About the Author

Jim Shaw was born in Federalsburg, a small town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. After graduation from high school (in a class of 36 students) he attended the University of Maryland, earning a BS in Business. Jim then served his commission as a pilot in the US Air Force, spending his last year in the flight test squadron.

Nearing the end of his military commitment, Jim was faced with his first major career decision. He realized that, through high school, college and military training, no systematic method to evaluate one’s career goals was presented. He developed this system to objectively evaluate his own personal priorities and to choose the career path that most complemented them.

Through personal evaluation, networking and information gathering interviews, Jim chose a sales position with IBM’s Data Processing Division as the career that would most fulfill his priorities at that time.

Five years later, it was time to re-evaluate, and Success in Action suggested changing jobs. Jim accepted a managerial position with Memorex, opening offices for their business computer division in Baltimore, Washington, DC and Richmond, VA. After five years with Memorex, Success In Action showed that another job change wasn’t necessary. It was, however, time to branch out. He started his own business, a public warehouse facility in Salisbury, MD.

The next evaluation suggested it was time to move on. Jim became Vice President of the Eastern Region for Municipal Leasing Corporation, a company specializing in tax-exempt financing for municipal governments. Five years later, while continuing with Municipal Leasing, he started his second business, the development of an industrial park in Harford County, MD.

After the most recent evaluation, Jim chose to leave Municipal and concentrate on his own businesses. He founded, and was the first Chairman of the Board for a local bank. He was part owner of the charter ship Clipper City, a topsail schooner based in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, and he continues as Operating Partner for the Cranberry Run Industrial Park.

Apart from his business interests, Jim has served as President of the University of Maryland Alumni Association, Chairman of the Harford County Econonic Development Board and Chairman of the Harford Community College Foundation Board. He has given career development seminars publicly at the University of Maryland and privately to more than a thousand people in the last 30 years.