Atlanta, GA – A humble Jim Chapman describes himself as a home builder. If you press him, you might get him to say he is a home builder with a passion for what he does. In Jim’s world, it is not about him. It is about the products he builds, the lives he affects and the way he goes about doing both. Get him talking about that and you might have yourself a conversation.
Jim Chapman is an Atlanta native, graduate of The Westminster Schools, has an MBA from Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina and had the blessing of growing up as the son of a renowned architect, Jim Chapman, Sr. His keen eye for design and his architectural flair is heavily influenced by his father who is both design partner and mentor. From the time Jim finished school in the mid 90’s through 2005, he built custom homes in Highlands, North Carolina and here, in Buckhead and Alpharetta. In 2005, Jim identified an emerging niche and became an expert builder of Active Adult Communities, neighborhoods that cater to a market that is 55 years or older, who want the same great quality, location, and amenities they were accustomed to, but prefer to downsize to a single level, ranch-style home for better safety and convenience.
Jim began to build these Active Adult Communities in metro Atlanta’s most popular areas and they sold quickly. Soon he was building and selling in Buckhead, Vinings, Cobb, Forsyth, Fulton, Paulding and Douglas counties with an increasing demand for this product. Simultaneously, he continued to construct large, custom homes and found himself running two very successful home building entities — Jim Chapman Communities, building the Active Adult Communities and Jim Chapman Fine Homes, building custom homes. Based on that, one could certainly buy into his humble description of himself as a home builder. One might even conclude that these two companies would be enough to keep him busy, very busy, but then there is the passion part of the story.
Over the past 20 years, Jim Chapman has honed his building skills, built hundreds of homes, helped grow a huge new market segment and has become involved with several very important local, state and national trade organizations. Today, he is the Founding Chairman of the ALL Program, a voluntary statewide certification created by the Home Builders Association of Georgia to promote accessibility and universal design. He will serve in 2016 as the Chairman of the 50 Plus Housing Council of the National Association of Home Builders. He was recently appointed to the Home Builders of Georgia’s Regulatory Affairs and Government Affairs committees and was just elected Secretary of the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association and should serve as President in 2018. He is one of two trustees for the state of Georgia representing BUILD PAC — Builders United in Legislative Decisions Political Action Committee, which is the NHBA’s political arm. Finally, Jim is a Certified Professional Home Builder. It is quite a resume, especially when added to running the home building companies.
“Design and home building have been my passion for decades,” says Chapman. “I have been blessed to have a career doing something that I truly love to do. Most people do not have that opportunity and I try to never lose sight of that. Building came naturally to me and the more my companies grew, the more people I got to meet — all kinds of people — customers, salespeople, regulatory people, trade organization people, political figures — all of which impacted my life and my career in a positive fashion. As a builder, I learned I could positively affect some people’s lives. As an involved member of some of these important trade organizations and committees I could positively affect an industry that touched thousands of lives. And, as various leadership roles have become available, I see it as a way to give something back to the industry I love with the ability to touch tens of thousands of lives.”
Jim Chapman calls himself a home builder. The people who work with him, who buy his homes, who serve with him, who witness the difference he makes, those people might call him something else, something special, like a leader. As a matter of fact, Atlanta Business Chronicle recognized him as one of the TOP 100 most influential people in Atlanta’s housing industry. The home building business is a better place with the likes of Jim Chapman in it. He is a home builder with a passion for what he does.
For more information about Jim Chapman homes, visit www.jimchapmancommunities.com or jimchapmanfinehomes.com.