Who was Jim Patterson?

By Paul Trombetta

Jim was a man that could be described as a great eccentric businessman. He was always slightly ahead of the curve in business and not scared of trying new ideas. He seemed to always have the answers, the right answers.

Jim followed his father's footsteps into the engineering field and got a degree in Mechanical Engineering. However, he opened up his own firm in Civil Engineering, knowing he could flourish in the field by working directly with the developers and project owners instead of working for someone else. He also was keenly interested in real estate investing, which is a by-product of civil engineering plans most of the time. I watched and learned from his transactions, and ended up doing some of the same things.

I joined his firm in 1978 and learned all about running a successful business from top to bottom. His years of tutelage enabled me to start my own firm, become immediately successful and to actually retire at the same time Jim did. I even invested in some of the same real estate ideas he produced and always asked his opinion, which may have been the smartest thing I ever did. I retired in 2003 at the age of 54 and without him I might still be working today. I would like to honour his kindness, friendship and mentoring with this scholarship.