W. James Overton

W. James Overton (born August 26, 1946) is a prominent construction executive and real estate developer primarily in Atlanta Georgia. Important projects include Bank of America Plaza, Pinnacle Building in Buckhead and the Georgia World Congress Center. Overton graduated with High Honors in 1968 from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. From 1969 to 1972 Overton served as a LT(jg) in the US Navy (Seabees). Following Overton’s Naval service, he spent 17 years with Hardin Construction Company, ending his tenure as Group President. Afterwards, Overton then lead the development activities of Cousins Properties, one of the largest Real Estate Investment Trusts in the County. During Overton’s career, he has managed the development of more than 30 million square feet of office space; four convention/conference centers, totaling 2 million square feet; 18 hotels, totaling more than 10,000 rooms; 6 million square feet of mixed-use projects; and 7 million square feet of retail space including seven regional malls. In 2002 Overton founded OvertonMurphy Interests, LLC, a small real estate firm to handle large real estate investments for OMI and other investors. Memberships and Civic Involvement: Overton is a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI). He served on the Construction Board of the Atlanta High Museum of Art and as a guest lecturer and mentor at the Georgia Tech College of Architecture. He is a former Board Member of the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Overton is a Director and former Chairman of GlenCastle Constructors, a consortium of Atlanta General Contractors that provides management, materials and labor to build or renovate housing and community facilities for low- income citizens of Atlanta. Currently, Overton serves as a Board Member of Park Place Outreach, which is a children’s emergency youth shelter in Savannah, Georgia.