James Buckalew is a seasoned construction and sales executive with more than 30 years of experience across commercial, multifamily, residential, and insurance restoration projects throughout the United States. His background combines construction operations, project management, estimating, sales, and business development, with extensive experience managing complex restoration projects resulting from hail, hurricanes, fire, and other catastrophic events.
James currently serves as National Sales Director for Champion Contractors & Services – Commercial, where he is focused on developing client relationships, identifying new business opportunities, and supporting Champion’s continued growth across national commercial markets. His extensive construction background provides him with a practical, field-driven understanding of project scope, estimating, execution, and the unique challenges associated with large-scale property restoration.
James began his career with Champion in 2008 as an outside sales associate focused on large-loss, event-driven restoration projects. Over the years, he advanced into several leadership and operational roles within the company, including Vice President of our Residential Division and Senior Project Manager for our Florida operations. In these roles, James combined his extensive sales and restoration experience with hands-on construction management, including playing a key role in the execution of a major roofing program at Eckerd College involving approximately 55 campus buildings. His responsibilities included coordinating crews, schedules, logistics, quality control, and project delivery within an active institutional environment.
Before joining Champion, James spent nearly 20 years as President of a Texas-based construction and renovation company serving the Houston and Austin markets. He led the company’s operations across multifamily, medical, commercial, and residential construction while managing multimillion-dollar projects and complex insurance restoration assignments resulting from fire, hail, hurricane, and other property losses.
Earlier in his career, James served as Regional Vice President for another regional construction company, overseeing multifamily and commercial construction operations in the Austin and San Antonio markets.
James brings a combination of construction expertise, field experience, client development, and executive leadership to Champion. His ability to understand a project from both the construction and customer perspective makes him particularly effective in developing solutions for commercial property owners and managers facing complex capital improvement, restoration, and storm-related roofing needs.