About JAMES

I grew up with three siblings, and as the “baby” in the family I was always surrounded by people older than me. Striving to keep up with them, holding my ground, and competing with them was an everyday thing. This environment molded me to becoming a very competitive person on all levels. On top of that, my hometown of Beaverton, Michigan, was – and still is – a legendary basketball town, so basketball was part of my life starting in second grade. When you’re raised in and around a winning program, it becomes contagious, and that competitive fire still burns in me today.

Beaverton was also a very blue-collar town. My parents worked very hard to provide for us and demonstrated a strong work ethic. Nothing was given to you, and you had to put in the time and effort if you wanted to succeed. My parents led by example with their hard work ethic and dedication to providing for our family. I’ve always used this experience as extra motivation in life to make them proud. And for those who know me well, I don’t get outworked. I’m a big believer if you work hard, good things will happen.

I learned early in my career that people do business with people that they like and trust, and that people don’t care what you know until they know that you care. My financial professionals know that I care about them and their practice, family, lifestyle, etc., allowing me to have great retention in my business the last two-plus decades.

When I’m not helping my financial professionals succeed, you can find me spending time with my family in quiet Milford, Michigan. Still just a couple of hours from Beaverton, but we have a few more traffic lights here. My wife, Renae, and I have two boys, Carter and Jack. If you’re ever in the area, let me know and we can walk to one of the great restaurants we have to choose from or maybe even catch a concert in the park. As long as you don’t mind playing catch with the boys, because they’ll probably ask. My competitiveness is also hereditary apparently.

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CTC240104-0826 | This material is designed for insurance licensed financial professionals.