Jamee Jolly

All Jamee Jolly is missing is a handful of pompons and a megaphone to be the greatest cheerleader for the city of Plano. As the first female president/CEO of the Plano Chamber of Commerce, Jamee has helped Plano develop into a city of its own since she first took the reins of the 1,100 business member Chamber in 2010.

Even though Plano grew from a small rural town in the 1950s to a booming city by the early 2000s, Jamee believes Plano has evolved into a global community only in the last decade. “Plano has its own identity. It is no longer just a suburb of Dallas,” she said, “but you can still go to the grocery store and see your neighbors.”

With the likes of mega corporations Toyota North America, Hilti North America, Liberty Mutual and JPMorgan Chase choosing Plano as their new headquarters over the last few years, Jamee has worked tirelessly to make sure the companies and their employees are plugged into the community.

“The Chamber’s role starts when a company calls Plano home. We make sure they are familiar with real estate and schools here,” she added. Plano often receives national accolades for luring and keeping big businesses, but Jamee feels small businesses drive the community. This is where the Chamber is extremely involved. “The Chamber’s role is to be a voice of the business community and make sure the community has a seat at the table.”

With a current population of approximately 275,000, Plano, with just five percent of its land left undeveloped, is projected to max out at approximately 300,000 citizens. Due to this limitation, Jamee is excited about the possible redevelopment of aging areas and infill development (building on small parcels that were never developed).

Jamee, who hails from Winnsboro, a small town in East Texas, said her goal was to be the CEO of a company by the time she was 30 years old. By becoming CEO of the Plano Chamber, she beat that goal by nine months. “I got this position by hard work and mentoring from other professionals,” she said of the 70-year-old Chamber. “I advise others to not be afraid to work hard.”