JENNIFER FERRIS:
 
Jennifer Ferris




 
 
 
 
 
President of Federated Service Solutions in Farmington Hills. Federated Service provides managed deployment and equipment installation solutions nationwide for Fortune 500 retail, hospitality, communications, OEM, and financial services companies through both customers and channel partners. Ferris joined her father's family of companies in 2006 as an IT manager after a career at Ford Motor Co. In addition to leading Federated Service Solutions, she is executive vice president of Federated Capital Corp., and is a director of Great Lakes Central Railroad. With more than 12 years of experience in information technology, Ferris has a track record of diversifying and expanding companies through technology and service. She increased revenue by 70 percent in 2011, which followed a previous record year of revenue growth in 2010. She also led a restructuring initiative for Federated Capital that included launching a satellite office in Salt Lake City. Ferris also has increased her involvement with the railroad, helping to analyze market trends and seek new opportunities for growth, including a proposed commuter line between Howell and Ann Arbor. She is on the leadership team for the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority's transit growth plan. Ferris received her bachelor's degree in information systems from Carnegie Mellon University.


WHERE BORN: “Royal Oak.”

MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS: “My grandfather and my father. A lot of it's been seeing their hard work, how driven they are, and I learned a lot about loyalty to companies.”

LAST BOOK READ: “I'm reading Bossy Pants by Tina Fey.”

WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ME: “Fun, driven, and thoughtful.”

WHERE MY FIELD/INDUSTRY IS HEADED: “Mobile and efficient. We have major growth in wireless capabilities and customer interface for the retail industry, which has been more focused on technology and not the customer. It's still retail- and IT-driven but it makes it easier for the customer to shop with mobile devices.”

FAVORITE TECHNOLOGICAL GADGET: “My Nikon d7000.”

FAVORITE PLACE: “Munich, Germany, especially during Oktoberfest.”

FAVORITE HOBBIES: “Taking photos and going to new places.”

FAVORITE FOOD: “My favorite type is sushi, but my favorite dish is a Lafayette coney.”

MY HIDDEN TALENT: “I'm really good at catching things as they're falling to the ground.”

HOW I WANT TO BE REMEMBERED: “That I made a difference in people's lives in a good way. In the end, that's the most important thing to me.”


Grant Thornton Website At the annual awards reception in April 2014, one Leader & Innovator from the previous 12 months will be selected as the Grant Thornton Leader & Innovator of the Year.