Mission's Founder Selected As Mobile Bay's 40 Under 40
Mission's Founder + Owner, Alison Brumfield Jones, was selected as Mobile Bay Magazine's 2019 Class of 40 Under 40.
40 Under 40 is a program designed to recognize 40 of the top individuals younger than age 40 who demonstrate leadership, professional excellence and a commitment to the Bay area community.
In other words, one of the 40 most influential people in the Mobile Bay area...is one of our very own! And we couldn't be prouder.
You can find the full article + all the 2019 40 Under 40 Winners here: https://mobilebaymag.com/mobile-bays-2019-class-of-40-under-40/
Interested in hearing more about our fearless leader? Read on to see the un-edited version of her interview...including a lol story from 7th grade, her favorite restaurant [hint: baba ghanouj is involved] and the reveal of a super famous relative!
Name:
Alison Brumfield Jones
Company name:
Mission Fitness
Job title:
Founder + Owner
Age:
39
Alma mater:
Ole Miss …Hotty Toddy! Our school’s saying is “We may not win every game, but we’ve never lost a party!” …these are my people.
Hometown:
Pascagoula, Mississippi
Spouse’s name:
Keith Jones, Founder + Owner of Prism Systems, Inc., a local engineering firm.
Children’s names with ages:
Aside from our babies Mission and Prism we have 2 fur babies…Addie [17] our little old lady terrier who graciously permits us to feed her and live in her home and Cain [7] our foster failure and 80-pound lap dog.
Hobbies:
I’m a fitness junkie and a perpetual student. Even on vacation, I make it a point to enroll in training or check out classes at local fitness studios. It is interesting to see how other studios are run, the format of the classes, hear different cueing and then find a way to take that knowledge and improve what we’re doing in Mobile. It’s how I know for certain that Mission remains on the cutting edge of all things in our [ever evolving] industry.
Aside from fitness, my great love is travel. We’ve been incredibly fortunate to visit 6 continents and 30+ countries. It’s lovely to soak up some rays on a white sandy beach but Keith and I prefer experiences and a bit of adventure when we travel. Standing in a bamboo forest in Rwanda watching the [nearly extinct] mountain gorillas eat and climb and play is something I will remember for all of my days. Touring the world’s largest slums in Mumbai and Nairobi and meeting the extraordinary people living there truly puts our #FirstWorldProblems into perspective and awakens the senses to what real need looks like. I wish everyone could experience visiting and helping with an orphanage in Kigali and spending a day with the children there. There’s a quote by Mark Twain [who happens to be a distant cousin of mine!] that’s always resonated with me “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”
I couldn’t agree more. So much that divides us could be put to rest with a hearty dose of humility and airfare.
First job:
Growing up my family owned a department store, Brumfield’s, in downtown Pascagoula. [There were additional stores in Gulfport, Biloxi, Moss Point, Brookhaven Bay Minette, Hattiesburg, and even Fairhope! The slogan was “Good Stores in Good Towns.” Apparently, originality wasn’t a gift my ancestors possessed]
As is customary with all family businesses I was free labor and therefore did all the things…my afternoons were spent sweeping floors, unboxing shipments, wrapping gifts, helping with retail and even cashiering.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?:
I’ve asked both my parents and my childhood best friend about this and everyone seems to think I wanted to be something different. A veterinarian, an actress, a teacher and personally I don’t remember wanting to be anything specific. So, instead, I’ve chosen to go with the profession projection of my 7th grade Language Arts teacher. My fate was determined the day Ms. Hayes performed a “Handwriting Analysis” of our entire class. As each student would write their name on the chalkboard Mrs. Hayes would proclaim “This is the autograph of a great healer! You will be a physician!” and “This is the signature of an advocate for the weak and weary. You will be a great attorney!” and, “Here is the script of an innovator. You will be a scientist!” So, when I went up and wrote my name with great precision and care [which is what one does to ensure a financially secure and promising career] and stood back awaiting my doctor, lawyer, great thing pronouncement…Ms. Hayes declared “This…this is the handwriting of a woman who will go to the spa!”
Which left my 13-year-old self with two looming questions. ”What is a spa?” and “Do I want to go there?” In answer to the latter, my 39-year-old self says “YES…yes you do.”
Guilty pleasure:
Hello. My name is Alison and I am a chalkboard label addict. There is nothing in my life that hasn’t been properly labeled and stored accordingly. The chalk itself actually has a chalkboard label. Be gone single sock | random cutlery | odd metal piece off who knows what! You have no place here! Bye.
Where would you take an out-of-town guest to eat?:
Sage Lebanese and Mediterranean Cuisine in Downtown Fairhope is our ultimate go-to restaurant. The food is outstanding, the wine and drink list are fantastic, and the atmosphere is super laid back. It’s the ultimate trifecta.
Best advice you’ve ever received:
Although this advice was delivered indirectly it’s always resonated because I think it applies to us all.
“You are not an important person, but you have important work to do.”
I don’t believe there are any important people…only important actions and outcomes.
If I were mayor, I would:
Make exercise and community service mandatory. You better hope I never get elected. It would be burpees not burritos for lunch, friends!
Hidden talents:
I possess an innate ability to captain a giant unicorn float full of friends safely into Mobile Bay...I do not possess that same ability in getting them back to dry land.
Favorite thing about your job:
Is all of it an option? No offense to Ms. Hayes but I am exactly where I’m supposed to be and doing exactly what I’m supposed to do. Have you ever been fortunate enough to walk into a space and just know that you belong? That is precisely how I feel at Mission. The warmth, the love, and the complete acceptance of everyone that comes through the door is different than anything I’ve ever experienced and what makes Mission so special. If my gut and heart weren’t a big enough indicator that what we have is unique, this year Mission received four Nappie nods, won Best Fitness Facility and, now, I’m filling out this 40 Under 40 questionnaire…so there’s that. These awards are truly such an honor. But, for me, the thing that counts the most is the friendships, the love and the impact we’ve made in our community together. Since Mission’s inception 26 months ago we’ve infused nearly $20,000 into Mobile County non-profits by joining forces with charities like Rainbow Mobile, The Fuse Project, Dance Without Limits, McKemie Place and so many more. These collaborations are vital because we know that TOGETHER we can accomplish so much more than we can alone.
High school superlative:
Most Likely to Cheer You Up.
What word would you use to describe Mobile to someone who’d never been here before?:
Contrasting. Mobile is a city of moss-draped oaks with plantation homes in neighborhoods filled with people from all walks. There are ladies in pearls and women in drag; southern charm and progressive attitudes; civil war forts and airplane factories.
If Mobile had its own Mt. Rushmore, who would you put on it?:
Ugh. Nobody. If you have an ego large enough that you think carving yourself into stone is acceptable, I direct you back to a quote from Cousin Twain.
