Jim grew up in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York and graduated from Cornell University in 1965. He attended Navy OCS and spent the next three years stationed in Newport, RI and Vietnam. After the Navy Jim received an MBA from the University of Denver and fell in love with the mountains of Colorado. He then took a job with Western Electric in Vancouver, Washington and survived the rain. In 1973 he was transferred to Miami where he met his future wife Diane.

After two years of living by the ocean, the lure of the mountains was too strong and Jim moved to Vail for a couple of months of skiing and never left. After having lived in three corners of America, “I can honestly say that the climate in the Vail Valley is the best”.

In 1975 Jim obtained his real estate license and sold real estate for Canada’s of Vail and after two years was the top sales person. During this time Jim also developed townhomes and condominiums in Eagle-Vail. From 1984 to 1988 Jim was a Broker with Vail Associates Real Estate and obtained his CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member) designation from the National Association of Realtors. In 1988 Jim formed – and held the position of managing partner – Scott Hill Associates to develop the Pines Lodge and Pines Townhomes in Beaver Creek. He then developed Wiltshire Court – six ski in ski out luxury townhomes on Beaver Creek Mountain. In 1996 Jim started developing townhomes in Aurora, Colorado.

Jim is a past president of the Vail Rotary Club. Recently he used his experiences as a member of the construction commission to oversee the planning and construction of the Eagle River Presbyterian Church in Avon.

In 2003 Jim returned to the general brokerage business with Slifer Smith & Frampton Real Estate, enabling him to use his 25 plus years of sales and development experience, to help others realize their Colorado dreams.

Jim lives in Eagle-Vail with his wife Diane and they have two grown sons – one lives in New York City and the other locally in Eagle. We both feel extremely fortunate to have raised our family in the Vail Valley!