Tiny, but feisty, describes Jessica Prim to a T. As the marketing coordinator for the Riverside City Improvement District, a rather large responsibility lies on her slim shoulders, but this super-efficient young woman is more than up for the challenge.
Hailing from Johannesburg, Jessica made the move to Mbombela when her family decided to start up a business to be based in Mpumalanga. “I completed my studies in public relations and communications at the University of Johannesburg. Following my graduation from the institution, I interned for a while, before moving to the Lowveld and dedicating my time to the family business for six years, until I made the decision to emancipate myself and pursue a path more in line with my passion and deserving of my energy.
As the saying goes, when you do what you love, it’s not a job! This rings true for Jessica, and she counts herself among the fortunate to be able to do what sets her soul on fire. She terms her current appointment as “divine intervention” because she believes that only God could have aligned the timing of her resignation from the family business and her current employment so perfectly.
She attributes her success and healthy mental state to the wonderful, supportive and inclusive management team to which she reports, as it allows her the space to be seen and heard. “I could not have asked for a better team, one who ensures that I have all I need at my disposal to function at optimum capacity and who trusts me implicitly,” she smiles.
Jessica manages the advertising and marketing side of things, which includes overseeing branding, implementing marketing strategies, and executing the best marketing plan for Riverside Park and Industrial Precinct. She is said to bring a certain spunk to the team, and spunk is indeed an apt word for this industrious and organised go-getter.
Jessica’s idea of a day off is one spent tidying and organising. “Don’t get me wrong,” she laughs, “I love a bubble bath! But if I had to choose between that and tidying my shelves, tidying wins hands down. Everything in my home is perfectly arranged; nothing is out of place. You know those people you hear about who colour-code clothes and folders? That’s me!”
Her husband, Dean, has been incredibly supportive of her career and life choices. He remains her greatest source of strength and motivation. “I am truly blessed to have Dean by my side. He always encourages me to push myself beyond the parameters of my comfort zone.”
Together the couple have one child, Isabella-May (named after her maternal great-grandmother), who turns three in October and is such a delight. “She’s a big, hearty helping of Dean and I,” beams Jessica. “We thought she would be lady-like, but she’s assertive and opinionated, and she knows exactly what she wants. Dean and I are the same in that way, once we commit to something, we give it our all, to people, to life to work – we throw ourselves in wholeheartedly.”
We suspect that this, coupled with Jessica’s can-do attitude and lots of hard work, is exactly the reason why this petite beauty has landed so expertly on her feet.
Photographer: Belinda Erasmus, Belle-Grace Photography
