About Jim

I am a Lawrenceville, GA native. I was blessed to grow up where I did, when I did, with the people I did. I was raised with the values that come with a small Southern town and a strong Baptist church.  My family tree goes back to the Mayflower. Over three dozen of my grandfathers fought for our nation’s independence. I have a passion for history, both of my family and of the South and our nation.  

 I barely graduated from high school and never went to college. One of my great regrets is not serving in the military.   I'm a proud member of The Sons of the American Revolution. They do a great job keeping important history alive.  My Mother was a glass-ceiling breaker, becoming one of the first higher-level female executives, but she is better known for being a fine Christian woman. My Dad was a world-renowned azalea propogationist despite limited formal education.

I've enjoyed working on political campaigns for over thirty years. It is a unique experience to connect with those involved in many of our most important choices. However, the dirtiness of the last several cycles is beneath our dignity as a nation, in my opinion.   For fun, I enjoy researching history, vintage fashion, movies, collecting first editions,  The NY Times Sunday crossword, riding motorcycles, visiting art museums, trying new foods, cooking on the Big Green Egg, target shooting, cemetery restorations, and spending time with family and friends.

My Track Record

There are three things that I have to say up front. One is that credit for the accomplishments in my career belongs not to me but to an incredible group of people I have been blessed to have as teammates.

Two is that profit is the great enabler of good deeds. As your fortunes improve, my hope is you will pay it forward, help others, give back to your community.

Lastly, while I may have never suffered from a small ego, it is tough to feel like I am bragging on myself. However, to show you why my words may be able to add value for you, I have to be candid about my career. If there were no successes, there would be no reason for you to listen to anything I have to say. So, here goes...

I began selling cars at age 19. At age 20, despite being the youngest, I was the number one producer on a sales force of thirty in a metro Chrysler dealership. I was selling over thirty units per month when the national average was eight. There I connected with my first mentor, Pete Cardiges, who guided my success and taught me how to sell. 

My first sales management job was in a metro Ford dealership which was in danger of losing its franchise due to low volume—last of six in sales in the city. In our second month, we went from 30 retail units the month before my arrival  to over 150, and we led the city in volume, beating one of the country’s top volume stores across town for the first time in the over sixty years of the market’s history.

I moved to a metro Chevy dealership, the last of nine in sales volume and unprofitable partly due to extremely high unemployment attributed to the closing of a nearby nuclear plant. We became profitable immediately and later became number one in the city in volume. We became number 10 of over 4,000 dealers in the US in retail truck sales. We acquired a Dodge franchise that had averaged fewer than ten units per month, quickly increased to over fifty per month, and was very profitable.

I returned to Atlanta for a contract assignment for Chrysler Financial. The dealership had not been profitable in four years and we had an all-time record profit month my first full month there.

Next, I did another contract assignment, this time for GMAC in a Metro GM dealership that had not been profitable in three years, and we were profitable in the first month.

The next stop was a Metro Chrysler and Dodge dealership, last in the metro in sales volume. It had been break-even or unprofitable for several years. We were profitable in our first month, had a record profit the first year, and was number one in volume. There I connected with my second mentor, Neil Huffman, one of the finest men to ever walk this earth. We built one of the finest teams I've ever seen.

I moved into upper management of the multi-dealership group and then became a partner. We made record profits and assembled some incredible teams. We created a position of Corporate Training Manager and a training curriculum that developed hundreds of successful salespeople and managers.

Purchased, with partners, a Chrysler Dodge Jeep dealership in Atlanta. The eleven previous owners had never been close to profitable, incurring massive losses. The sales operation had been closed for ninety days with no staff or team members. Starting with only 30 new vehicles and zero used inventory, we made a huge profit in the first month and went from last in volume of the 25-plus metro dealerships to third. Again, that was due to an incredible team of passionate and talented individuals.

In 2009, I took over management of a struggling pair of luxury brand dealerships in a smaller market. In short order, we achieved record sales and net profits.

I have been involved in political campaigns for most of my adult like, and in 2012, I created a website and Facebook page, Fair2012, dedicated to the election. In only a few months it grew to a reach of over 17 million people per month.

In 2013, my wife and I started a personal training business in our garage and grew it to a mid-six-figure operation, adding additional rooftops and concepts. Our client results received media coverage from around the country, including in the US Congressional Record.

I began writing human interest and history articles for publications across the Southeastern US and started a blog, The Southern Voice, which grew into the largest of its type in the world, reaching tens of millions.

Started a classic rock/Southern rock podcast, Rock Stars Talk, interviewing major stars from rock’s Golden Era. In our first season, we reached number three in the US out of hundreds of thousands of podcasts.

The Small Biz Guide is the first of two books. The other is The Mature Gentleman's Edge, a tutorial for improving the image, style, and social skills of men over fifty. It is scheduled to publish in early 2025.

Tidbits of Trivia-

I was cast in the lead role as Big Louie in the 2002 Louisville AdFed video for their annual awards ceremony.

I am the former holder of two cross-country ski training world records and was number three in my age group in indoor rowing.

I wrote a fitness column for Local Life Magazine, jointly with Dr. Michael Smith, then the Chief Medical Officer for WebMD.

I contributed to Men's Health Magazine.

I have made dozens of TV appearances, commercials, and voiceovers.

I appeared in an episode of the E! Networks show Wild On.