Brian Jamison
d.o: Brian Jamison
Brian is a seasoned entrepreneur with many technology-related companies to his credit. He has worked with Linux, open source, and the Internet professionally since 1995. Brian serves on the board of the Software Association of Oregon and as President of the Portland Open Source Software Entrepreneurs (POSSE). Brian is also an adviser, mentor, or board member for numerous startups. He actively promotes safe, renewable biodiesel as a locally-produced fuel source.
An accomplished startup entrepreneur, Brian co-founded his first business at the age of 14 – a retail party decoration and balloon delivery operation.
At 20, Brian sold his interest in the venture and moved into software. Over the next several years he ran a series of profitable technology ventures, initially a shareware computer game company, followed by general computer consulting, and rapid application and database development.
In 1995, Brian co-founded Jamison/Gold, an award-winning blend of talented software developers, web game programmers, and interactive designers. The company grew to over 50 employees, and made Linux a primary development environment from the outset.
As CEO during the five year life of the company, Brian worked with a diverse array of clients, from Disneyland and Sony PlayStation to Pretty Good Privacy. The unusual work environment and culture kept turnover consistently in the single digits annually at a time when competitors routinely experienced triple-digit turnovers. The company was profitable every quarter of its existence.
In 1996, Brian co-authored the Amazon.com best seller, Electronic Selling: 23 Steps to E-Selling Profits (McGraw-Hill). The book was used in college courses nationwide as a primer to e-business. Brian has also written numerous articles for publications such as the Microsoft Interactive Developer Journal, the Los Angeles Business Journal, and Desktop Linux.
In 1997, as the co-founder and CEO of Lyra Studios, Brian designed and produced a revolutionary new type of game – the massively multiplayer 3D role playing game, Underlight. Playable only on the Internet, the game received critical acclaim from gaming websites, print, and TV during its nine year run.
In 1999, Jamison/Gold was acquired by Keane, Inc., (AMX: KEA) a billion dollar IT company seeking to expand its offerings. Brian served with Keane for 18 months post-acquisition.
Since then, Brian has been involved in several ventures as investor, mentor and board member from Internet tech and videogame startups, biofuel production and distribution to eco-friendly real estate "greenhabbing."
In his spare time, Brian enjoys tweaking Linux boxes and brewing his own fuel from vegetable oil. Brian is also an accomplished sailor and private pilot.
