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GENERAL OVERVIEW
Jim Higginbotham was born
and raised in Texas City, Texas, where during World War II, his father worked on
the construction of the refineries that made gasoline for the aircraft. Jim
later worked summer jobs with Engineering crews putting in units at Monsanto
Chemical Company and also repairing roofs at Union Carbide. In the 3rd gr. he
was a little over a mile from the Texas City Docks, where he witnessed the Texas
City Disaster. A ship loaded with Ammonium Nitrate blew up and destroyed a major
part of the refineries, oil fields and the town of Texas City. This was the
largest man made explosion up until that time in history, larger than the
A-bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Homes all over Texas City
were destroyed or badly damaged. He watched the whole city being rebuilt and
became very interested in construction, so a Home Building Degree in college was
exactly the type of career he was wanting to pursue. While still working on
summer construction jobs, at school , he studied all the different phases of
Home building, Architecture, plumbing, heat and a/c, framing, estimating,
supervision, and sales .After graduating from Trinity University in San Antonio,
he was hired by a large construction company in Dallas. The owner of the company
had died and the son needed someone to run the business, which had three housing
subdivisions going, large apartments and light commercial. In 1966, he went into
business for himself. Jim has worked with customers on every phase from design
to final completion and any issues afterward. He has lived in the same areas and
subdivisions that he has built in for over 40 years. Jim is very knowledgeable
about what buyers need, expect and how they feel about the home many years after
it has been completed. His wife, Carol, is a Coldwell Banker Real Estate agent
with a Brokers License and has sold and resold many of the homes he has built.
Jim has had the opportunity to study and observe his homes, as well as many
others over a long period of time in the Dallas area. His experience with
Engineers, the difference in soil conditions, city codes, deed restrictions,
warranties, architectural control and building standards are part of the
experience he has had.
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Science Degree Trinity University San Antonio, Texas 1963
Certified Graduate Builder CGB Home Builders Association of Greater Dallas
Graduate Master Builder GMB Home Builders Association of Greater Dallas
The GMB Certification involves completing five courses, a Graduate must maintain
the designation by
Completing 12 hours of continuing Education every three years
Certificate of Completion of 40 hours training in Mediation and Dispute
Resolution
Southern Methodist University, 2005 John Wade – Instruction
Arbitration Training Course 2005 16 hour training program in Theory, Practice
and Rules of Arbitration
CDRS Dispute Resolution Training Institute
Straight Talk about Construction
Arbitration Program October 2005 American Arbitration Association
Licensed Texas Real Estate Agent
OTHER ACTIVITIES
• Jim has been a member of the Home Building Association of Greater Dallas since
1967
• Served as President of the Duncanville Home Builders in the 1970’s
• Served on the Duncanville Board of Adjustments in the 1970’s
• Served as Chairman of the Advisory Board for Project Craft, 2004-2005 Yourth
Village, Dallas, Texas
HomeBuilders Institute, Washington, D.C. which taught troubled youth Home
Building skills
BUILDING COMPANIES
Jim owns J & C Custom Homes, Inc. which builds Custom Homes up to 10,000 SF,
large additions and light commercial. He has been involved in over 3000
constructed units in the Dallas/Fort Worth area in his 40 years in the business.
