Jim Nussbaum was born and raised in Appleton, Wisconsin, receiving his B.A. in English from St. John’s University, Minnesota, with highest honors, and his Masters Degree in Business Administration/Marketing from the University of Wisconsin. He was the first person in his family to attend and graduate from college.

Jim began his sales career at the age of 17, selling vacuum cleaners door to door. He paid 100% of his way through seven years of college by selling cookware, china, flatware and cutlery for The Vita Craft Corporation, Kansas City, Missouri. Starting as a salesman, Jim ended up as District Manager for Vita Craft. After receiving his MBA, Jim joined the General Electric Company (G.E) in Corporate Planning and Market Research as a consultant, working with the company in Syracuse, New York; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Chicago, Illinois and Washington, D. C. He then joined G. E.’s educational affiliate, the General Learning Corporation, where he functioned as a Corporate Planner and a Regional Marketing Director in charge of selling educational programs to such firms as IBM.

After his employment with The General Learning Corporation, Jim joined American Salesmasters, Inc., a firm specializing in selling sales training and motivational programs throughout the country to salesmen in every sales field. He conducted hundreds of motivational sales meetings before sales groups in New York City, New York and Colorado Springs, Colorado. While in the Springs, Jim’s sales production earned him the designation of number two salesperson among 65 Salesmasters salespeople throughout the country. Jim has conducted real estate and motivational seminars and has been on the same platform with such notables as the late Earl Nightingale and Dr.Norman Vincent Peale.

Jim began his residential real estate sales career as a real estate salesman with a local Denver company, Van Schaack and Co. He made the President’s Club each year, and in five of his last seven years with that firm was its top residential salesperson out of over 350 sales associates. After his eleven- year sales career with Van Schaack, Jim left the company and formed a new real estate company, The Kentwood Co., with four other Van Schaack salespeople. In 2007 the five partners sold the company to two individuals who a few years later sold the company to Home Services of America Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway Affiliate.

In March, 1981, Jim formed a new real estate company, The Kentwood Company, in partnership with four other ex-Van Schaack salespeople. In 2007 the partners sold the company to two individuals who a few years later sold the company to Home Services of America, Inc., A Berkshire Hathaway Affiliate.

Jim’s closed sales volume has been consistently high, and in several years he was recognized as the number ONE residential salesperson in the State of Colorado. In his 50+year residential sales career he has participated in over 2800 closings with a closed sales volume in excess of $1.3 Billion. His real estate designations include GRI, CRS, SRES, CIPS, and CDPE. He received several real estate awards from the Denver Sales and Marketing Executives Club, as well as in-person awards from sales motivational icons the late Og Mandino and Earl Nightingale. He has been listed in Who’s Who in America.

After selling The Kentwood Company, Jim remains with the firm in a non-ownership, sales capacity, and continues to actively sell residential real estate with his four team members. He recently wrote and published a book entitled Significance: A Lifetime of Learning, Earning and Love, which is available here. Jim resides in Greenwood Village, Colorado, with his wife, Mary Jean. Their son, Dan their daughter, Kate, and their families all reside in the Denver area.