James E. “Jimmy” Williams, Jr., a native of East St. Louis, Illinois, is an entrepreneur in the St. Louis metropolitan region. A graduate of Dickinson College with a degree in political science, he is President and CEO of Estel Foods, Inc., operating McDonald’s franchises in Illinois and Missouri.
Following graduation from college, he served eight years as a U.S. Navy Pilot. During his U.S. Navy tenure, he clocked more than 2,000 flight hours in various countries around the world. He received the prestigious U.S. Navy Achievement Award.
After leaving the U.S. Navy, he launched his McDonald’s franchise business. He is an executive board member and president of the African-American consumer-market division for the St. Louis McDonald’s Co-op.
In addition to serving on the JAG-Missouri Board of Directors, he has served on many community boards, including the Ronald McDonald House, Lessie Bates Neighborhood House, One Hundred Black Men of St. Louis, Granite City Rotary Club, Granite City Chamber of Commerce, Emma L. King Wilson Foundation, Matthew Dickey Boys and Girls Club, St. Louis Downtown Partnership, U.S. Veterans, and the Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club.
He has received numerous awards including the St. Louis American 2013 Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and the St. Louis Commerce Business Man of the Year Award.
He has launched the James E. Williams, Sr., Mentoring Program in which students learn essential workplace skills including punctuality, goal setting, and teamwork. This program is named in honor of his parents, James E. Williams, Sr., the former mayor of East St. Louis, and his mother, Lillian Williams, a retired educator.