Jim Kurtz serves as President of Stansell Construction, bringing over 30 years of construction experience to support the professional development of people in the industry. With a Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering Technology and deep expertise across restaurant and retail construction, he motivates teams to aspire for success in all aspects of construction, ultimately delivering exceptional customer satisfaction.
Jim's leadership is defined by his focus on the human element. He leads with consistency and efficiency while maintaining a genuine appreciation for process creation and alignment, ensuring Stansell delivers customer-focused construction on every project. His eternal optimism creates a positive environment where safety, quality, schedule, and profitability are pursued with integrity, character, strong work ethic, and authentic appreciation of people.
With extensive experience in domestic and international real estate and construction, Jim has built a reputation for seeking out great talent, assembling high-performing teams, and executing for results. His heart remains firmly rooted in serving the United States construction industry, particularly in the restaurant and light retail sectors where he has made his greatest impact.
Jim's construction career spans diverse experiences across multiple sectors of land development. He started as a laborer in hardscape landscaping and carpentry to pay his way through college, gaining hands-on experience that would shape his understanding of construction from the ground up. During his college years, he worked in the engineering and architecture disciplines as a draftsman, building valuable engineering exposure that complemented his academic studies.
In his early professional career, Jim worked for a general contractor as a project manager and teammate on commercial restaurant and light retail projects. His passion for customer satisfaction and technical prowess caught the attention of a client who recruited him into owner representation, providing a brief but valuable exposure to the developer perspective of the holistic land development business. However, he returned to owner representation where he discovered that the business was more about the people on the team than the projects themselves.
This realization led to leadership opportunities that Jim embraced wholeheartedly, committing to exceeding expectations at every turn. These opportunities included responsibility growth and geographical experience that took him around the world. Jim developed expertise in building great teams, collecting talented professionals, and executing projects that delivered results for clients and stakeholders.
Before joining Stansell Construction, Jim spent over 16 years with McDonald's Corporation, ultimately serving as Lead Development Director for the Atlantic Group and later as Senior Development Director for Latin America. In this role, he provided leadership, strategy, and process support to McDonald's Developmental Licensees across Latin America for real estate, construction, and portfolio management. This international experience expanded his perspective on construction operations and team development at a global scale.
Jim holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering Technology from Murray State University and completed post-graduate MBA coursework in Business Administration and Management at the University of Tampa's John H. Sykes College of Business. He joined Stansell Construction in July 2017 as Chief Operating Officer and Partner, where he oversaw all aspects of talent development, technology investments, and operational processes to support the company's culture of customer-focused construction. In April 2025, he was promoted to President, continuing his mission to build teams that deliver exceptional results.
Beyond his professional expertise, Jim is a committed servant to God as a husband, father, son, brother, and construction leader. His hobbies are primarily associated with time spent with family, though cars entertain him from time to time.
