Jim Hourigan | Chief Operating Officer
BuildDirect

Jim Hourigan is a senior executive who brings to the table over 25 years of success guiding corporate strategy in the areas of sales, operations, distribution, logistics, and manufacturing.  At present, he serves as the COO of BuildDirect, a $200M e-commerce pioneer based in Vancouver, Canada that specializes in the online distribution of building products and materials.  Building upon a strong early foundation with Eastman Kodak and A.C. Nielsen, Jim's leadership aptitude quickly advanced him into executive positions with a series of consumer and medical device companies that includes GF Health Products, Inviro Medical, Medline, and SSL International.  

Jim's educational credentials include an MBA with concentrations in Marketing and Operations from the University of Dallas, a BS in Business from the State University of New York, and the completion of executive education programs at INSEAD University in Paris and Ashridge Business School in London.  In addition, he's attained CIRM certification through the Association for Operations Management (APICS) and is the holder of multiple patents related to manufacturing and product design.

A member of the Institute of Corporate Directors, Jim speaks regularly on the topics of effective corporate leadership and governance and also co-authored the book "The Castle" about the challenges/opportunities created by modern ERP business systems.  
Jim is active in the community and is a Director on the board of Kids up Front a charitable organization that provides access to arts, culture, sports and recreation for underprivileged kids who otherwise would not have the opportunity.