Thomson, First Woman ABS VP, Eyes Company’s Future

WARWICK, RI — Automated Business Solutions President Michael Ardry has named Jen Thomson of Warwick Vice President of Sales and Marketing, its first woman ABS VP.

Thomson, who began her career with ABS  as a recent college graduate, hired as an Accounts Receivable Representative in 2005, expressed surprise to learn she would be the first woman ABS VP at the 32-year-old company.

 “I was surprised and honored,” Thomson said. “Not many people could surprise me here, since I have my hands in numerous departments and handled many presentations for meetings, but they surprised me.”

 Five years after landing her first job, Thomson was promoted to Office Administrator.  She would acquire several more job titles and a firmer grasp of the business. Along the way, executives were guiding Jen through the company and showing her the inner workings of Automated Business Solutions.

“My ‘A-ha!’ moment would come as soon as I joined the Sales part of the business and seeing our portfolio of offerings grow, which meant we had more ways to help our customers save time in the office. That has been and still is intriguing to me. There are so many different ways for an office to run, and we can help with 99 percent of it,” Jen said.

She cites several people who helped her in this journey, but one person really gave her the direction needed for success.

“My biggest mentor of all time was and will always be (ABS Co-Founder and Former President) Alan Albergaria. He taught me so much about life, people, and business. He saw my potential, and continuously would push me to be all that I can be. He helped me through so many tough times in my life, and showed me the path of becoming a leader, friend, and a mentor. He believed in all of us and pushed us to be our best,” Thomson said.

Albergaria didn’t live to see Jennifer reach her full potential, killed by a drunk driver while out for a walk on March 27, 2020.

“Although he cannot be here with us today, Alan would be proud of the work we have done over the past four years,” Thomson said.

In Jan 2023, Jen was promoted to Sales and Marketing Director, overseeing sales going out, and managed two sales managers, her sales support team, and Marketing. She worked with the sales managers to ensure that their team was growing their portfolios and maintaining current customers.

Her staff produced. In 2023, they grew the business by about 8 percent, and Thomson said she continues searching for ways for the reps to expand their talk track to think outside of the box. Thomson said that type of forward thinking has its advantages.

“As more and more companies are moving to the cloud, and prints are going down, we are trying to push more workflow software to help our customers change how they do things in this new world, which will be a huge opportunity in the coming years,” she said.

Automated Business Solutions also launched their newest website in 2023, trying to have more informational blogs to help show what they offer and how they can help with office solutions for all types of businesses. Thomson is excited about her growing contribution to the company’s mission of creating long- term partnerships by providing office technology solutions and IT managed services improving client workflow, efficiency, and profit.

“When I started, I knew a printer could print, but once I learned how it all worked, and how printers and copiers were such a strong part of business. I wanted to be part of the solution,” she said.

For Ardry, Thomson validates his belief in the power of following a dream and seeing good people succeed.

“Jen is the classic American story. She has gone from a young single mom struggling to make ends meet, to being the mentor she is today. Jen accomplished all she has through her work ethic, commitment and a true caring for others.” Ardry said.

Thomson’s personal life indulges her love of the ocean, a green thumb, and volunteering. At home, she cares for about 100 plants. She’s also participated in the Gloria Gemma Flames of Hope for 10 years, and served as volunteer coordinator at the organization’s latest event in September 2023. She and her spouse have a 20-year-old daughter attending the University of Hartford, studying to become a psychologist.