Jay Flowers
Mayor of Thomasville, GA

Jay Flowers, a native of Thomasville, Georgia, will share the history of Thomasville from the late 1800’s resort era through the development of the many quail plantations in the area. Thomasville hosted many prominent families from the Midwest throughout the post war era. Many of these families took advantage of inexpensive land and discovered the joy of quail hunting. Caring for the land to develop larger quail populations has become a significant economic contributor to the local economy. Thomasville is known as the Quail Capitol of the world.

After graduation from Furman University in 1980 with a BA in Economics and Finance, Flowers took a gap year where he spent 10 months trekking around the world. Upon returning to the States, Jay joined Robinson Humphrey. While with RH, Flowers was recruited by a large client to work on the Statue of Liberty / Elis Island Foundation fundraising team. Once the project completed, Flowers took his new mail order knowledge and founded Bear Sports.

Eventually, Flowers sold Bear Sports and moved to Atlanta. He founded eCompanyStore in 1996, a promotional products company. When Netscape went public, Flowers recognized the opportunity it presented for mail order. eCompanyStore became the industry leader in online catalogs. Angel and Venture funds helped the company quickly grow national prominence, and the business was sold to an investor group.

Next, Jay founded CORE Rewards, a full-service incentive company a with business-to-business focus. Now 23 years old and thriving, CORE Rewards uses the concept of Behavioral Economics to change and enhance the actions of target groups. 

Mayor Flowers was elected to the Thomasville City Council in 2011 and has served as mayor for since 2022. Married to the Kimberly Flowers (née Childs) of Sandy Springs, the Flowers have four boys and two grandchildren. He is an officer in First Presbyterian Church of Thomasville and served as a Scoutmaster for 10 years, still serving as Assistant Scoutmaster. Jay loves to hunt, fish, golf, hike, and collect British sports cars.