Meet Lauren Cevallos: Navigating Both the Retail Landscape and the Great Outdoors with Ease

Jumpmind Reveal: Lauren Cevallos on Navigating Both the Retail Landscape and the Great Outdoors with Ease

Welcome to Jumpmind Reveal, a blog series showcasing some of the talented folks we have here at Jumpmind. In today’s installment, we bring you a profile on Lauren Cevallos, Director of Strategy and Customer Success at Jumpmind.

Lauren, tell us about your role at Jumpmind.

My role sits at the intersection of customers, product and market trends. I spend a lot of time talking to retailers about their priorities and where they want to go next with their stores and POS strategy. I bring those insights to our product team so we can align our roadmap with what our customers truly need. I also work with analyst firms, commissioning research to understand broader trends and to evaluate where Jumpmind should go next.

You’re someone with a lot of insight into the in-store technology landscape thanks to your previous role as an industry analyst. What stood out about Jumpmind that made you want to join the team?

 Earlier in my career, I led digital and technology procurement and implementations for a prominent retailer, and later I evaluated vendors and market trends as an analyst, so I’d seen the industry from multiple angles. The one perspective I was missing was actually being inside a software company building the solutions that power in-store experiences.

Jumpmind had a reputation for having exceptionally close customer relationships, and for moving quickly and being willing to try new things. That combination made it a really attractive opportunity for me — and those qualities have absolutely held true.

 You joined Jumpmind during a period of rapid growth — what’s that been like, and what have been some of the best moments so far?

It’s been intense and very energizing. The investment from Lone View Capital earlier this year validated the importance of in-store technology such as Jumpmind’s at a time when e-commerce has dominated the retail spotlight for so long. It’s a signal that stores are here to stay, that retailers are investing in them strategically, and that the P/E world sees Jumpmind as well positioned to help retailers do this.

As we continue to grow and work with more retailers, decisions about our product have become more complex — but the impact of those decisions has also grown. One of my favorite moments since working here was the first time I shopped in a store as an employee, and I knew Jumpmind was powering the experience.

Where can we find you when you’re not working?

I love reading, especially science fiction and fantasy books. My favorite author is Terry Pratchett and I just recently finished reading Wyrd Systers, which has a great combination of humor and fantasy.  My all-time favorite book is A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole, and right now I’m reading Katabasis by RF Kuang.

I also love camping and spending time outdoors with my family. It’s my favorite escape from technology. Here in Texas, one of our go-to spots is Inks Lake State Park. It’s easy to get to, clean, family-friendly, and extra fun around Christmas when campers decorate their sites with lights. I’m also a big fan of Big Bend National Park. Its mountainous terrain feels like a completely different world from the rest of Texas; it’s just gorgeous. I always bring my journal and a portable printer for capturing family memories in the moment.

Tell us more about your family.

 I have two stepsons who are 14 and 16. The oldest is learning to drive, which is very exciting. My youngest plays golf and the clarinet. I actually played the clarinet when I was in school, so sometimes we play music together which is so fun.

I can’t forget to mention Huxley, our seven-year-old dog, who also never misses a camping trip. We ran into him on a walk in the neighborhood when our neighbor was fostering him, and it was an instant bond with the kids. We’re not exactly sure of his breed, but he’s definitely a herding dog as he tries to herd us wherever he wants us to go!

 OK final question — what’s your favorite camping hack?

 Use a jumbo marshmallow to sweeten coffee. I tried it one time after forgetting sugar for my coffee, and the marshmallow dissolved perfectly. Now it’s a special treat I have every morning while camping!