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The Question and Answer feature helps readers learn more about prominent people in the business community. This issue’s Q&A profiles Greg Jamison, the owner of Jamison Advertising and a newly elected member of the Sioux Falls City Council.
 Greg Jamison's swearing-in ceremony will be at 11 a.m. May 19 in the Council Chambers at Carnegie Town Hall, 235 W. 10th St. (Inertia/for SFBJ)
Name: Greg Jamison
Title: Owner Jamison Advertising, City Council member-elect
Hometown: Sioux Falls
Age: 43
Background: “I married my high school sweetheart Beth 23 years ago and together we grew up; I attended the
University of South Dakota for a criminal justice major and mass communication minor; my start in the ad business was with Nichols Media back in 1990; in 1997 I started Jamison Advertising; in April I was elected to the Sioux Falls City Council representing the Southwest District for a four-year term.”
Family: Wife, Beth; son, Dan; daughter, Jessica
Q: Tell me about your interests and hobbies.
A: “After spending time with my family, I enjoy golf, hunting, movies and music, plus you can find me playing poker most any weekend night.”
Q: How did you become interested in your field?
A: “It was in college when I took a mass communications and physiology class. I was very intrigued to learn how and why people make up their minds and what it was that influenced them to make a purchasing decision. Politics was easy, I watched my dad (Bob Jamison) work on the City Council for many years, and we would talk all the time about issues facing Sioux Falls and why things are as they are.”
Q: What do you enjoy most about your work?
A: “I love to solve communication problems. A company may have the best product or service in the world, but then they do a poor job of telling the public about their product or service, and I like to fix things like that. I think serving on the City Council will also give me the opportunity to solve communication problems, for example, helping the public know more about all the great things Sioux Falls is doing for them.”
Q: How did you become interested in politics?
A: “My dad’s involvement in Sioux Falls city government certainly was the catalyst that opened my eyes to all the great things that can be accomplished in government. Plus, over the years I’ve had many political candidates as customers running for statewide and city elections and I’ve meet some very good people and they also served as inspiration to me.”
Q: As a City Council member, what business-related agenda will you carry?
A: “I plan to work as hard as possible on building a new events center. The economic impact to Sioux Falls and eastern South Dakota businesses would be very positive. Whenever possible I will always promote utilizing the private sector for services to Sioux Falls versus hiring more city staff.”
Q: How do you find time to balance your job and your family?
A: “It’s not easy. My job just keeps going and going all hours of the day. Both my children will be off to SDSU this fall, and now at their ages they seem to be more interested in their friends than hanging out with their parents. It’s a real challenge to spend quality time together, but we made a deal that every Sunday we would all have one meal together and that has worked out great. Nothing is more important than family.”
Q: What’s a full-blown Jamison family get-together like?
A: “Crazy! I have eight brothers and sisters and we all have kids and even some of the kids have kids. It’s kids everywhere! Just to feed all of us during a party, my parents need to set up multiple tables all around the house, and the only time the noise volume lowers is when everyone is eating.”
Q: What’s the best advice you’ve gotten from your father?
A: “Never let anyone keep you down. If you believe in yourself, you can do anything! My dad doesn’t say much, and he is not a real mushy-type guy, but I remember that specific advice he gave me during a difficult time in my life.”
Q: Do you have a charity or organization that’s especially close to your heart?
A: “I’ve been very selfish with my time over the past 43 years, and I’ve only done some minor volunteering with different groups. Moving forward, Sioux Falls has become the organization that will be close to my heart as I continue to work on many different committees serving the city.”
Q: What’s your favorite getaway?
A: “I love to golf, and golfing anytime is a great getaway. Golfing anywhere during January is even a better getaway. But my favorite getaway is a private sunny beach with my wife, Beth. When we plan a getaway, it’s most always going to include a beach.”
Q: What’s something about you people would be surprised to know?
A: “In 2004 I won the Pure Stock Championship at the I-90 Speedway. My brother Randy was racing at the speedway and he invited me to drive his car one night during the hot laps and I was hooked. Two years later I won the championship with my own car.”
Q: What kind of music is in your car or what do you listen to on the radio?
A: “I listen to the classic rock stuff: AC/DC, Van Halen, John Cougar, Springsteen, even a little Eminem.”
Q: If you could have dinner with two or three people, alive or dead, who would you choose and why?
A: “The president of the United States, the Senate majority leader along with the speaker of the House. I would love to meet them over a great dinner and try to figure out the major malfunction our national government has and why we keep moving so slowly when it comes to solving real problems. I would love to get some straight talk from them face to face, no politically correct answers just the truth! If I could listen to them and then work with them to create solutions, that would be the best dinner ever. I would even pick up the check.”
Q: What are the best and worst things about living in Sioux Falls?
A: “The list for the best would be long, but I would need to start with my family. This is where they live, and that is what makes it the best place for me. You can add in the quality-of-life issues, the safety factor and the great economic environment, but for me it’s family. The worst things include the crazy long winters, some traffic issues and the B list concerts.”
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