James Attended California state Polytechnic University at Pomona in their school in environmental design. He then went on to work for Newport Beach designer, James Adams, working on restaurants and hotel projects around the United States.

In 1986, James found it his own design/ build firm, Pacific Designers and Builders. James was also a licensed general building contractor and began designing and building custom homes in South Orange County, primarily in Laguna Beach. This unique combination of skills allowed James to design homes that were both beautiful and structurally efficient to build.

James founded Conrad Development and he developed numerous high end custom homes in Laguna Beach, California and Scottsdale, Arizona. He honed his skills in all aspects of development from Selection of property, Architectural and Interior Design, procurement of entitlements, Finance, construction and marketing of property. This full spectrum expertise allows James to guide his clients through the entire development process.

James now focuses his energy on the architectural discipline, designing high end homes, restaurants and small commercial projects primarily in California and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.