Jim graduated from Auburn University in 1967 attending on a four year football scholarship. The next year he applied for and was accepted in OCS at Fort Sill, Oklahoma and became an artillery officer. He then spent 18 months (2 tours) in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Division and MACV as a forward observer and fire direction officer. He was awarded the Bronze Star during his first tour.

After the Army experience he attended Memphis State to achieve an MBA but after one semester he decided to accept a position with Sears in Memphis. He quickly realized that sales was where he wanted to be and accepted a sales position with C. R. Bard, a major medical device manufacturer. Bard has subsequently been acquired by Becton and Dickinson. He rose from sales rep to sales manager and then VP of sales for one of Bard’s largest divisions. He retired in 2010 as Regional Vice President and moved to Hilton Head from Atlanta.