By Karina Timmel
Job: President and CEO of Coggins International
Born in: Baudette, Minnesota
Lives in: Buckhead
Jula Jane has always done everything a little earlier than most. She began college at Georgia State University when she was just 16 years old and moved to the Art Institute of Atlanta for an interior-design degree a year later. She bought her first home when she was 18 and found a new calling, in residential real estate. She became a salesperson at 19 and a broker at 22. At 25, Jane opened her own real estate firm, JULA Consulting Inc., which is licensed in Georgia, New York, Florida and Virginia. She moved to Kuwait in 2003 with the intention of expanding her interior design and real estate business into the Middle East and became one of the first woman-owned real estate consulting firms affiliated with Damac Properties, Dubai’s largest privately held master developer.
Her experience and contacts throughout the Middle East led her to being named president and CEO of Coggins International, a defense-contracting business specializing in fuels automation and information technology (IT) services.The Buckhead-based Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) is known for providing world-class IT training services to more than 1,000 military personnel annually.
“As a defense contractor, I love putting boots on the ground in challenging areas, such as Iraq and Afghanistan—leading the way in fuels automation and IT services,” she says.
Active in professional and charitable organizations, Jane is also the founder and president of Operation GI Jane, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting single moms in the military.
Her Biggest Life Lesson:
“You have to earn it every day. Never become complacent. Always look for ways to improve and grow.”
