Springfield marketing vet dies at 66

Courtesy The Nicholson Agency Facebook

Jay Nicholson worked as a marketing professional for four decades.

A longtime Springfield marketing businessperson has died.

Jay Nicholson died Feb. 19 at age 66, said Paige Rippee, Greene County deputy and spokesperson for the sheriff's office. He was found in his home in the 3200 block of South Palisades Drive.

“Deputies were called to his home for a check well-being,” Rippee said via email. "The autopsy report has not been completed yet, so we do not know the exact cause of death, but it appears to not be suspicious.

Nicholson, who owned The Nicholson Agency, was in the advertising industry for around four decades, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Brett Key, a friend, colleague and former employee of Nicholson, said Nicholson made his mark on the local advertising industry.

"Professionally, he's probably one of the most creative people I've known," said Key, noting he was Nicholson's first full-time hire for his marketing firm and worked there for 11 years. "A lot of good young art directors and writers started there."

Key said that to his knowledge, Nicholson's main client recently was Barton Mutual Insurance Co. in the Joplin area.

In 2012, Nicholson was honored with the lifetime achievement Silver Medalist Award by the American Advertising Federation of the Ozarks, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting. His clients have included Hoover Music, Corporate Business Systems, Hickory Hills Country Club and Realtor Ethel Curbow.

Nicholson previously operated Nicholson & Partners, which was purchased by Medical Consulting Group LLC in 2001, according to SBJ archives.