James grew up in Lexington, NC—proudly known as the BBQ Capital of the World! He moved to Greenville in 2004 and quickly fell in love with the Upstate. Now residing in Pebble Creek with his two rescued dogs, Faith and George, James has also lived in Overbrook, North Main, Paris Mountain, and Augusta Road, where he renovated a condo at McDaniel Heights.

James graduated from The Wyatt Real Estate Institute in 2005. In 2009, he was recognized as one of Greenville’s Best and Brightest 35 and under by Greenville Magazine. He was also a participant in Leadership Greenville Class 42 through the Greenville Chamber of Commerce in 2015.

Active in the community, James served as the First Vice Chair of the Greenville County Democratic Party from 2011 to 2012 and was a delegate for both Greenville County and South Carolina. In November 2013, he earned recognition as one of the Top 99 Realtors on Twitter by WebsiteBox and was listed among the 32 Most Popular Realtors in America by Home Buyer Nation. He has contributed to the Greenville Forward Inclusion Task Force and has held roles on the Buildings & Grounds and Communications Committees at the YWCA of Greenville.

As a Charter Member of Greenville Rotaract, he served as the Social Media VP from 2011 to 2012. He joined the Julie Valentine Center’s Run2Overcome 5k/10k Committee in 2012 and later became a board member until 2015. Additionally, James was a Commissioner on the Greenville Municipal Elections Commission from 2015 to 2017 and chaired the Greater Greenville Chamber of Commerce Small Business Policy Council.

In late 2016, James faced a life-changing challenge when he woke up during a stroke. After surviving multiple strokes and a week in the GHS Neurological Trauma ICU, he became the Patient Advocate on the SC DHEC Stroke Advisory Council. This council was established by the legislature in 2011 to implement uniform policies statewide to improve stroke care and survival rates. James also served on the board of the Greenville Polo Classic, which benefits the Prisma Neurological Institute.

Currently, he is a member of the South Carolina Realtors Professional Standards Committee, the South Carolina Realtors Grievance Committee, on the Pendleton Place Board of Directors as the Parliamentarian, and serves as the Vice Chair of the Greenville County Board of Zoning Appeals.