A successful businessperson and lecturer at The University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill, Jim Kitchen serves as a coach for the Launching the Venture program at the University’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. The program relies on the region’s commerce leaders, such as Jim Kitchen, to help entrepreneurial students develop business plans and work toward the successful launches of new firms.
Jim Kitchen currently serves as a board member for Nourish International, a thriving start-up founded by a UNC student in 2003. The 501(c)3 nonprofit addresses social problems attributed to global poverty by promoting awareness and raising money for development projects. The entity began as a UNC student group and has since expanded to 24 chapters at colleges across the United States.
An experienced entrepreneur, Jim Kitchen expanded his international tour business following his college graduation. After growing the enterprise for 18 years, he sold the company to TUI Travel, a British multinational corporation. He used the sale proceeds to expand his real estate business in North Carolina.
As President of Real Property Development, Jim Kitchen focuses on the acquisition of multifamily residential properties and commercial, triple-net buildings. The company holds a diversified property portfolio with tenants, such as the CVS Caremark, McDonald’s, and Jiffy Lube. Overseeing the firm’s team of property managers, Jim Kitchen has developed a reputation as a business leader in the Research Triangle part of his state.
Jim Kitchen leveraged his professional success to further his interests in travel, philanthropy, endurance athletics, and entrepreneurship. Under the auspices of JimKitchen.org, he has provided support to the North Carolina Children’s Hospital, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Eastern North Carolina, and the Kramden Institute. In 2011, he completed his first 100-mile ultramarathon, finishing the Umstead 100 Miler in 29 hours.
Mr. Kitchen earned his B.A. in Russian and Eastern European Studies from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Subsequently, he studied business at The University of Tennessee Knoxville, where he received his M.B.A. as valedictorian of his class. He is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Management through The George Washington University in Washington.
