Yamamoto’s new chief creative officer, Grant Smith, spent most of his career with BBDO New York working on big brands like AT&T, Visa, and FedEx. “I’ve always had an enormous amount of respect for the Minneapolis advertising community,” he observes. “So much amazing work has come out of this town.” Smith has his sights set on paying that forward. He’ll start by working on key Yamamoto accounts: Cargill, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, and Comcast. “I see enormous opportunities for growth here,” says Smith, who isn’t too nervous about his first Minnesota winter. After all, he grew up in Alaska.