career just because I know the Brookshire family,” Jones explained. “And to hear Brad talk about his grandmother and the behind-thescenes role she played in the business. It was just an honor to even be associated with someone like that.”

Jones was previously recognized by Shelby Publishing as a 2021 Woman of Influence. In the special section for honorees, she advised up-and-coming professionals to work hard, respect others and stay true to their values.

“Success comes at the right time for those who make it a priority to develop others rather than focus on their personal career growth,” she said.

Jones specifically mentioned that women can achieve anything if they commit to doing the “hard work it takes to achieve great things.”

Coming from the legal ranks, she had become accustomed to working within a male-dominated field. But that never stopped her, and she hopes that by continuing to work with the community both within BGC and beyond she will be able to open new opportunities for more people.

Encourages co‑workers to reach goals

“Rosemary is extremely deserving of the award…I know Rosemary on a personal level and think highly of her. But in the last five or six years, I’ve had a chance to work directly with her on a professional level. My respect for her is equally as high…she’s done a lot to help us further some things along that we weren’t able to accomplish in the past…if there is a goal or a task, she’s going to see it through to the end. She encourages all of us to do that.”

“We now have good, new diverse candidates moving up through the ranks,” she said. “People don’t all of a sudden just go from a manager to an EVP or a CEO or something like that. But there are many opportunities here and throughout BGC and the industry that will continue to bridge that gap.”

Jones 2022 Southwest Woman Executive of the Year

She engages, ‘shares opinions and ideas’

“Rosemary’s a force and makes an impact on this company. She’s very passionate about what she does. I’m glad to see she’s being recognized…there are many ways that we work together. She’s Rosemary. She’s got a lot of energy. She’s the kind of leader that leaves a wake in her path, in a positive way. She engages, she has opinions, she has ideas. You don’t have to wonder what Rosemary is thinking…she’s got that style of making an impact on the things that she’s involved in.”