2020 40 Under 40: Jamie Thomas, 36

Jamie Thomas is breathing new life into nuisance properties in Springfield.

As vice president of Prosperiti Properties LLC, Thomas is overseeing the rehabilitation of 178 homes that the company purchased out of foreclosure last year that were formerly owned by 417 Rentals LLC. The company will rent the homes at affordable rates, she says.

“Prospective and current tenants deserve to be treated as more than the sum of their credit score, income bracket and past mistakes,” she says.

Thomas has seen Prosperiti Properties grow in the last two years to have nine employees and over 700 properties.

Before joining Prosperiti Properties, Thomas was diagnosed with a rare form of multiple sclerosis. She’s now active in the Springfield chapter of Walk MS and formed a connection group for those with the illness.

What is your proudest moment? Taking a chance on a new business venture. Titus Williams and I share in the belief that there is an entire demographic of renters in southwest Missouri that are underserved.

What are you doing to make the Ozarks better? Through Prosperiti Properties, I formed partnerships with nonprofits including One Door, Home at Last, The Kitchen, Rare Breed, Safe to Sleep and The Rebound Foundation.

Have you ever met a celebrity? Fabio. He was attending an I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter press event and invited us to attend with him. We politely declined.