As the keynote speaker for the 28th annual Business Day held at CSU on March 7, 2007, Mr. Jamison delivered an engaging speech that chronicled his career from elementary school teacher to president and CEO of a national hockey team.

Mr. Jamison moved to Fort Collins in 1972 and taught fifth and sixth graders in Wellington and in Fort Collins. With a desire to become an elementary school principal, Jamison enrolled as a graduate student in the School of Education at CSU.

During that time, Jamison took a psychological test that unveiled two distinct interests: sports and business. With his master’s degree in hand, Jamison headed to southern California as the director of marketing for Athletes in Action, a Christian amateur sports organization, which launched his 27-year-long sports career.

In 1980, Jamison became the director of marketing and ticket sales for the Dallas Mavericks, a team new to the NBA. In that first year of play, the team averaged 7,800 fans per game, but by 1987, the fans more than doubled to 17,000 per game. Jamison credits professionalism, consistent marketing, and confidence in propelling that team forward. “Confidence is key to your success. If you work at your craft, you will become confident,” he says.

In 1987, Jamison moved to Indiana to become the vice president of business operations for the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers weren’t having much financial or industry success and the fans didn’t believe in paying for games. It was Jamison’s job to create value: value of the team, value of a ticket, value of time well spent. And within six years the team went from mediocre to the Eastern Conference finals.

Jamison’s next move was to San Jose in 1993 as the executive vice president and chief operating officer of the San Jose Sharks. In 1995, Jamison was asked to be the president of the team, and for his first and second year in that role, the Sharks were the second worst team in the National Hockey League (NHL). “We were really ugly, but because we were ugly we got good draft picks,” he says.

Getting good draft picks was secondary to other improvements, including a change to the culture of the organization. “Sometimes you have to change it to get better,” he says. Jamison and his colleagues created a positive, success-oriented culture where each person could be successful, which, in turn, would create success for the whole organization. Jamison and his colleagues also created a culture dedicated to great drafting and player development programs, a program where players wanted to come and compete for the Stanley Cup each year.

“In sports, your product can betray you. Heinz 57 ketchup is the same every time, but a night at a hockey game isn’t. The parking could be easy, the food delicious, the ushers friendly, but the team could lose,” he says.

One way Jamison achieved a positive, success-oriented culture is through his practice of servant leadership: when the person who holds the lowest position at the company is successful, the president is successful. “I’m in front of my people when bad stuff is going on. I’m standing in back of my people when great stuff is going on,” he says.

In the tumultuous industry of professional sports, Jamison has to rely on himself and his managers to lead the way forward. “I have two rules: Create a good environment in which people can work hard, and eliminate barriers so employees can be successful,” he shares. And he is a firm believer that nice guys don’t finish last. “It’s okay to be nice. It’s okay to go the second and third mile for someone,” he says.

Clearly, nice guys don’t finish last. During Jamison’s nine seasons as president, the San Jose Sharks have qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs seven times and the team went to the Western Conference finals for the first time in 2004. “I have the greatest job in America. “If my job ends tomorrow, it’s okay because it’s been a good journey,” he says.